Multiple sources have confirmed to Motorsport.com that Hall of Famers Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as well as Fox TV analyst Clint Bowyer are expected to take part in a test of the Next Gen car at Bowman-Gray Stadium on Tuesday.
Bowman-Gray is a 1⁄4-mile asphalt flat oval short track in Winston-Salem, N.C., and NASCAR’s longest-running weekly race track. The legendary track also hosted 29 Cup Series races from 1958 to 1971.
The three drivers will take turns in a NASCAR Next Gen car as the sanctioning body prepares for the car’s first “race” – the 2022 preseason non-points Clash, which will be held Feb. 6 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing
Photo by: Stewart-Haas Racing
The Coliseum’s traditional surface will be replaced by a temporary ¼-mile, asphalt short track. The use of former drivers was done in part so no current drivers would obtain an advantage before the race.
The Clash at the Coliseum will be a signature event as a part of the venue’s centennial celebration and mark the first time NASCAR’s prelude to the annual Daytona 500 will take place somewhere other than Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR recently completed a two-day test of the Next Gen car at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval course.
Upcoming additional tests include a tire test at Wythe Raceway, a ½-mile, high-banked clay track in Rural Retreat, Va. That test will be in preparation for next season’s Cup Series dirt race at Bristol, Tenn.
A two-day test on the Charlotte oval layout is set for Nov. 17-18.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Nascar Next Gen
Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images