November 25, 2021
The Glendale Star
SPORTS
19
(Left) NASCAR’s “Next Gen” cars will provide better traction around corners, driver Kyle Larson said. (Right) Some in the racing community are uncertain about the future of race cars after NASCAR retired the Gen-6 car at Phoenix Raceway. (Photos courtesy of Amanda Valle)
NASCAR FROM PAGE 18
ing, which provide for a wider range of adjustments for different tracks and road courses. A single manufacturer will provide the steel-tube frame for the Next Gen car’s chassis to all teams, with substructures that are bolted onto it — again designed to lower costs by making the cars, and repairing them, more affordable. NASCAR’s power specifications for the Ford, Chevy and Toyota engines in the cars will remain the same. “I’ve only made a handful of laps in it on a road course,” said Larson, who dominated the 2021 NASCAR Cup
Series and wrapped up the championship in Phoenix. “In the laps that I ran around the road course, it has way more grip, better tires, brakes, and can carry more top speed in the corners.” Lastly, Next Gen’s build is a cheaper, one-dimensional car, providing an opportunity for new manufacturers to jump into the NASCAR scene. And it is designed to make NASCAR drivers prove their skill on the track even more than before. Still, after a great run with Gen-6 cars, some in the racing community worry about what the next generation of cars will bring. “I’m afraid it is going to be like
the iRock series,” said Michael Bergmann, a fan at the NASCAR Cup Series race in Phoenix. “I’m afraid it will be the same over and over and nobody can pass anybody. It should be run what you brought and hope you brought enough. And if you don’t bring enough, you lose.” NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin had similar thoughts on the Next Gen cars, but he is counting on his Toyota No. 11 team to figure it out. “We don’t know what to expect,” Hamlin said. “I think it’s going to be like the Car of Tomorrow. I don’t know how we will prepare, but I’m trusting the team to guide the ship in
the right direction.” Even though uncertainty looms over the new generation of racecars, experienced NASCAR drivers and their teams are likely to adapt quickly. “Everyone is so good in the Cup Series that you can throw any package at us and we will all get up to speed very quickly,” Larson said. The Next Gen series makes its debut on Feb. 17 at Daytona Speedway. The cars will make their debut at Phoenix Raceway on March 13 in the Ruoff Mortgage 500. For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
