It seems to have been a long time coming and something that the sport has desperately needed for an extremely long time, however NASCAR have finally revealed their seventh-generation Cup series race car which has been named the ‘Next Gen’.
The Cup car has finally been modernized for the upcoming Cup Series 2022, with the source of inspiration for these particular models to have come from the Australian Supercar and GT3 racers. A number of key components have undergone various changes, although perhaps none more so than the chassis, with the base of the car perhaps being given one of the most-needed improvements.
Indeed, the change in the chassis could be a great thing for all drivers involved, including the favorite to win the Championship Kyle Larson, who Unibet Odds Indiana have given a price of +250, with second favorite Chase Elliott sitting on +700 at the time of writing. Things do not look too good for Kevin Harvick in the odds, though, as the Unibet sponsored driver and the company’s first US partnership within NASCAR and motorsport sits well down the list as a potential winner, with odds of +1,600.
Nonetheless, he and all of the other drivers competing will be looking at the new chassis and hoping that it can help inspire them to a successful competition.
How has the Chassis been changed?
The first of the changes to have been instantly made regarding the chassis is the fact that each of the frames to be created and used will all come out of one place. Michigan based Technique Inc. has been given the exclusive contract to provide each of the frames that will consist of a common design.
There is a common center cage that comes with a bolt-on front and rear substructures, with the ultra aim being to help reduce the operating costs that can be incurred when a crash on the circuit takes place. The hope is that the bolt-on structures will simply just need to be replaced rather than be cut up or being completely thrown away.
Dampers also provided an update
Prior to the Next Gen race cars, NASCAR vehicles had relied on a single-adjustment damper in order to absorb any of the high-speed issues that can be felt around the race track. However, these will no longer be used as NASCAR has decided to go to Öhlins and get a four-way-adjustable damper to be placed on each of the four corners of the car.
This will then allow for teams to tune a single unit for each for the various race circuits that are competed on, with the possibility of these changes being able to be made whilst in the pit lane, instead of prior to the race.
Independent rear suspension introduced
Arguably the biggest change to the Next Gen NASCAR race car is the introduction of an independent rear suspension. Whilst the front will still have billet aluminum control arms to locate the wheels, the back will have a multi-link configuration that will allow for drivers to have more adjustments, whilst the pit team will also be able to make adjustments as and when required.
In addition, another introduction to the new cars includes the move to a rack-and-pinion steering system from the ancient methods of a recirculating-ball steering box that were used when stock-car racing was first introduced to the world.
Conclusion
Indeed, there are a number of changes to have been made to the chassis for the upcoming 2022 Cup Series, however they are considered to be extremely long overdue and should be able to make the sport even more enjoyable than ever.
Cars should be able to perform to a better capability now that they have been given the required updates, whilst teams may also be able to reduce their overall costs, which could then help them out in the future to keep the sport as sustainable and viable as possible; especially given that they have had a tough time of it as of late.
