NASCAR had an incredible debut season with the NextGen car when it comes to on-track racing; however, the issues that have been a topic of conversation in recent months revolve around safety.
Kurt Busch suffered a concussion at Pocono Raceway that ended his full-time career while Alex Bowman’s playoffs came to an end after a concussion at Texas Motor Speedway in the Round of 12.
Another issue that has been a hot topic includes the fire concerns with the NextGen car. Thankfully, it appears NASCAR has changes in the works to potentially solve the issue before the 2023 Daytona 500.
Related: NASCAR discusses big changes coming to NextGen car in 2023
NASCAR knows the root cause of fires on the NextGen car, working on changes
NASCAR is working on the NextGen car for the 2023 season with multiple changes expected throughout the car. One of the changes will relate to the fires that have been a topic of conversation.
Throughout the 2022 season, there were 10 fires that came out of nowhere without any catalyst, such as a crash. Nine of those fires came from the Ford camp with Alex Bowman and Chevrolet having the issue at Darlington Raceway.
NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller jumped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio last month to discuss the situation surrounding the fires and the NextGen car.
“I think the root cause of the fires is rubber collecting in the wrong areas and starting a small fire, which obviously then can catch other parts and pieces on fire. We have come a really long way on that and I think that we have some things on tap over the winter.”
Scott Miller on the NextGen car’s fire concerns
The NextGen car will undergo many changes over the offseason which include a new rear bumper structure, rear clip, hood, nose, and cooling louvers on the hood. Also, it appears likely to see changes around the headrest.
NASCAR was not expected to roll out a perfect version of the NextGen car for the 2022 season and while safety should not have been an issue, it is a step in the right direction to see these changes.
The official changes for the 2023 season will likely be known as we near the Busch Light Clash at the beginning of February.