The safety of the Next Gen car has been a major talking point throughout the 2022 Cup Series season. Now NASCAR is holding a test on October 5 to potentially address one of the biggest issues.
According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, NASCAR has been doing computer modeling on a new rear clip and rear bumper structure. A car with these updated pieces will undergo a crash test at an Ohio facility in the week leading up to the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
These new pieces will not be part of the car during the remaining 2022 Cup Series races, provided they pass the crash test. Instead, they will be for the 2023 Cup Series season, which starts with the exhibition Busch Light Clash and the points-paying Daytona 500.
“It’s a start,” Joey Logano told media members on October 1. “It needs more than just a rear clip, but it’s a start.” The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford continued and said that there are “plans in place” to improve the car for the 2023 season. Though there are other concerns in play, such as the location of the fuel cell, that must be addressed.
A Prominent Crew Chief Had Some Strong Words
GettyChris Buescher (bottom) & Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (top) crash at Daytona International Speedway.
There have been numerous conversations during the 2022 season, many of which focused on blame. Drivers have made comments about NASCAR not listening to them, Goodyear has seemingly placed blame for blown tires on the teams, and NASCAR executives have taken exception to comments about “crappy parts.”
Greg Ives, the crew chief for Alex Bowman, spoke to Motorsport.com and provided a different take on the situation. He said that he would place the blame on himself before focusing on teams, drivers, Goodyear, or NASCAR. He also recommended that everyone in NASCAR comes together to find solutions.
“When you try to attack a problem, you want allies to help you with it and I want to be one of those guys,” Ives said. “We gotta come together. We can’t continue to think that it’s one individual’s fault or one sanctioning body’s fault or one race team’s fault.”
The Drivers Received an Important Update
GettyNASCAR drivers have expressed concerns about safety issues.
The discussions about the Next Gen car are ongoing as the teams and drivers prepare for the final few races of the 2022 Cup Series season. Many members of the industry want to know if there will be changes made before the 2023 Daytona 500.
Some drivers have said that the lines of communication between them and NASCAR have not been the greatest. However, the Drivers’ Council held a call on September 30 to further discuss the potential changes for the Next Gen car.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell was among those in attendance, and he provided an update to media members ahead of the Talladega Superspeedway race. He said that it seems like NASCAR understands where the drivers are and that everyone is focusing on moving forward.
“Yes, I was able to call in and listen and for sure that the positives are that you know, there is stuff in the works to better specifically the rear impacts,” Bells said. “And ironically, that’s been the majority of my crashes this year has been rear impacts and they’ve hurt really bad. So I’m glad that there’s stuff in the works to improve those style impacts. And hopefully, we can just continue to improve the safety of the Next Gen car because the wrecks hurt right now.”
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NASCAR Sets Date for Next Gen Crash Test