Daytona 500 winning team will get to keep car for 2022
A Daytona 500 tradition dating back to 1997 will be altered for this year only.
The winning car normally resides in Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Museum outside Daytona International Speedway until the following year when a new winner is crowned.
But with the introduction of the Next Gen car, teams can't afford to lose one of their race cars for the entire year. Supply chain issues, limited parts and delays in development have forced NASCAR to change how things are done, at least just for 2022.
The winning car will remain at the speedway overnight and be present for the celebratory breakfast the following morning, but the team will then be allowed to take it back to the shop and race it again during the season. But that's not all.
NASCAR will scan the winning car and create an identical wrap of the paint scheme -- confetti and all. The wrap will be placed on the body of a Next Gen prototype used in testing and be placed in the display as a substitute.
The tradition of the winning car staying in Daytona for the entire year will resume in 2023.
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