Mike Harmon penalized for violating vehicle testing rules; Bacarella suspended indefinitely

Posted on November 22, 2021November 22, 2021 by Staff Report

NASCAR announced significant Xfinity Series penalties on Monday for a pair of isolated infractions.

Owner/driver of the No. 74 Chevrolet Mike Harmon was assessed an L2 penalty for violating Section 5.1.a.c.d: Vehicle testing in the NASCAR Rule Book. He’ll incur a loss of 75 owner points and 75 driver championship points, to be applied in the 2022 season. NASCAR fined crew chief Ryan Bell $50,000 and suspended him from the next six championship points events, also to begin starting in 2022.

Earlier this month, Mike Harmon Racing posted images of the No. 74 car turning laps at Rockingham Speedway. Harmon competed in one Xfinity race in 2021, finishing 39th in October at Martinsville Speedway.

Separately, NASCAR indefinitely suspended driver Caesar Bacarella for violation of Sections 12.1; 19, substance abuse policy. Bacarella competed in five Xfinity races in 2021 behind the wheel of the No. 90 Chevrolet with a best finish of 12th in the season-opener at Daytona. Bacarella also co-owns Alpha Prime Racing.

Posted on November 22, 2021November 22, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

CONCORD, N.C. — It felt like a first day of school for Trackhouse Racing employees, getting a first look at their new shop Monday morning.

Formally decked out in Chip Ganassi Racing red, the facility located in Concord, North Carolina, is now covered in blue as the organization, co-owned by Justin Marks and music superstar Pitbull, officially took over after its purchase back in June.

Employees filed their way into the front entrance, taking time to gather together in the front lobby and listen to a welcome speech from Marks over breakfast. Pitbull also appeared in a video message, telling the employees how proud he is of their efforts while offering words of encouragement for next season.

Trackhouse’s pair of drivers, Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain, were also on hand for the official unveiling. Suarez even raced executive vice president and general manager Ty Norris to the door when it was time to head into the shop floor.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Daniel Suárez (@daniel_suarezg)

“Now, it feels like home,” Suárez told NASCAR.com. “I knew something cool was going to happen to this place in the last week. Nobody saw this coming, I can guarantee you that. It looks very, very cool. Before, everything here was red. Now, almost everything is blue and it’s turning into blue slowly. It’s very, very nice to be part of this project. Just a year-and-a-half ago, all this was on paper and to know that today we are on this level, it’s pretty remarkable.”

Still in search for his first career Cup victory, Suárez ended his fifth full-time NASCAR Cup Series season with one top five and four top 10s, including a highest finish of fourth in the Bristol Dirt Race.

With the introduction of the Next Gen car for 2022, the 29-year-old driver didn’t have to think twice about continuing his run with Trackhouse.

“Justin always told me you have to trust me, I have a big mission for this,” Suarez said. “Ty Norris said the same thing. A lot of people thought I was a little bit crazy for taking a leap of faith for a second year in a row on a new team. My gut feeling was telling me this was the right place for me to be, not just for the short run but also for the long run and to grow together and be able to win races and championships.”

After racing a full year without a teammate, Suárez will now work alongside Chastain, who was brought into the fold after one season with Ganassi driving the No. 42 Chevrolet. Chastain will now drive the No. 1 Chevy, while Suárez will stick with the No. 99.

The welcome-home celebration was more of a welcome back for Chastain and other crew members who transferred over from Ganassi. But Chastain described a new energy in the air upon entry.

“It’s different,” Chastain said. “It’s more than a building, but it takes a building to be a home. We’ve got to have a place to work. This place has had a lot of race cars come in and out of it and a lot of people pour their careers and craftsmanships into race cars. We’re in the dawn of a new time with this car where it doesn’t take the amount of people. It’s not hand-fabricated and welded together. We’re buying a lot of it, so the group that’s going to appear to assemble it and to make these race cars better than the next, they have to be special because we’re all going to have the same tools as every other team in the sport.”

Both Suárez and Chastain have put a massive amount of faith in Marks and his plan, and rightly so. Marks hasn’t let off the throttle on his vision for Trackhouse’s future since his dream began, turning it into a reality on a timeline that is nothing short of impressive on one of motorsports’ biggest scales.

“This started as just an idea in my head and to see where we’ve gotten right now with it and as much as we’ve accomplished up to this point, it’s exciting but at the same time it really motivates me for the future and the opportunity that we have,” Marks said. “Seeing all these people in Trackhouse logos … I’m just ready to get to work.”

One of Marks’ various goals for Trackhouse is to create a work environment where his employees feel they have the best jobs in the sport. A new shop to complete that work is just the beginning of creating a family culture that’s capable of achieving unique things.

“It’s every day committing to the process of empowerment, accountability, recognizing that these people are truly the best at what they do and getting behind them and lifting them up and giving them all the tools to be successful,” Marks said. “That’s something that we will continue to do every day. But walking in here specifically and seeing all this … I mean, there’s been a race team in here for 20 years, but the air feels different today.”

Posted on November 22, 2021November 22, 2021 by Staff Report

One of the NASCAR Cup Series’ most iconic race teams, Wood Brothers Racing, took to social media Monday to unveil its new paint scheme for the 2022 Next Gen Ford Mustang and rookie driver Harrison Burton.

The cinematic reveal was created in iRacing and featured the storied No. 21 with gold chrome numbers on both sides of the car.

Little bit of old mixed with a little bit of new. We couldn’t get crazy, but we did have to make a few tweaks.

Here’s our 2022 @MQL_Racing Mustang. @HBurtonRacing you ready? pic.twitter.com/nskM54J9n1

— Wood Brothers Racing (@woodbrothers21) November 22, 2021

pic.twitter.com/Y7gb65Hk9x

— Wood Brothers Racing (@woodbrothers21) November 22, 2021

The team announced in July that Burton would be promoted from the Xfinity Series, replacing Matt DiBenedetto after the veteran’s two years behind the wheel of the 21. Burton tallied four wins in a pair of full-time Xfinity seasons. He is the son of former Cup Series driver and current NBC Sports analyst Jeff Burton.

The paint scheme will make its on-track debut at the 2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

Tuesday, Nov. 23
1 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing — Michelin Pilot Challenge at Petit Le Mans, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing Special — Mazda MX-5 Cup: Road Atlanta, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
4 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing Special — Prototype Challenge: Road Atlanta, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Thursday, Nov. 25
2 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Review, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Review, FS2 (re-air)

Friday, Nov. 26
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: 2021 Champion Season Review, FS1 (re-air)

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Zack Albert

PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Kyle Larson has faithfully had a ladybug image tucked away on his race cars, a good-luck charm that’s followed him from childhood all the way to NASCAR’s top levels. How it got there is its own charming piece of racing lore.

Mike Larson, Kyle’s father, recounts a story about three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford. One race-day morning just before his third Indy win in 1980, “Lone Star J.R.” noticed that a ladybug had landed on him. Believing in the good fortune of the omen, Rutherford told his crew that the rest of the field was racing for second that day. He loaded in and drove his “Yellow Submarine” Chaparral to a convincing victory.

Mike Larson liked the story so much that he once said that if his son ever got involved in racing that he’d include a ladybug somewhere in the paint job. Now here we are, his son a Cup Series champion and still carrying the charm on his cars and many of his T-shirts and other racing souvenirs.

The Larsons said they had a chance encounter with Rutherford at the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa years ago, jumping at the opportunity to tell him how they had adopted his good-luck mascot as one of their own. Rutherford shared a laugh and wished them well, bringing the origin story full circle.

Posted on November 19, 2021November 20, 2021 by Staff Report

NASCAR announced practice and qualifying formats across all three national series for the 2022 season on Friday, including a look at how NASCAR Cup Series drivers will break in the Next Gen car.

The knockout-style format will vary for all three series depending on both track type and series, but on-track qualifying is scheduled for every event in the upcoming season. Friday’s news comes after nearly two seasons with race weekends largely held without practice or qualifying – a procedure born out of necessity to reduce travel days and on-site personnel while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

“NASCAR is excited to return practice and qualifying to its race weekends,” said Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. “We missed seeing cars and trucks on track all weekend long, and so did our fans. We worked closely with our broadcast partners, teams and racetracks to create an exciting, unique qualifying format, while keeping several of the efficiencies that helped our entire industry successfully navigate the pandemic.”

In a majority of Cup Series races, the field will be split into two groups and participate in a two-hour practice and qualifying event. Some events — six Cup, five Xfinity and eight Truck — will also be classified as “expanded weekends.”

An expanded weekend includes one stand-alone, 50-minute practice (and the warm-up/practice that typically will precede qualifying next year will be eliminated). Only these expanded weekends will feature a practice that is separate from qualifying.

Read on for the full list of every event in 2022.

EXPANDED WEEKENDS

One 50-minute practice in addition to on-track qualifying

NASCAR Cup Series: Daytona 500, Atlanta, Bristol Dirt, WWT Raceway, Nashville, Phoenix-2

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Daytona, Atlanta, Portland, Nashville, Phoenix-2

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Daytona, Atlanta, Bristol Dirt, Knoxville, Sonoma, Mid-Ohio, Nashville, Phoenix-2

Note: It’s possible for an expanded weekend to apply to only one series. For example, at Sonoma, it will be an expanded weekend for the Truck Series and not the Cup Series.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

One-lap qualifying format

Tracks: Atlanta*, Auto Club , Charlotte Oval , Darlington , WWT Raceway*, Kansas , Las Vegas , Miami, Michigan, Nashville*, New Hampshire , Phoenix*, Pocono , Texas

* denotes expanded weekend

Format

15-minute warm-up/practice, separated into two groups
Qualifying Round 1 (Group A) – single car, 1 lap
- Top five transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Round 1 (Group B) – single car, 1 lap
- Top five transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Final Round – single car, 1 lap

Two-lap qualifying format

Tracks: Bristol-2, Dover, Martinsville, Richmond

Format

15-minute warm-up/practice separated into two groups
Qualifying Round 1 (Group A) – single car, 2 laps
- Top five transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Round 1 (Group B) – single car, 2 laps
- Top five transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Final Round – single car, 2 laps

Superspeedway qualifying format

Tracks: Daytona 500*, Daytona-2, Talladega

* denotes expanded weekend

Format

Qualifying Round 1 – single car, 1 lap (all vehicles)
- Top 10 transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Final Round – single car, 1 lap

Road-course qualifying format

Tracks: Charlotte Roval, COTA, Indianapolis Road Course, Road America, Sonoma, Watkins Glen

Format

20-minute warm-up/practice separated into two groups
Qualifying Round 1, Group A (15 minutes)
- Top 5 transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Round 1, Group B (15 minutes)
- Top 5 transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Final Round (10 minutes)

Dirt qualifying

Track: Bristol Dirt (also an expanded weekend)

Format

Two 50-minute practice sessions
Four qualifying races to determine the field and lineup for the main race; order based on random draw

NASCAR Xfinity Series

One-lap qualifying format

Tracks: Atlanta-1*, Atlanta-2, Auto Club, Charlotte Oval, Darlington, Kansas, Las Vegas, Miami, Michigan, Nashville*, New Hampshire, Phoenix-1, Phoenix-2*, Pocono, Texas

* denotes expanded weekend

Format

20-minute warm-up/practice for all cars
Qualifying (all cars) — single car, 1 lap

Two-lap qualifying

Tracks: Bristol-2, Dover, Martinsville, Richmond

Format

20-minute practice/warm-up for all cars
Qualifying (all cars) – single car, 2 laps

Superspeedway qualifying

Tracks: Daytona-1*, Daytona-2, Talladega

* denotes expanded weekend

Format

Qualifying Round 1 – single car, 1 lap (all vehicles)
- Top 10 transfer to final round
Qualifying Final Round – single car, 1 lap

Road-course qualifying

Tracks: Charlotte Roval, COTA, Indianapolis Road Course, Portland*, Road America, Watkins Glen

* denotes expanded weekend

Format

20-minute warm-up/practice – all cars
Qualifying Round 1, Group A (15 minutes)
- Top five transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Round 1, Group B (15 minutes)
- Top five transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Final Round (10 minutes)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

One-lap qualifying

Tracks: Atlanta-1*, Atlanta-2, Charlotte Oval, Darlington, Kansas, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville*, Phoenix-1, Phoenix-2*, Pocono, Texas

* denotes expanded weekend

Format

20-minute warm-up/practice for all trucks
Qualifying (all trucks) – single truck, 1 lap

Two-lap qualifying

Tracks: Bristol-2, Dover, Martinsville, Richmond

Format

20-min warm-up/practice for all trucks
Qualifying (all trucks) – single truck, 2 laps

Superspeedway qualifying

Tracks: Daytona-1*, Daytona-2, Talladega

Format

Qualifying Round 1 – single car, 1 lap (all vehicles)
- Top 10 transfer to final round
Qualifying Final Round – single car, 1 lap

Road-course qualifying

Tracks: COTA, Mid-Ohio*, Sonoma*

* denotes expanded weekend

Format

20-minute warm-up/practice – all cars
Qualifying Round 1, Group A (15 minutes)
- Top 5 transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Round 1, Group B (15 minutes)
- Top 5 transfer to Final Round
Qualifying Final Round (10 minutes)

Dirt qualifying

Tracks: Bristol Dirt, Knoxville

Format

Two 50-minute practice sessions
Four qualifying races determine the field and lineup for the main race, order based on random draw

Posted on November 18, 2021November 24, 2021 by Terrin Waack

CONCORD, N.C. — Pit-crew members’ muscle memory can remain intact for the Next Gen, mostly.

Instead of removing and fastening five lug nuts, tire changers will only have to worry about one per round. That will be the biggest difference with live stops in 2022. It changes the flow a little bit but helps with the overall speed.

“Most of us, we’re used to like a pop five times,” Josh Thomas, a front-tire changer for the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, told NASCAR.com. “Other than that right now, it’s all the same — pulling tires, getting to the car quick, hitting that one lug nut. It’s not really retraining much because everything’s like tenths of seconds. Kind of like the same time as last year, might be a second faster.”

Teams had their first chance at Next Gen pit practice Thursday during the second day of testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. NASCAR granted them an hour at the end of the eight-hour open-track session.

Of the 22 cars on site, 11 asked for a stall. Only four actually took advantage of the opportunity — the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Dillon, the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Corey LaJoie, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of William Byron. Internal team personnel did rotate.

“It seems like the guys are enjoying working with it,” Elliott said. “You’re not having five lug nuts to take off and put on in the garage area constantly and things of that nature. So, overall, I think it’s been a plus.”

Thomas did note because of the single lug nut, the new air guns weigh more.

What doesn’t, though, are the tires. They are now 18 inches rather than 15. The wheel is also aluminum rather than steel.

“It helps our bodies,” Thomas said. “The tires aren’t as heavy. It helps us to get it off quicker. It’s an upgrade, we think, in our score.”

That’s one opinion. Odds are, there will be multiple and different viewpoints. That’s inevitable with change.

But Justin Alexander, crew chief of the No. 3 team, doesn’t expect his job to change all that much atop the pit box, either. Just learning and adapting what calls to make.

“Any adjustment you do to the car slows the stops down typically, and the more you adjust, the more the stops are slowed down,” he said. “It makes those things more critical. You’re obviously not gonna want to tune on the car, adjust on the car as much, but sometimes you have to.

“And it’ll make fuel flow — fueling the car will probably be the holdup at some point — critical if you’re trying to put two cans of fuel in.”

Teams are allowed to practice pit stops at their shops. Next Gen cars will make their competitive debut Feb. 6 in the 2022 Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

“It’s faster,” Thomas said. “Everything’s got to be quicker. Everyone’s got to be quicker on pit road. Whoever can figure out how to shave off two tenths, even one tenth of a second, that’s going to be tremendous.”

Posted on November 18, 2021November 18, 2021 by Terrin Waack

CONCORD, N.C. — It’s science, but it’s not complicated.

Most of the two-day Next Gen test that spanned Wednesday and Thursday saw cars run solo around Charlotte Motor Speedway. There were times when multiple cars were on track together, though it never came near the amount that would be seen during an actual race. And that’s OK because drivers can assume what will happen in pack racing.

“I mean, unless we defy physics, the guy out front is gonna have an advantage,” Chase Elliott said Thursday. “So, if somebody figures out how to defy physics, please let me know. I’d love to meet you. But until somebody figures that out, the front person is always gonna have an advantage. And I don’t think it matters how many aero ducts and parts and pieces we put on these things, it’s never going to give the guy in second an advantage over the guy out front.”

NEXT GEN TESTING: At-track photos | Unofficial speeds | Day 1 review

The important part of testing right now is learning the Next Gen ins and outs, and there’s a lot of that left to do. Simply put, it’s a different car. The basics need to be handled before a complete product is even close to ready.

Regardless, people outside of the garage want to know what live-action racing is going to look like.

“It’s not instant, it’s not instant gratification, it’s not posted and get the reward of it,” Ross Chastain said. “Like it’s gonna take some time. We’re building this thing. So, truly, I know as hard as it is in 2021 going into 2022 of this world, that question is not ready to be answered yet.”

Chastain actually ran laps behind another driver, too. His No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet trailed William Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in Thursday’s first half of on-track work. The two traded spots. Chastain noted Byron had more success following than he personally did. Chastain felt tight in turns, but it was worse when behind Byron.

Teams later appeared to plan when to hit the track together.

“Whatever area of the corner you’re most vulnerable in is going to be more uncomfortable than it was when you were by yourself,” Elliott said. “That’s typically the case most everywhere we go in anything I’ve ever driven, so I don’t expect that to be much different.

“The other piece of that is, how many of these things do we want to tear up before we get to Daytona? Because I don’t think everybody has just an abundance of these cars and/or parts sitting around. So, we need to weigh out what’s important right now.”

Daytona International Speedway will host the 2022 points-paying season opener Feb. 20. There will be three exhibition events before then, two of which — Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 and 2 — will be held in Daytona. Next Gen’s official debut, however, will be Feb. 6 in the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

That’s when the real racing will begin.

“We know dirty air,” Chastain said. “Like dirty air existed since the second car got built in the world. So, we just have to do a better job. NASCAR knows that, and they’re working on it.”

Posted on November 17, 2021November 18, 2021 by Staff Report

Unofficial test speeds from organizational Next Gen testing for the NASCAR Cup Series on Nov. 17-18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s oval layout. Note that times are unofficial, with no technical inspection conducted before each session.

Day 2

Position	No.	Driver	Best Time	Difference	Best Speed	Team
1	10	Aric Almirola	30.731		175.718	Stewart-Haas Racing
2	4	Kevin Harvick	30.757	-0.026	175.570	Stewart-Haas Racing
3	45	Kurt Busch	31.085	-0.354	173.717	23XI Racing
4	12	Ryan Blaney	31.158	-0.427	173.310	Team Penske
5	22	Joey Logano	31.166	-0.435	173.266	Team Penske
6	24	William Byron	31.193	-0.462	173.166	Hendrick Motorsports
7	6	Brad Keselowski	31.199	-0.468	173.082	RFK Racing
8	78	BJ McLeod	31.233	-0.502	172.894	Live Fast Motorsports
9	94	Ty Dillon	31.243	-0.512	172.839	GMS Racing
10	43	Erik Jones	31.260	-0.529	172.745	Richard Petty Motorsports
11	1	Ross Chastain	31.294	-0.563	172.557	Trackhouse Racing Team
12	9	Chase Elliott	31.309	-0.578	172.474	Hendrick Motorsports
13	7	Corey LaJoie	31.322	-0.591	172.403	Spire Motorsports
14	20	Drew Herring	31.329	-0.598	172.364	Joe Gibbs Racing
15	11	Denny Hamlin	31.336	-0.605	172.326	Joe Gibbs Racing
16	16	AJ Allmendinger	31.340	-0.609	172.304	Kaulig Racing
17	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	31.346	-0.615	172.271	JTG Daugherty Racing
18	34	Michael McDowell	31.352	-0.621	172.238	Front Row Motorsports
19	3	Austin Dillon	31.432	-0.701	171.799	Richard Childress Racing
20	21	Austin Cindric	31.438	-0.707	171.767	Wood Brothers Racing
21	51	Cody Ware	31.595	-0.864	170.913	Petty Ware Racing
22	66	Timmy Hill	32.593	-1.862	165.680	Motorsports Business Management

Day 1

Position	No.	Driver	Best Time	Difference	Best Speed	Team
1	12	Ryan Blaney	31.179		173.193	Team Penske
2	6	Brad Keselowski	31.204	-0.025	173.055	RFK Racing
3	24	William Byron	31.231	-0.052	172.905	Hendrick Motorsports
4	43	Erik Jones	31.265	-0.086	172.717	Richard Petty Motorsports
5	94	Ty Dillon	31.288	-0.109	172.590	GMS Racing
6	4	Kevin Harvick	31.289	-0.110	172.585	Stewart-Haas Racing
7	45	Kurt Busch	31.294	-0.115	172.557	23XI Racing
8	16	Justin Haley	31.295	-0.116	172.552	Kaulig Racing
9	34	Michael McDowell	31.370	-0.191	172.139	Front Row Motorsports
10	11	Denny Hamlin	31.377	-0.198	172.101	Joe Gibbs Racing
11	22	Joey Logano	31.400	-0.221	171.975	Team Penske
12	7	Corey LaJoie	31.406	-0.227	171.942	Spire Motorsports
13	78	BJ McLeod	31.441	-0.262	171.750	Live Fast Motorsports
14	9	Chase Elliott	31.466	-0.287	171.614	Hendrick Motorsports
15	20	Christopher Bell	31.481	-0.302	171.532	Joe Gibbs Racing
16	10	Aric Almirola	31.505	-0.326	171.401	Stewart-Haas Racing
17	21	Harrison Burton	31.516	-0.337	171.342	Wood Brothers Racing
18	1	Ross Chastain	31.522	-0.343	171.309	Trackhouse Racing Team
19	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	31.529	-0.350	171.271	JTG Daugherty Racing
20	51	Cody Ware	31.618	-0.439	170.789	Petty Ware Racing
21	3	Austin Dillon	31.633	-0.454	170.708	Richard Childress Racing
22	66	Timmy Hill	33.925	-2.746	159.175	Motorsports Business Management

Posted on November 17, 2021November 18, 2021 by Terrin Waack

CONCORD, N.C. — Like bees swarming a hive, mechanics and engineers alike encircled Austin Dillon’s wrecked No. 3 Chevrolet once dropped off by the tow truck in the garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Personnel from multiple teams, manufacturers and NASCAR itself buzzed about with camera phones in hand, trying to pinpoint and capture areas of impact for further examination and evaluation. Everyone wanted intel.

That was the whole purpose of Wednesday’s Next Gen test, which will continue Thursday.

“When the incident happened, we actually left our spot in The Speedway Club and drove over there,” said John Probst, NASCAR’s senior vice president of racing innovation. “We talked to the first responders. They said (Dillon) was already out of the car. Then we went to see him in the infield care center. He had already been released before we could get there.

“So, yeah, it was a really good feeling knowing that the car performed as designed. Looking at the front bumper on it, looked like it crushed the way it was designed to do.”

VIDEO: John Probst breaks down Austin Dillon’s wreck response

Within the first 20 minutes of the 11-hour session that began at 9 a.m. ET, Dillon’s car hit the outside wall in Turn 2 before sliding down the track into the inside wall. The left front sustained the most damage, as the Next Gen’s composite body crumpled upon initial contact. NASCAR described the force as “an above-average impact” after analyzing data.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Dillon was present in the garage but not made available for interviews. He later posted an update on Instagram.

“Talking with him, he felt like it wasn’t anything different than what he’s felt in the past,” Probst said, “so I think that was certainly a good reference point.”

Dillon, entering his ninth full-time season with Richard Childress Racing, stopped by the empty No. 3 stall before going to see his Chevy almost 40 minutes after the on-track accident. He briefly chatted with reigning champion Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition Chad Knaus. Dillon hung around for more than 10 minutes before he headed atop his hauler.

Larson and Knaus were just some of the many folks to wander by. When the car first arrived, drivers such as Denny Hamlin (a Toyota wheelman), Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet), Michael McDowell (Ford) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Chevrolet) stopped by for examination. Hendrick crew chief Alan Gustafson took a look for fellow Chevy insight.

RCR actually had the ability to take the car back to its shop and rebuild the exact same one to continue testing. A crew left before 11 a.m. ET. The face of the vehicle had already been ripped off by the time it left – hood, bumper and any exterior all removed. Select impacted internal parts and pieces were also separated.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

“One of the design criteria that we put into the car was to have the front clip be able to be replaced,” Probst said. “And they were able to do that this afternoon and that car is on the way back here or will be shortly.”

The car returned around 7 p.m. ET. Dillon was back on track with an hour to spare. All in all, RCR replaced the left-front quarter panel, the tail, front fascia, hood, splitter, front clip, engine and front suspension.

Findings from Dillon’s car wreck and revival could potentially benefit the sport overall as Next Gen developments continue in preparation of its competitive debut Feb. 6 in the 2022 Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

“We don’t ever like to see them crash,” Probst said. “But we felt like the car performed very well.”

VIDEO: Watch Austin Dillon return to the track with wreck-fixed car