NASCAR president Steve Phelps was the keynote speaker on Tuesday during the Race Industry Week webinar live stream and discussed, amongst other topics, potential changes to the NASCAR Xfinity Series platform.
The second-tier national touring division is one of the most exciting platforms in motorsports with its traditional live axle suspension, narrower tires and generally reduced power to weight aerodynamic ratio.
Its widely celebrated but evolution comes for everything and Phelps says the Xfinity Series will be no exception when the time comes.
“I think we’ll continue to fine-tune what that car is,” Phelps told host Brad Gillie. “And it’s an industry-wide thing. It’s not just, ‘Hey NASCAR’s going to do this, this, and this.’ It really is working with our (manufacturer) partners, working with Goodyear, working with our race teams. And we’re in constant collaboration with those groups, with those stakeholder groups.
“You know, I think there’s some other opportunities for us in the lower series to make some changes. What those look like, I don’t know, but we’ll keep iterating on the NextGen car. I think we’re looking at some things in the Xfinity Series, nothing to announce now. I think there’s some things we need to do with our race teams in the Xfinity Series as well as (the manufactures) that are existing and potential new OEs that could be in that series and in our Truck Series.”
It’s no secret that NASCAR has developed an EV prototype while also exploring alternative fuels that could become the basis for a series. But those changes, as Phelps points out, will be dependent on what direction that the automotive industry moves and how both current and prospective manufacturers want in activating its brand through NASCAR.
To wit, any changes to the Xfinity Series or Craftsman Truck Series would need to supported by those in that garage for them to continue racing as well.
