NASCAR shared three new models of Next Gen Cars on Wednesday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina. These revolutionary stock cars were two years in the making by Chevy, Ford and Toyota, in addition to all the OEM, automotive parts and supply-chain vendors, and countless others involved in the collaborative process. They all worked together to design, manufacture, then test these engineering marvels. The sport’s history just took a leap forward because of advanced technologies, designed to anticipate the industry shift to the future, while staying true to many of the key production roots of past vehicles. Chase Elliot is the current NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) champion and made a grand entrance to the Next Gen Car Unveil NASCAR Media and Press Conference driving the newest Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 version. The innovative Ford Mustang driven by Joey Logano was also present as was Denny Hamlin behind the striking Toyota Camry. Also in attendance were the host, NASCAR on FOX, Shannon Spake, and NASCAR’s front office, representatives of the manufacturers, race teams, drivers and crews, along with broadcasters and media. Fans streamed the live event on NASCAR.com or listening via Sirius XM NASCAR radio. NASCAR president, Steve Phelps; NASCAR chief racing development officer, Steve O’Donnell; and NASCAR SVP of racing innovation, John Probst, shared the Next Gen story behind its vision, collaborations and execution resulting in attracting new owners, potential OEMs and growing the next generation of fans. The Sports Techie community blog respects the efforts of everyone involved in this momentous and historic NASCAR sports tech-driven moment and looks forward to seeing these race cars officially race during Speedweeks and the Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway in February 2022.
Next Gen NASCAR Unveil
“This is a significant moment for our sport,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said during his introduction of the Next Gen cars. “This car is more relevant and includes more innovation than any car in NASCAR history. The styling of the car is clear. I mean, they look unbelievable. Just so incredible to finally be here.”
The new Series cars had two years to be redesigned leaving no part unscathed. In the past, the only notable difference when car changes occurred was on the exterior. Not Next Gen because these models use a more flexible manufacturing process ready to absorb the newest technologies, including forthcoming hybrid or electric powertrains.
Every component of the car went through an RFP process, according to Steve O’Donnell. Simulations generated data supported by the limited testing of Next Gen vehicles by the trio, providing analysts with enough metrics for NASCAR to already determine this race car is more of a challenge for drivers to manage and offers added excitement to races. The notion this is a clean slate for the best stock car drivers in the world sounds like a logical step.
John Probst discussed the evolution of the car since the first Richmond track tests in October of 2019, counting all the tracks since then. Probst says their team, OEMs and partners have spent countless hours of CAD software, simulations and test times that went into design, performance and safety. Wind tunnels tests are up to 1,100 hours of testing and climbing.
Next Gen Car Looks and Components
Among the changes are a lower roof line, longer and sleeker hood area, smaller rear deck lid area with a more racy finish, and better designed and protected wheels using a single central lug rather than five lug studs in operation today.
Next Gen Car Looks
- The Next Gen car has given manufacturers greater latitude to incorporate features into the race car body that better replicate the look and feel of the street car.
- A sleek new design has lowered the greenhouse, shortened the deck lid and widened the track width of the car giving it more of a coupe look.
- The body is fully symmetrical which will reduce aerodynamic forces and put an emphasis back on race car setup and driver control. The new composite material is more durable and will allow more beating and banging without loss of performance.
- New 18″ forged aluminum wheels and wider Goodyear tires better replicate what is found on passenger cars and will allow for softer tire compounds.
Phelps added, “Simply put, this car will make our sport healthier and stronger. It’s an exciting day for our industry and our fans, and I’m proud of all the work that went into bringing us to today.”
Next Gen Car Components
- Upgraded specs to match modern passenger vehicle technology including independent rear suspension, rack and pinion steering and larger brakes.
- A new transaxle combines the transmission and rear gears into one package with an eye on the future – the ability to incorporate electrification.
- The bottom of the car is sealed with an underwing and rear diffuser which will help with handling in traffic and reduce “dirty air.”
- Hood louvers will allow teams to maximize engine performance independent of aerodynamics.
- A redesigned chassis features new front and rear bumpers for increased safety. Both the front and rear clips bolt on to the center section for easier serviceability and damage repair.
- Upgraded car connectivity will allow for an in-car camera in every vehicle, with the ability to bring fans more real-time data in the future.
New Owners
The time sure seems right to entertain more owners that understand the brand, mission and both the present and future possibilities with an eye on NASCAR’s stoic history.
“I think you’ve heard it from the likes of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin with 23XI Racing,” Phelps said. Hamlin is a three-time Daytona 500 winner and NASCAR Cup series team owner. Phelps also said, “We’ve heard it from Trackhouse Racing from Justin Marks and Pitbull, and from Live Fast Racing with Matt Tifft and B.J. McLeod. There’s an eagerness for ownership to come to this sport. I think this car and the importance of this car, what it represents, is at the heart of what that would be.”
“It’s an attractive time to come into the sport, obviously,” said Hamlin, who partnered with Jordan this year to field cars for Bubba Wallace. “This was a big factor in our decisions, will be part of our decisions going forward.”
“We have a reset in technology and resources that are going to be going into this car. We’re not at a 20-to-30-year disadvantage by coming into the sport. We’ll all be developing it at the same time in its early existence,” added Hamlin.
Chevy
NASCAR Next Gen™ Camaro ZL1 race cars have updated racing technologies to assist drivers with control, speed and tranaparency, while bringing a rear-wheel drive, 650-horsepower small block fuel-injected V8 and manual transmission, to provide the perfect platform for racing success while adding to riveting Cup racing action .
The addition of a more sleek, aerodynamic design led to a lowered greenhouse and rear symmetry resulting in the race car having the same look as the 2022 Camaro ZL1 production car in the showroom of dealers.
Chevy engineers implemented driver-in-the-loop simulators and driver feedback teams during the development process for better overall vehicle balance. They also relied on rigid aerodynamic standards for the Cup car. The incorporation of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis further development resulting in more CFD than all the previous cup programs combined.
The next step used wind tested with a 40% scale model of the cup car derived from data obtained by CFD analysis. Their rolling road system generated measures sensitivities to wind drag and uncovered downforce in less time. Chevy tested a full-size model of clay and rapid-prototyped parts using hundreds of body variations to achieve aero targets.
NASCAR programs for GM, Eric Warren, said, “Really we had a great foundation to start with with the Camaro ZL1. With the foundation also of our great partners, the interaction between Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress, Chip Ganassi Racing, all the engineers, designers at Chevrolet, as John said, the wind tunnel time, the computation fluid dynamics work really brought the Camaro ZL1 as we see it as the Next Gen car. It really is exciting what we see going forward.”
Fans and admirers remember names like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty as each has played an important role in the Chevy and NASCAR program successes.
I was told the Chevy logo changed to lower case g and m (General Motors) to signify the inevitable shift to electric vehicles (EV). Hybrid and electric NASCAR Camaro ZLI might be here before you know even if it kills the throaty noise the new engines make, something many old school fans may frown upon even if it is better for the environment.
Ford
The world’s best-selling sports car is the Ford entry in America’s most popular form of auto racing. Ford’s all-new 2022 NASCAR Next Gen Mustang.
“A lot of work has been done behind the scenes to make sure this Next Gen Mustang remains relevant to our customers,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “As the automotive industry continues to change, we’ll have the ability to keep up in the racing world without having to go through a complete overhaul or redesign of the car. This is something we’ve been waiting for and we’re glad the time has finally arrived.”
The new car was co-developed in the Ford Dearborn design center and Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina. Ford used their NASCAR scale model and local aero teams to make it so. Extensive development on full-motion simulators at the technical center is ongoing because both racing and production car work happens there.
“This car is true to the Mustang brand and we have to thank the Ford design team for working hand-in-hand with our aerodynamic engineers to ensure it is competitive on the track, while maintaining unique Mustang styling,” said Rushbrook. “That requires a lot of give-and-take on both sides, but with the new smaller greenhouse area and shorter rear deck, we were able to do a lot of things to make sure there’s no mistaking this is a Mustang.”
He also said, “So Roush Fenway, Penske, Stewart-Haas, Wood Brothers, to collaborate, tell us what they need in this race car to be successful. A lot of CFD runs, a lot of wind tunnel time is what you see here. The design studio worked very closely with us to bring in the three-dimensional features of the headlights. The signature lighting is very important for us and the design hue for the street Mustang.”
This NASCAR Mustang has the same architecture used in production cars, featuring rack-and-pinion steering, independent rear suspension, 18-inch tires and a symmetric body.
“As a racing fan, I can’t wait to see 40 of these out on track. It’s the body, what we are able to do by coming up with new proportions for it. This screams “Mustang” to me, just the proportions of the car. With the low roof, the long hood, the short deck, those are Mustang proportions. That jumps out immediately,” added Rushbrook.
Mustang joined NASCAR Cup Series in 2019, winning 10 races each of its first two years with a season-high 18 wins in 2020, earning Ford the manufacturers’ championship victory.
Toyota
Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A.) unveiled their Next Gen car, the Toyota TRD Camry together with Calty Design. Together, they improved body styling characteristics for the Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen. The resemblance is near spot on. The Camry began racing in NCS competition in 2013.
“There has been a substantial amount of work put into the Toyota TRD Camry Next Gen car by all of our partners, but specifically everyone at TRD and Calty Design,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager of motorsports and assets, TMNA (Toyota Motor North America). “We’re thrilled to have the chance to showcase the TRD Camry to represent Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series through this Next Gen project. This is our topline, track-inspired performance Camry and it seemed only fitting for it to take it’s spot on the race track.”
Toyota and president of TRD, David Wilson, said, “Our Toyota Camry has been over two years in the making. Once again, it started with a brilliant partnership and collaboration with our friends at Calty Design, Toyota’s in-house design studio. From the proportional styling, the symmetry, the attention to detail on the front grille, the rocker panels on the side. The rear tail has more styling than we’ve ever seen in a NASCAR Camry. The greenhouse has already been talked about. That just looks fantastic.”
He added, “Clearly this is the best-looking Camry we’ve ever taken to the racetrack. Personally, my favorite detail is there’s a modest TRD badge on the rear tail, just like the production Camry. That says that it’s not just a Camry, it’s a TRD Camry. For me, for our over 200 TRD members, we couldn’t be prouder.”
Toyota is the only present NASCAR manufacturer to activate three nameplates in NASCAR’s three national series – the TRD Camry in the NCS, the Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and the Tundra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Camry joined both NCS and NXS in 2007, and have 155 NCS wins and three NCS championships to add to 171 NXS wins and two NXS championships.
NASCAR Cup Series continues May 9 at Darlington Raceway, SC.
Sports Techie, Next-Gen makes think of the NFL, and now NASCAR.
Why was it time to upgrade the cars? Eyeballs are the real answer. NASCAR may have had its American heyday but millions of U.S. fans still love and enjoy the sport, as is. This event was supposed to happen last year but the Pandemic caused the unveiling to be delayed. Even before the virus hit, racetracks and facilities were downsizing from the days when packing in 100,000 rabid raceday fans was happening at maybe a half-dozen tracks. Competition from Indy Series and F1 has also sliced into viewership. How do you fix that?
By putting NASCAR races in hands of the drivers, improving aerodynamics, making it harder to race in corners, and inventing lesser cut times on the new Goodyear tires with a softer compound, look and feel, like Probst said. Symmetric and composite bodies are safety focused making the car body more resilient when hitting the wall. No one likes too many race delays. All these cars have been tested to run on every type of track. NASCAR is testing in Texas right now with the goal to put multiple card on the track for added testing check and balances.
The new NASCAR partnership with the Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs of America as the official community partner is another excellent way to help grow the sport.
Fun, fast and safe times with NASCAR Next Gen cars, and then some.
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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