David Ragan may have experienced a glimpse into NASCAR’S future. Ragan turned roughly 350 laps in the sanctioning body’s electric prototype at Martinsville Speedway in December.
NASCAR continues to work with its three car manufacturers to figure out the viability of electric or hybrid vehicles as well as alternative fuels like hydrogen. Officials have provided no timetable for making any changes to the series’ current Next Gen models.
“It’s inevitable that the transition will come at some point,” Ragan said. “I give NASCAR a lot of credit for planning ahead and not waiting till the last minute to react. They’re just having some fun and learning and figuring some things out.”
“I’m sure it can go 200 mph,” Ragan said. “I will tell you that the acceleration coming off the corner at Martinsville, when the torque and the power’s turned up, I’ve never felt acceleration like that in my life. That’s the fastest I’ve ever accelerated because of the all-wheel drive and the torque.”
