NASCAR reported that the new Next Car car, scheduled to hit the track in the 2022 Daytona 500, is ready to hit the track. However, one of the drivers that tested the car in 2020 says a lot more work needs to be done.
[After testing the Next Gen car , Kurt] Busch highlighted problems with the steering load generated on the oval, describing the issue as an “eyes wide open moment for NASCAR and the teams,” before describing how the new twin-exhaust system on the car is a problem he noticed in his stints at the wheel.
“The next biggest bullet point that I marked down was the exhaust heat. It’s now a split exhaust system, so it comes out of the left, and the right, which means the exhaust goes right underneath the driver on the left side,” the 42-year-old who is set to start his 21st consecutive full-time season in this month’s Daytona 500 explained.
“We need better insulation, more venting and a cooler situation [in the car.]
“I have only driven the car in November and in January, and I would say it was already on the hot side of what it felt like after a 25-lap run.
