In a memo sent to Cup drivers and teams over the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, NASCAR said it was “pleased with the assessments” from the expert panel that reviewed all crash test data of the car, including a crash test of the current spec Next Gen done June 30 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway using a crash dummy.
The memo said teams could now move on to building and testing of the new car.
A NASCAR spokesperson confirmed teams should begin to receive Next Gen chassis by the end of this week.
The panel consisted of Dr. James Raddin, who took part in the investigation of the death of the late Dale Earnhardt; Dr. Jeff Crandall, who serves as an engineering consultant to the NFL; Dr. Barry Myers, a professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University; and Dr. Joel Stitzel, chair of biomedical engineering at Wake Forest Baptist Health.
The styling and composition of the new common Dallara-made chassis has allowed the Next Gen cars to better replicate the identities of their showroom counterparts.
The bodies of all three cars are symmetrical with lower greenhouses, shortened deck lids, and the car’s width was widened.
The Next Gen car will debut officially on track for racing at the 2022 Daytona 500 but there are several more tests involving multiple cars still to come later this year and in the offseason.
After the two-week break, NASCAR will hold a more formal briefing session with teams and drivers to answer questions regarding the crash testing and analysis of the data.
The review by the panel was the last formal step in the design of the Next Gen car although NASCAR can always make safety or other adjustments if warranted as a result of the remaining on-track testing.