Next Gen test: ‘On edge, which is a good thing’
After 16 hours of Next Gen testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway recently, Cup Series drivers and teams have a clearer understanding of the product they’ll be putting on track in 2022.
Twenty-two drivers took to the 1.5-mile track, punctuated by three pack runs. The morning session saw a six-inch offset spoiler, while a pair of afternoon mock races focused on a six-inch centered spoiler and four-inch centered spoiler. The 670-horsepower option was used throughout the day. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, indicated that will be the likely move for the power units next year, but finalization of the 2022 rules package is still ongoing.
William Byron and Tyler Reddick had incidents in the morning portion of the session but were able to avoid any significant damage, while Corey LaJoie looped the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet around at the end of the second pack run coming out of Turn 4. Reddick also scraped the wall in the second pack run as he tried to find just how far the new car can be pushed.
“The cars are on edge, which is a good thing,” Reddick said. “There’s more mechanical grip in the car, less aerodynamic grip so, you know, you gotta keep it straight and you gotta keep the tires happy. You can’t get completely sideways or as sideways as we used to in years past with the other cars because the side force just doesn’t hold (the cars) down to the track.”
Ty Dillon, driving the No. 42 for newly formed Petty GMS Racing, feels the edge is a lot sharper because drivers are still trying to figure out how hard they are able to push their machines, but overall, the car is less forgiving of drivers’ mistakes.
“Your margin of error is a lot smaller,” Dillon said. “I know every lap I’ve ran I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable and I was able to drive it a little bit harder and that edge is getting a little softer for me. What makes Tyler (Reddick) so good is that he lives on that edge, the fine line of hitting the wall or spinning out but he’s super fast.
” Despite a spin in Turns 3 and 4 that left slight rear damage, Byron finished first in the second and third sessions Friday afternoon and second in the first pack run. While Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team have put emphasis on finding a balance with the car that makes him comfortable, he noted it was a confidence boost to be out front.
“I would rather be there than being the guy that says we’re going to be fine when the season starts and all that,” Byron said. “It’s nice, but so much is going to change. I just try to stay just as open-minded as a driver as I can because I’ve learned. I’ve been in this deal for four years now and things change so fast."