NASCAR’s new Next Gen car has not shown favoritism to one race team more than another through the first four races of the 2022 season, making NASCAR odds even less predictable.
Through the first four races, Next Gen has been tested on a high-banked superspeedway at Daytona, two intermediate tracks at Las Vegas and Fontana, and a short track in Phoenix. The new car has performed as expected with a few adjustments by the teams.
Driver Concerns with a New Car
Veteran NASCAR driver, Kurt Busch, recently commented on the car and commented that it has been a pleasant surprise so far and that he and other drivers are getting less anxious when preparing for a race and more comfortable during races when passing.
Some of the changes to the car included taking away aerodynamics, which puts the onus on the driver’s skill behind the wheel. There has not been a complete runaway race yet, which may be the drivers being more cautious as they adjust to the new car, but proponents of the car say it is doing everything it has been expected to do.
Safety of the new car is becoming less of a concern as the season moves along and with every crash. Ross Chastain was involved in a hard crash at Fontana, but the race team reported the car crumpled where it was supposed to and protected the driver as expected. Chastain suffered no injuries.
Leg Numbness
Some drivers have also experienced leg numbness during races. The gas, brake, and clutch pedals in the Next Gen cars are not hanging down from under the dash anymore, but are now mounted on the floor. As drivers find the right setting for the pedals and seat, this issue seems to be resolving on its own.
Keeping the Cars from Being Airborne
At the Daytona 500, Harrison Burton’s car flipped upside-down and NASCAR is continuing to study that crash in particular. His car was hit four times and was going at less of a speed when it got airborne than other cars in the same accident. The car is supposed to be less susceptible to flipping with the new design, but during that crash at more than 180 mph on a superspeedway like Daytona, even the safest of cars can get overturned. Fortunately, in this crash at high speed, no other car left the ground and safely slid as expected when involved in a crash of this magnitude.
Adjustments to New Tires and Wheels
The new 18”, aluminum wheels and lower-profile tires are also something the teams are adjusting to for the season. The previous cars had a five-lug nut system, whereas the Next Gen car features a one-lug nut system with a large center lug nut. NASCAR is investigating the issue of wheels coming off in-race, which has happened
In three of the four races this season, a wheel has come off a car during the race, prompting NASCAR to investigate this issue further to determine if it is a pit-crew error or whether there may be an issue with the lug-nut assembly.
Drivers are also experiencing issues with their cars getting to pit lane when they get a flat. There is no room for an inner liner to the tire as in the previous cars, which assisted drivers in getting to pit lane safely.
The Next Gen car appears to be performing as it was intended to do. Having four different winners after the first four races, younger drivers finishing well and wining races has brought new life to the Cup Series for fans, drivers, and teams.
