The new NASCAR Next Gen returns to the track on March 30-31 at Martinsville Speedway for its next test session.
However, this session will be different from others.
Three cars will appear at the test session, the most NASCAR has held for its evaluation of the new car. Each car will be manufacturer-specific, according to Bob Pockrass at Fox Sports.
Each manufacturer will have a Next Gen car it built at Martinsville on Tue-Wed. Cars will have pattern/camo wrap to disguise elements of the cars, which will be equipped with wheel force transducers to gather data. Herring driving Toyota, Ragan in the Ford, Bowman in the Chevy.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 29, 2021
Both Toyota and Ford will have test drivers to pilot their cars, with Drew Herring behind the wheel of the Toyota and David Ragan piloting the Ford. Alex Bowman is slated to drive the Chevrolet for the test session.
Each manufacturer has had it design approved by NASCAR. A wheel-force transducer will be featured on the car to collect data while cars are on track.
According to a NASCAR official, each manufacturers’ designs should be revealed in late spring.
The new car is scheduled to debut in 2022 at the season-opening Daytona 500.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a news writer before elevating to a columnist, where he served as the longtime writer for The Underdog House. Currently, he is an editor for the site and conducts feature interviews. Glover has covered several forms of racing for the site including NASCAR, CARS Tour, and SRX events.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a promotional writer, elementary athletic director, and basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.