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NASCAR to test Next Gen car at Richmond this week

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NASCAR president Steve Phelps talked with the guys at NASCAR America about the Next Gen car that will take part in a two-day test at Richmond Raceway.

NASCAR will test the Next Gen car Tuesday and Wednesday at Richmond Raceway, NBC Sports has learned. This will be the first test for the Cup car, which is scheduled to debut in 2021. The test is closed to the media and the public.

The Next Gen car that will take part in the test was built by Richard Childress Racing. Austin Dillon will drive the car in the base test.

The car will have a generic body as each manufacturer continues to work on its body.

“We are very excited with where things are with this Next Gen car,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said Monday on NASCAR America. “We are on time for a 2021 rollout. I think it’s going to be exciting to get it on track.

“We were in the wind tunnel last week, so having a test at Richmond (Tuesday) and Wednesday, kind of the culmination of a lot of work that has been done by the race teams, by our (manufacturer) partners and by the folks of NASCAR to put this on the race track. This particular car was built by Richard Childress and his folks and it won’t have the design of the Chevy, Ford and Toyota, but it will be kind of an opportunity for us to shake down the car and we’re really excited to get it on the race track.”
In July, Phelps said of the car: “The importance of this car can’t be overstated. It will allow teams to be profitable is what it comes down to. I think it’s as simple as that. The great news is that the fan will be the beneficiary as well, because I think the car will have better body styling that the fans I think will really enjoy, and if we’re going to do this thing the right way, which we are, is that the racing, which is already fantastic, should continue to get even better. So I think the entire industry wins.”