SPORTS

For more sports visit peoriatimes.com

PeoriaTimes.com /PeoriaTimes

NASCAR ready to debut ‘Next Gen’ car

BY NICK ZELLER-SINGH Cronkite News

After Kyle Larson stole the show at Phoenix Raceway with his NASCAR Cup Series championship, another storyline quickly emerged.

The race in Phoenix marked the last time that NASCAR will field the Generation 6 car, which made its debut clear back in 2013. It didn’t go unnoticed by many in the racing community, which will see NASCAR’s “Next Gen” car make its debut next season.

“The last race hit home for me, and I think it did for a lot of folks,” said Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Hendricks Motorsports. “To see those guys on the shop floor, sending their best wishes to their final true piece of art, it’s a big deal.”

However, Jim Campbell, who is vice president of performance and motorsports at General Motors and Chevrolet’s NASCAR manufacturer, believes it’s important to move forward.

“In the automobile business, you do two things,” Campbell said. “You sell what you have in the showroom today while you prepare the next model for the showroom tomorrow.”

The Next Gen car is designed to reduce operating costs, potentially allowing more existing teams to compete and possibly attracting new teams. It also will more accurately depict the production cars that the race cars are based upon.

The Gen-6 cars were constructed of sheet metal, and typically required significant repairs when a car hit the wall or made hard contact with another car. The more adaptable Next Gen cars will be constructed with plastic and carbon-fiber panels designed to be safer and more easily replaced, making them more affordable by limiting the conse-

Uncertainty looms after NASCAR retired the Gen-6 car at Phoenix Raceway. (Pho-

to courtesy Amanda Valle)

SEE NASCAR PAGE 20

Kyler Murray among the SI Award nominees

BY PEORIA TIMES STAFF

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has been nominated for Gamer of the Year at the annual Sports Illustrated Awards set for the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

He’s up against Gordon Hayward of the Charlotte Hornets; the Pittsburgh Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster; and Brazilian footballer Neymar.

The awards show will be highlighted by a live reveal of the 2021 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in addition to recognizing notable athletes, teams and sports moments that made the year memorable.

The awards will stream live at 6 p.m. Dec. 7 on official Sports Illustrated social channels, via LiveXLive and on SportsIllustratedAwards.com.

The Sports Illustrated Awards Program includes: • Sportsperson of the Year (Presented

by FTX) • The Muhammad Ali Legacy Award • Sportskid of The Year • Female/Male Athlete of the Year (Presented by U.S. Polo Assn.) • Breakthrough Athlete of the Year (Presented by Emsculpt Neo) Nominees: Ja’Marr Chase, Wander Franco,

Emma Raducanu and LaMelo Ball • Hometown Hero (Presented by Pepsi

Stronger Together) • Team of the Year (Presented by Vitacost). Nominees: Milwaukee Bucks,

Chicago Sky, Atlanta Braves and

Tampa Bay Lightning • Play of the Year (Presented by Alkaline88). Nominees: Gonzaga’s Jalen

Suggs’ Final Four buzzer-beater vs.

UCLA; Marshall’s Jamil Roberts’

OT goal to win school’s first men’s soccer title; Jordan Spieth’s incredible blind Ryder Cup flop shot; and

South Dakota’s tip-drill “Hail Mary” on the final play to beat rival SD State • Best Dressed (Presented by JCPenney). Nominees: Travis Kelce, Ashlyn Harris, Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Herro

Alkaline88 is based in the Scottsdale Airpark.

“The Alkaline Water Company is pleased to be the exclusive bottled water sponsor of The Sports Illustrated Awards and the ‘Smooth Play of the Year’ presented by Shaquille O’Neal,” said Ricky Wright, president and CEO of The Alkaline Water Company.

“We’re excited to support ABG Entertainment and our Brand Ambassador Shaquille for this special event. On behalf of the Alkaline Water Company and all our employees, I wish the best of luck to the athletes and hope that all the VIPs and influencers in attendance enjoy their Deliciously Smooth Alkaline88 provided for the evening.”

Sports media’s most prestigious hon-

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is nominated for Gamer of the Year. (Photo courtesy of Arizona Cardinals) SEE NOMINEES PAGE 20

NOMINEES FROM PAGE 18 or, Sportsperson of the Year is an annual award given to an athlete, coach or team who best represents the spirit and ideals of sportsmanship, character and performance.

Dating back to 1954, past winners that have joined the event include LeBron James, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Megan Rapinoe, Tiger Woods and Muhammad Ali. For the first time, this year’s winner will be revealed live on the broadcast during the awards ceremony.

Sports Illustrated’s December issue spotlighting the 2021 Sportsperson of the Year goes on sale on newsstands Dec. 16. The cover will be available digitally following the reveal during the live broadcast. PT

NASCAR FROM PAGE 18 quences when collisions occur.

The slightly shorter but wider Next Gen cars also utilize 18-inch tires rather than the 15-inch tires of the previous generation, again giving the car a more modern, familiar look. The new cars also incorporate more modern technology such as independent rear suspension and rack-and-pinion steering, 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.”

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.

Catch up on Local Peoria Sports!

www.PeoriaTimes.com

PT