NASCAR's Next Gen car faces crucial week of testing ahead
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer
With fewer than nine weeks until the Daytona 500 (and seven weeks until the preseason Clash), NASCAR knows it has limited time to improve the Next Gen car as teams get ready for the season.
The urgency comes to a head this week, as teams will conduct a two-day test Wednesday and Friday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval. There will be a day off between the testing days to allow the teams and NASCAR to evaluate potential improvements.
"It’s got some issues, let’s be honest," Cup veteran Martin Truex Jr. said. "The car is not where it needs to be, and people are scrambling.
"We’ve got to make some changes. We need to make it better so we can race with it, put on a show for the fans."
At the test last month at Charlotte, the speeds were not only about 7 mph slower, but also drivers said they could not pass the car ahead of them. Why? Two main reasons:
They are on the gas pedal nearly the entire oval, meaning there is little chance to take advantage of being able to use the throttle and brake to manage speeds in the turns.
The car is more symmetrical, meaning it has the same weight and measurements on both the left and right sides. Because of that, they run differently in clean air vs. in traffic, where you could use more weight on the right side to help with side forces.
The additional weight on the right side also allowed for the car to be more stable in traffic because if the car began to spin, the additional weight would slow the rate of the spin enough to give the driver the ability to straighten out the car. Without that additional weight, the car snaps into the spin more quickly, giving a driver less time to react.
"There’s way, way less rear side force in the car, so you have to run them so tight to run in clean air," driver Ryan Blaney said. "But when you are behind somebody, it’s way worse [with] how loose you are. ... They’re not balanced right."
What are the answers? The first is to increase horsepower. The simplest fix would be to restrict air flow to generate 670 horsepower instead of 550. Why 670? Because that is already what NASCAR is using on short tracks and road courses, and making it the same across the board would reduce the challenges for engine builders.
NASCAR could also change the drag and rear downforce in the car by adjusting the rear spoiler, the use of wickers, changing the rear diffuser (an underhang in the rear of the car) or adjusting weight.
During a three-car test Thursday at Charlotte, NASCAR tried several changes, including one with 670 horsepower. Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell participated in the test. NASCAR refused to comment about any results of the test, but according to some of those in attendance speaking not for attribution, the test showed progress and calmed some of the panic that has arisen since the November test. However, with cold temperatures and just three cars, there also was reason to know that any progress was likely just a step, not a total solution.
NASCAR will take what it learned last week and apply it to requests for teams to experiment with Wednesday and Friday.
"They’re going to have to try it all [at this upcoming test]," driver and team owner Denny Hamlin said. "It’s going to be very, very important for NASCAR to really be organized in this Charlotte test and just come up with a plan of good, bad or indifferent, this is what we’re going to do."
Hamlin’s biggest concern, because more than 90 percent of the parts and pieces come from NASCAR-approved suppliers and can’t be built by the teams, is that a supplier would run into a supply issue. Teams are not expected to have their full allotment of seven cars assembled by the start of the season, and that worries them with the potential of crashes during Daytona week and three races out West to open the season (not to mention the exhibition Clash).
"The supply chain issues is what we’re worried about," Hamlin said. "Any more changes, we’re 60 days from racing. We’re nervous. We’ve got to lock it in.
"We do collectively have some good ideas how we can make this car race better and drive better. The COT [in the 2000s] was a mess when we started it, and it got better. I hope we can do the same with this car."
Harvick tested the 670 horsepower package at the first Charlotte test a month ago.
"Having to lift off the throttle in [turns] 3 and 4 made improvement," he said. "Anytime you can let off the throttle is a good thing for racing.
"Nothing did as much as the engine. There’s definitely some things that we tried that everybody wanted to try. The engine is a must, in my opinion."
Charlotte has been a tough track for NASCAR to get a handle on in recent years, and Harvick said if they can get the car to handle well at Charlotte, it will handle well anywhere.
"If I was in charge, I would send that press release out yesterday that we would go to more horsepower," Harvick said. "I would put 1,000 horsepower in it, but I don’t know that I’d have a lot of support on that one outside the drivers."
Until teams know the rules, drivers aren’t really sure about their prospects for the season.
"Nobody knows what it’s going to be yet," Truex said. "How do you figure out something that is still changing? So it’s going to be interesting, to say the least."
Added Kyle Busch: "We don’t know exactly where the rule book is because things are changing daily."
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Thinking out loud
NASCAR will start allowing teams to use chrome numbers again beginning in the 2022 season.
In the grand scheme of the NASCAR world, it’s not a huge deal. But it’s a good one.
NASCAR originally banned chrome numbers because of concerns about visibility and how well they contrast with the rest of the car. Now they'll be allowed again, pending approval from the sanctioning body.
Chrome numbers can be a cool element to a paint scheme, and they are an easy way to generate excitement about a particular car. The buzz over some of the cars with chrome numbers at the test last month proved that it was time for their return.
Social spotlight
Stat of note
The Stage 1 winner won the race in six events in 2021. The Stage 2 winner won 13 times. In three races, a driver swept both stages and the race: Kyle Larson (Charlotte oval and Sonoma) and Truex (Darlington in September).
They said it
"It hurts. But we’re still proud." — Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 Cup champion, who has since finished second in the standings in three of the past four seasons
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!