Because he didn’t make a single NASCAR Cup Series start last season, Ryan Newman missed out on the debut season of the Next Gen car but has now made two appearances this season driving in a reduced capacity for Rick Ware Racing.
The first came in May at Darlington Raceway and the second came over the weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the 18-time winner at the highest level is not impressed with what the sanctioning body ultimately delivered.
“I don’t think much of it, honestly,” Newman told Sportsnaut on Wednesday during a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour tire test at North Wilkesboro Speedway. “I don’t like the aerodynamic package. I don’t like a lot of things about that car.
“I’ve now been able to experience it from a short track and a big track, Darlington, and it’s had a lot of safety issues. It’s had a lot of safety issues. It’s had a lot of heat issues, which is kind of separate of the safety issues in my opinion.
“I don’t see … what was supposed to be the same if not better than the previous car doesn’t equate to me from a fan standpoint, which I’ve been the past two years, or now being a competitor again.”
It was a worthwhile question to run by Newman for several reasons:
For one, Newman has always been one of the smartest technical racers in the garage over the past two decades with a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue. He is also a driver that has competed at the Cup Series level since 2002 for Team Penske, Richard Childress Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and Roush-Fenway Racing.
That means he has driven four generation of Cup Series cars and is a valuable sounding board when it comes to both competition and safety. The latter of course, is something Newman has been known for as well, having been the reason numerous safety rules have been incorporated over the years.
Most recently, Newman was placed in a medically induced coma following his involvement in a violent last lap crash in the 2020 Daytona 500 and missed part of that season recovering from injuries. He has also been involved in a handful of the most violent impacts and crashes in the modern history of the discipline.
Thus, Newman is a racer safety expert both as an engineer and a subject.
Related: NASCAR implements safety changes over Talladega crash
NASCAR Next Gen car and safety updates
The Next Gen car has been the subject of several safety updates over the past two years with both the front and rear clips needing to be redesigned. It was a year ago this week that Kurt Busch crashed during qualifying at Pocono with concussion like symptoms forcing him into retirement. Alex Bowman also missed time last autumn with a concussion.
Cody Ware suffered a broken foot last summer in what was the highest impact ever recorded in a NASCAR Cup Series crash.
Last October, at Talladega, Chase Elliott echoed the same sentiments about this car going backwards in safety prior to the redesigned front and rear clips that are still believed to be worse than its predecessor.
“Heck, we had plenty of time to test this car and crash it, do all the things that we need to do to ensure that some of these things that are happening now weren’t happening,” Elliott said that weekend. “We had a ton of time to do that, and this car was delayed an entire calendar year on top of that. We got an extra year of time to work on it, and we’re still in this position.
“There’s no excuse for going backward. We have too many smart people, too much technology, too many years of crashing. We should not be in the position we are in. When you come out with a new product, you should take [a step] forward, not stay the same or go backward, especially in the safety category.”
NASCAR is making progress on the safety elements of the car, but the competition and entertainment product is still a work in progress.
The Next Gen is a spec car, meaning that every team must construct their cars using the same single source supplied parts, meaning it’s more challenging than ever before to create separation. It also means that every car is generally going the same speed, which effectively comes to the detriment of speed disparity and passing as well.
The car features a wide lower-profile tire and an underwing, to say nothing of a rev limit that encourages downshifting, producing a completely different kind of racing product. It’s one that NASCAR officials are still working to refine and improve on short tracks and road courses.
A test is scheduled for the end of the month at Richmond Raceway where NASCAR will equip six cars with a ‘lift splitter’ designed with the goal of increasing action on short tracks and road courses.
One of the drivers participating in the test is Stewart-Haas veteran Ryan Preece.
“It’s supposed to create a lift for the car up front and that will ultimately help the car behind the leader and hopefully take away some of the downforce deficit,” Preece told Sportsnaut at the same tire test on Wednesday. “I’m optimistic about it. I’m open to anything that intends to create an opportunity for us to put on a great show for the fans, and for the fans to want to watch us put on a great, exciting race, right? That’s what we’re here for.
“At the same time, I want to have the ability as a race car driver to do the best job I possibly can. Hopefully, we can keep working as a group to work in that direction. We definitely need to figure out something with this car and hopefully some of the things we’re working on will get us to where we all want this car to be.”