The overall safety of NASCAR’s Next Gen car has been a hot-button topic over the summer months of the season, with two drivers – Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman – currently on the sidelines with concussion-like symptoms.
In recent weeks, a number of drivers have irritably spoken to the media regarding their concerns with the safety of the brand-new car, while also citing that the sanctioning body isn’t being transparent enough when it comes to the changes being worked on and tested.
This revelation sparked a 75-minute ‘safety meeting’ on Saturday at Charlotte’s ROVAL, in which NASCAR spoke with drivers about the car’s safety and the results from a recent crash test, in which the sanctioning body was testing out some proposed changes.
The meeting – which many involved described as tense, yet cordial – showed some positive progress in NASCAR’s journey to make the NextGen car safer and in communication between the sanctioning body and drivers.
Now, just a few days removed from said meeting, NASCAR has pushed a memo to teams of the NASCAR Cup Series, which outlines changes that will be made to the NextGen car, moving forward.
The changes, which will be implemented for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, will see the car feature an improved crumple zone behind the driver, in which the new components will dissipate more energy in the event of a crash.
It is my understanding that NASCAR has decided on a plan of action to improve safety of the Next Gen car that will result in the removal and modification of some of the tubing in the center section and rear clip with a process that will start soon with a target for next season. pic.twitter.com/Qaj0KVPTdb
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) October 12, 2022
In order for these changes to occur, teams will have to send their chassis to Technique Chassis – which is the NASCAR-selected single-source vendor that builds and maintains these components.
First reported by Bozi Tatarevic, and further confirmed to TobyChristie.com by NASCAR, the sanctioning body will be covering all of the costs associated with making these changes, including fabrication, materials, and labor.
For additional information – and in-depth technical analysis – on the changes being made to NASCAR Cup Series entries for the 2023 season, check out this ‘Road and Track’ article, written by Bozi Tatarevic.
