Joey Logano became the second NASCAR Cup Series driver to take a turn behind the wheel of NASCAR's Next Gen car Monday and Tuesday at ISM Raceway. The Next Gen car is expected to make its competitive debut at the start of the 2021 Cup Series season.
According to Logano, the new car is a challenge to drive, and he thinks that challenge will create better racing.
"When the car gets loose with this next-gen car, it doesn’t come back until the driver steers the car back; it doesn’t fix itself,” Logano said. "And that puts it more in the driver’s hands, and I like that piece. It’s going to be challenging, but I think you’ll see more mistakes on the race track, which makes, in my opinion, better racing and more passing opportunities. The tire is completely different, and the body isn’t close to the same, so your natural reactions are wrong, and you have to be able to adapt quick when you feel something instead of trying to let the car fix itself.”
Multiple drivers, including Cup Series 2019 champion Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, have been critical of the aero package currently in use because of difficulty in passing with that car.
Details of the Next Gen racer are expected to be finalized in July 2020. It is expected to have 18-inch wheels, an increase from the current 15-inch wheel. It also is expected to have a composite body, with all bodies coming from a single supplier. More distinctive body lines are expected to make the car appear more like its "stock" counterpart. Also worth nothing, the second day of the test at ISM included a shorter spoiler.
Austin Dillon tested the car at Richmond Raceway in October, and another test is scheduled for January at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"And then, you go from there to make the next step, bring some more cars,” Logano said. "We’re still in the preliminary stages, but we definitely have some cool pieces to the car.”
