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Nationwide
NNS: Lots Of Track Time For New Car
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will debut its new car this week...
Justin Allgaier, driver of the #12 Dodge Nationwide COT, drives during testing for the NASCAR Nationwide Series new Car of Tomorrow at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
The next-generation NASCAR Nationwide Series car will race for the first time Friday at Daytona International Speedway, but before it begins actual competition, it will have plenty of test time.
Wednesday and Thursday, the teams will have ample opportunity to get their respective cars dialed in at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Wednesday at Daytona, there’s an unusually long four-hour practice session, from 1-5 p.m. ET. And on Thursday, there are sessions from 2-3:50 p.m. and 5:30-6:25 p.m. That’s a total of six hours and 45 minutes of practice over two days.
The new Nationwide car shares its chassis with the current NASCAR Sprint Cup car, although the bodywork and appearance is substantially different. Friday night’s Subway Jalapeno 250 at DIS will be a huge stage for its competition debut.
In terms of models, Toyota will continue to campaign the Camry in races with the new car, and Chevrolet likewise will stick with its tried and true Impala. Ford and Dodge, however, will switch to sportier “pony cars” — the Mustang and Challenger, respectively.
The new NNS cars will race four times this year prior to being adapted for the full schedule in 2011: Daytona Friday night; Michigan, Aug. 14; Richmond, Sept. 10; and Charlotte, Oct. 15.
So far, drivers seem pleased with the new package.
“I think everyone is looking forward to Daytona this weekend and this first race with the new cars,” said Justin Allgaier, who drives the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge. “Just as the Cup guys wanted to be the first to win at Bristol in 2007, we all feel the same now that we have this opportunity. Dodge has certainly given us the tools to be successful with it, and it would mean a lot to me to win the first race since the Challenger return.”
Braun Racing’s Jason Leffler is also intrigued by the first race for the new car.
“I don’t really know what to expect this weekend with the new car but I’m still excited about it,” said Leffler. “I had fun during the test. We were worried about falling behind some of the Cup-affiliated teams but I think that the playing field is pretty level, which is going to be a help to us.”
Leffler said his new Toyota has a somewhat familiar feel to it.
“It’s bigger car all the way around,” he said. “It reminds me a lot of driving a truck in the Camping World Series. As far as handling, the new cars are a little freer so we will have to adjust to that. Going into this weekend, there is not much you can do to be prepared but just make sure your car is put together right and go from there.”
And he’s glad for the extra test time.
“Having that test day on Wednesday is really important and will allow us more time to adjust to these cars and give us a better idea of what to expect on Friday night,” he said. “The Nationwide Series is a great series with competitive racing week in and week out. I think the transition to this new car is only going to make it that much better.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEEDtv.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
Wednesday and Thursday, the teams will have ample opportunity to get their respective cars dialed in at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Wednesday at Daytona, there’s an unusually long four-hour practice session, from 1-5 p.m. ET. And on Thursday, there are sessions from 2-3:50 p.m. and 5:30-6:25 p.m. That’s a total of six hours and 45 minutes of practice over two days.
The new Nationwide car shares its chassis with the current NASCAR Sprint Cup car, although the bodywork and appearance is substantially different. Friday night’s Subway Jalapeno 250 at DIS will be a huge stage for its competition debut.
In terms of models, Toyota will continue to campaign the Camry in races with the new car, and Chevrolet likewise will stick with its tried and true Impala. Ford and Dodge, however, will switch to sportier “pony cars” — the Mustang and Challenger, respectively.
The new NNS cars will race four times this year prior to being adapted for the full schedule in 2011: Daytona Friday night; Michigan, Aug. 14; Richmond, Sept. 10; and Charlotte, Oct. 15.
So far, drivers seem pleased with the new package.
“I think everyone is looking forward to Daytona this weekend and this first race with the new cars,” said Justin Allgaier, who drives the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge. “Just as the Cup guys wanted to be the first to win at Bristol in 2007, we all feel the same now that we have this opportunity. Dodge has certainly given us the tools to be successful with it, and it would mean a lot to me to win the first race since the Challenger return.”
Braun Racing’s Jason Leffler is also intrigued by the first race for the new car.
“I don’t really know what to expect this weekend with the new car but I’m still excited about it,” said Leffler. “I had fun during the test. We were worried about falling behind some of the Cup-affiliated teams but I think that the playing field is pretty level, which is going to be a help to us.”
Leffler said his new Toyota has a somewhat familiar feel to it.
“It’s bigger car all the way around,” he said. “It reminds me a lot of driving a truck in the Camping World Series. As far as handling, the new cars are a little freer so we will have to adjust to that. Going into this weekend, there is not much you can do to be prepared but just make sure your car is put together right and go from there.”
And he’s glad for the extra test time.
“Having that test day on Wednesday is really important and will allow us more time to adjust to these cars and give us a better idea of what to expect on Friday night,” he said. “The Nationwide Series is a great series with competitive racing week in and week out. I think the transition to this new car is only going to make it that much better.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEEDtv.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
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