Next Gen car coming to NASCAR this season
NASCAR executives met with members of the media recently to discuss safety updates and new rules for the 2021 season.
Among the topics covered was the Next Gen car, where the media was told the development is completely finished. Meanwhile, the next Next Gen test will take place on March 16 and 17 at Richmond Raceway. At the end of March, all three manufactures — Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota — will participate in a Next Gen test at Martinsville Speedway, making it the first time all three OEMs will be at a test together. The unveil of the car will likely come late spring.
For the second and third races of the season in Cup — Daytona road course and Homestead-Miami Speedway — the open teams will be determined with the two highest points based on the 2020 rundown and two highest in 2021 owner points. Also, at any new venues, Cup drivers can compete in any series, except at the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash races and Triple Truck Challenge, along with the regular season finale and playoffs.
NASCAR will add the low downforce package to races at the Daytona road course, as well as the events at Darlington Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway. All added road
courses to the schedule — Circuit of the Americas, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Road America — will use the 750 horsepower package.
The dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway will look similar to past Camping World Truck Series races at Eldora Speedway, featuring qualifying heats to set the starting lineup. The race format is to be determined. I think qualifying through heats is a great idea and I would like to see the top finishes in the heats start at the back.
NASCAR has increased the field count of the Truck Series to 36 trucks per race, and 40 when there is no practice or qualifying. The Xfinity Series will see 36 cars per race when there is practice and qualifying as well.
A new rule from the rulebook states that
should a crew member behind the pit wall lose their balance and touch pit road while grabbing a tire, it will no longer a penalty. I have suggested that rule be changed for awhile. It was a silly rule. Also, for the champion provisional in both Xfinity and Trucks, the champion must have won the title in the past 10 years.
Live Fast Motorsports, NASCAR’s newly formed team to join the Cup Series, announces today that Frank Kerr will join the team as a crew chief for the upcoming season. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series campaign will mark Kerr’s 14th year as a crew chief in the Cup Series. Kerr is a former area Sprint and Modified racer with many wins and titles to his credit. He made his home in the Bensalem area.
After working with racers over the years such as Bobby Labonte, David Gilliland and Corey LaJoie, the Pennsylvania native will lead the No. 78 Ford Mustang team with the team co-owner and driver,
BJ McLeod.
Throughout his whole life, Kerr has been living and breathing motorsports, whether it be under the hood or behind the wheel. In his racing career, Kerr earned the title of four-time All Star Champion and collected over 250 wins in open-wheel competitions such as World of Outlaws (WoO) and USAC across dirt tracks nation-wide.
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. has been recognized as the overall 2020 winner of the NMPA Pocono Spirit Award for his advocacy in helping to make NASCAR a more diverse and inclusive sport, the National Motorsports Press Association announced on Monday.
Wallace, 27, the only African-American driver in NASCAR’s top division, was an outspoken proponent of the banning of the Confederate flag from NASCAR events, a stance the sanctioning body adopted in June of last year.
For the June 10 NASCAR Cup Series race at
Martinsville Speedway, in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Wallace unveiled a Black Lives Matter paint scheme on his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet.
On the hood of the car were the words “Compassion, Love, Understanding.” Those words were emblematic of Wallace’s constructive activism in promoting inclusion within the NASCAR garage and fan base.
“It’s an honor to win the NMPA Pocono Spirit Award this year,” said Wallace, who has moved to the 23XI Racing Toyota co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin for 2021. “In a year of ups and downs, what we were able to accomplish off the race track as a sport is something that is special and a proud moment for me.
“I didn’t set out to become an advocate this year, but as things were happening around our country, I found myself in a position to use my voice
and push for change. I’m proud of what we accomplished, but we still have work today. Thanks to the NMPA and all of their members for this honor.”
The NMPA Pocono Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports.
The membership of the NMPA votes for quarterly recipients as well as an overall winner each year. The award is sponsored by Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and has been presented annually since 1992.
Other quarterly winners in 2020 were: Wood Brothers Racing, for supplying electronic tablets to seniors on lockdown in retirement facilities; driver Josh Williams, for his program of hospital tours benefiting critically ill children; and Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex, for establishing the Sherry Strong Innovative Medicine Oncology Clinic in Charlotte, N.C.
From Pocono Raceway
came this statement. “Pocono Raceway, as well as the Mattioli and Igdalsky families, have been supporters of the NMPA’s Pocono Spirit Award for over 25 years. This award is presented to a member of our industry who, despite adversity or challenges, inspires others through their selfless actions and contributions. In 2020, Darrell ‘Bubba’ Wallace Jr. showed us how to choose love, compassion and understanding over hate, prejudice and ignorance. He handled himself with class and dignity far beyond his years, becoming a role model for the next generation of NASCAR fans. In following Bubba’s example, Pocono Raceway remains committed to fighting against all forms of discrimination and inequality. On behalf of our entire Raceway family, thank you Bubba and congratulations on this welldeserved honor!”
HARRISBURG, PA. » Pennsylvania’s governor has opted to stay out of the appeal of a court decision last month that struck down a constitutional amendment on victims’ rights, but a group of the proposal’s supporters is moving ahead without him.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf let the Monday deadline pass without filing an appeal of Commonwealth Court’s divided decision that the socalled Marsy’s Law state constitutional amendment bundled too many changes.
The amendment received overwhelming support from Pennsylvania voters in November 2019, but those results have never been certified because of the legal challenge filed by the state chapter of the League of Women Voters.
The league successfully blocked the voting results, then won in Commonwealth Court last month. Until this week, the Wolf administration had defended the referendum, arguing the amendment’s changes all related to a single purpose of advancing victims’ rights.
Wolf’s office issued a statement that said he supports crime victims’ rights to “equity and assured participation” but has issues with the measure.
“After a thorough reading of the Commonwealth Court’s ruling, the administration supports efforts to achieve constitutional protections for victims through an amendment that better aligns with the constitution’s procedural requirements,” according to the statement emailed by Wolf press secretary Lyndsay Kensinger.
The office of Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro indicated it was the governor’s decision.
“Attorney General Shapiro fully supports Marsy’s Law and intends to weigh in with the court, in his capacity as attorney general, as the case continues through the legal process,” his spokesperson, Jacklin Rhoads, said.
The amendment provides for the rights of crime victims, including notifications about their cases and being allowed to attend and weigh in during plea hearings, sentencings and parole proceedings. Opponents warn it could create chaos in the court system, compromising legal protections for defendants in criminal proceedings.
“For the governor to just walk way is, to me, appalling — that he’s not wiling to fight for what our voters wanted,” said Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland, a prime legislative sponsor of the amendment.