NASCAR Unveils New Nationwide Series Car

The drivers and teams got a look at the new Nationwide Series cars for next year Monday on the pavement of Talledega and based on first impressions of the drivers, teams and spectators, the 2010 Nationwide Series is going to be entertaining for all involved. NASCAR rolled out the new Dodge Challenger on Saturday, but Monday they rolled out the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Impala, and Toyota Camry, along with the Dodge Challenger for fans, drivers and teams to take a look at. This was the opportunity for Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick Inc’s Kevin Harvick, Kelly Bires of JR Motorsports and Phoenix Racing’s James Buescher to get in the new cars and run them around the 2.66-mile surface of Talledega in single-car runs and in groups drafting off of each other. These four were also joined by Roush Fenway Racing’s Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Penske Racing’s Justin Allgaier and Michael Waltrip Racing’s Trevor Bayne.

Kelly took the new Chevrolet Impala they'll be using in the Nationwide Series in 2011 for a test drive at Talledega on Monday

The new cars looked great and were nimble and fast as they went around the track of Talledega, the new car will provide the Nationwide Series with its own identity and the drivers and teams with safe cars to race with. The day turned out to be a special one for NASCAR as the response of everyone who saw and sat behind the wheel of the new cars was suitably impressed. The successful tests on this day matched results from previous testing done on the car at Richmond and Charlotte last year and should go along way to making NASCAR confident in the new cars and the direction the Nationwide Series is headed.

The drivers that tried the cars commented that the new cars appeared to draft better than the current Nationwide Series cars, but they tried different arrangements on the cars throughout the day trying to find the right set up. The cars started the testing with a restrictor plate with holes measuring 29/32 of an inch, but they experimented with different sizes, before finishing with a 31/32 hole. They also tested different spring and suspension combinations in the cars throughout the session.

The drivers and teams took it easy on the cars through the day as this was the first time they had the cars on the track. When questioned later they said they were just trying to match the new engine package to the same RPM ranges they race every day and had spent part of the day on a gear change to help them work on the RPMs of the cars.

This day is really just a brief shake down for the cars and they’ll need to do a lot more work and spend more time behind the wheel and in the garage, before the new cars are ready to race, but at least we the drivers have an idea of what the cars they’ll be racing in feel like.

What’s next for the new Nationwide Series cars, they’ll debut at Daytona next summer, before competing in races at Michigan next August, Richmond in September and then Charlotte in October, as a lead up to full time racing in the new Nationwide Series car in 2011.

“Image: Zuma Press”