Next year’s NASCAR season will include a number of new items across the board in all three of the sport’s top divisions.
NEXT GEN CUP CAR
The biggest change of all is coming with the advent of the new Next Gen Cup car that will officially make its debut in the 2022 season. Originally slated to hit the track this past season, a decision by NASCAR, the teams and the manufacturers to delay the unveiling due to the COVID-19 pandemic will see it roll out next year. Teams are still hard at work trying to figure out the nuances and characteristics of the vehicle, which by all accounts is a radical departure from any of its predecessors.
“It’s definitely going to be a steep learning curve and a big learning process,” said Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. after a recent test session at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Everything is so different on the car. We definitely learned a lot, and there’s going to be a lot more to learn. It should be fun.”
RELATED: Timeline of Next Gen development, testing, launch
CLASH AT THE COLISEUM
The official on-track debut of the Next Gen car will come on February 6th when the event known as “The Clash” moves to a new and unique location inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A ¼-mile track will be built inside the historic stadium, which has been the site of everything from football to baseball to the Olympics during its nearly 100-year existence. Drivers will work their way into the main event through a series of qualifying, heats and last-chance races to set the starting lineup for the 150-lap main event that will be contested in prime time the week before the Super Bowl.
RELATED: Changes to know for the 2022 season
PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING RETURNS
The pandemic forced NASCAR to scrap most practice and qualifying sessions when the sport got back in action in mid-2020. But in 2022, both will return albeit in a unique and new format. NASCAR will use a knockout-style format for qualifying in 2022 that will vary depending on both track type and series. The Cup field be split into two groups for most races and participate in a two-hour practice and qualifying event.
“We missed seeing cars and trucks on track all weekend long, and so did our fans,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president for competition. “We worked closely with our broadcast partners, teams and race tracks to create an exciting, unique qualifying format, while keeping several of the efficiencies that helped our entire industry successfully navigate the pandemic.”
XFINITY SERIES TO PORTLAND
NASCAR has long hoped to build a presence in the Pacific Northwest and a step in that direction will come next year when the Xfinity Series competes at Portland International Raceway on June 4. The twisting road circuit once did host the Camping World Truck Series but NASCAR-sanctioned racing at PIR has not taken place since 2000.
“The Pacific Northwest is a region of the country where we haven’t had a presence for quite some time, and as we continue to take steps to grow the sport, bringing the NASCAR Xfinity Series to Portland is an ideal and exciting next step,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “Not only does this move give us the opportunity to reach new fans, but it also adds another new and unique road course to the schedule.”
TRUCKS RETURN TO LUCAS OIL INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK
NASCAR first visited the .686-mile Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park outside Indianapolis in 1982 with the running of the then Busch Series Kroger 200. The Camping World Truck Series found its way to the popular short track in the late 1990s. But both have been absent from the track’s calendar for several years. That changes in 2022 when the Truck Series returns to IRP on July 29th, a race that will run in conjunction with the Cup Series-Xfinity Series doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will also kick off the 2022 Truck Series Playoff schedule.
“It’s something that our fans have been asking for for a long time is getting back to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, and I think a big part of that is the racing product that it put on as another great short track that we had on the Camping World Truck Series schedule back in the day,” said Ben Kennedy.
