NASCAR instituted an indefinite ban Tuesday on all testing not directly involving the Next Gen car because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Competition officials said the restrictions include, but are not limited to:
- Wind tunnel testing, for both full and scale models
- Climatic tunnels
- Seven- or eight-post hydraulic test systems
- Kinematics and Compliance (K&C) rigs, both static and dynamic
- Driver simulators. iRacing does not fall under this restriction
A NASCAR spokesperson said that “shutting down testing gives the industry a chance to be socially conscious and not feel like they’re putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage.” NASCAR officials announced Monday that all on-track activity would be postponed through May 3 to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
MORE: NASCAR updates, response
The Next Gen car is scheduled to debut in the 2021 Cup Series season. Clint Bowyer was scheduled to drive the car in its fifth on-track test Monday at Tuesday at Atlanta Motor Speedway before all racing activity was postponed.