NASCAR: Next Gen ready "to put on a good show" at Daytona
NASCAR liked what it saw in Tuesday’s Next Gen drafting test at Daytona and has settled on its superspeedway aero package for the 2022 season.
John Probst, NASCAR’s senior vice president of innovation and racing development, said NASCAR came to this week’s two-day test with two aero packages to test but the results from the first 10-lap drafting session made its decision an easy one.
The package utilized features 510 horsepower and a 7-inch spoiler and similar to what was run at a recent Goodyear tire test at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“When we released the test plan to the teams coming here, we had Package A group run, reevaluate, Package B group run, and those were more or less place holders from our standpoint,” Probst said.
“We told everyone we were shooting for a 48(second)-flat (lap time) to a 48.50 for that main group at the front and if we hit that, we would step back a little bit. Once we hit those numbers, we sent the message to the teams that we’re done, the track is yours.”
Although exact timing and scoring data was not immediately available, speeds in the drafting session averaged between 187 and 189 mph.
Package to be used at three tracks in 2022
Probst said NASCAR will utilize this package for both Daytona, both Talladega and both Atlanta races in the 2022 seasons.
Atlanta now falls into the ‘superspeedway’ category due to its recent repaving and reconfiguration which includes much higher banking. The track has changed from 24 degrees to 28 degrees while the racing surface has narrowed from 55-feet to 40-feet.
“From what we saw today, there was no trophy, no points, there was no money on the line, so I think the level of intensity when we come back (for the Daytona 500) will be ratcheted up significantly,” Probst said.
“If you look at what the cars did as far as spreading out and grouping back up, moving around, going three-wide a couple times, I feel like we’re in a really good spot to put on a good show.
“That doesn’t mean we’re done working, but we feel pretty good about today.”
Probst said teams and NASCAR have made significant strides with the Next Gen car at Daytona since a multicar test conducted last September, in which several potential issues arose including the temperature inside the cockpit.
“If you look last time we were here, the cars were darting, the steering was really quick, drivers weren’t comfortable being close to each other, certainly not three-wide like we saw today,” he said.
“We had issues with driving cooling and steering and grabbed the best of the best in the garage and got with the vendor to figure out the best way to fix it. When we left the test here in 2021, we didn’t leave here feeling great. We felt OK.
“But getting the feedback from the drivers, we didn’t feel like if the race were held tomorrow, that we would put on the best show we could. Coming out the other side of it now, we’re pretty happy with what we saw today.”
Related video
Dale Jr. on Next Gen's 'surgical' steering and the challenge it presents
David Ragan to attempt 2022 Daytona 500 with RWR
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, but his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines...
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Why NASCAR's most resilient driver has landed on his feet at 23XI
In a career that has had many ups and downs, Kurt Busch has been written off many times before. But facing career uncertainty after the sale of Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team, the 2004 Cup champion has found a new berth at Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan's 23XI organization - which underlines his enduring value
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…