The Next Gen models for NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2022 have been unveiled at The Park Expo in Charlotte, NC. The Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the Ford Mustang and the Toyota TRD Camry were debuted to the public as part of what NASCAR calls a “new era of the rebirth of stock.”
“I think that at the highest level, one of the main goals is just that the sport remains healthy and strong, that it remains attractive to our current OEMs, teams and fans, but also attracts new ones,” NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Innovation John Probst said. “As we kind of dive into that, it’s sort of your overarching goal. Then we know to be attractive to our OEMs, we need to be relevant to them.”
All three OEMs worked with competition officials to design the new models with bigger wheels, a muscle car coupe-style appearance, and the potential for the transition to hybrid power in the future. The Next Gen vehicles are also highlighted by a symmetrical body, which removes the skew and tail offset from the centerline that is used to create a right-side side force. This will help decrease aerodynamic dependence and “increase the emphasis on car setup in the hands of teams and drivers,” NASCAR said.
Officials anticipate two different rules packages for 2022—a low-downforce, low-drag, high-horsepower one for short tracks and road courses, along with a high-downforce, lower-horsepower package for intermediate-sized tracks (1.5 miles) and longer. Target horsepower figures for the rules packages are still being determined.
The unveiling comes after NASCAR had previously pushed the planned 2021 debut of the Next Gen car to 2022. The NASCAR Next Gen cars will make their competition debut on February 20, 2022, at Daytona International Speedway for the 64th annual Daytona 500.
For more information: nascar.com.