NASCAR’s R&D department has come up with a significant new measure to keep cars glued to superspeedways such as Daytona and Talladega.
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There have been several instances in the recent past when contact during restrictor plate races has sent the Next Gen car flying in the air. This new measure, which comes in the form of a flap in the A-Post, aims to prevent that.
It will debut at the final race of the ongoing Cup Series regular season at Daytona on Saturday. Dr. Eric Jacuzzi, NASCAR’s vice president of vehicle performance, and Todd Gordon, MRN analyst and former crew chief, discussed the addition in a recent breakdown.
Dr. Jacuzzi said, “It’s been a lot of work. We knew this area was very sensitive, very low pressure when the car is sideways. We tried different things to affect it. They were either aesthetically not great or they presented some visibility problems for the drivers. So, we finally came up with this idea which we have been working on for the last year and a half.”
He continued to detail how the flap works, “Essentially, this flap here is able to open when the right side roof flap releases.” The flap is locked down into the post under normal circumstances. Only when the right side roof flap releases does it get activated and get to work. Once the roof flap goes down, the A-Post flap does so too, and it will be locked into position when the car gets to pit road.
What is the need for the A-Post flap?
The NASCAR world came to a standstill when Ryan Preece’s Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang flew in the air at Daytona in 2023. It flipped multiple times mid-air before barrel rolling down the infield and coming to a violent stop. Fortunately, the driver escaped without any major injuries. But it forced NASCAR to enforce stronger safety measures.
Those measures proved to be fruitless when a similar accident occurred again to Preece during the 2025 Daytona 500. The repeat is what has caused the series to now incorporate the A-Post flap in the Next Gen car. It remains to be seen if this will solve the issue. Rest assured, the improvement is a thoroughly impressive one.
When the flap is open, there is a significant change in the liftoff speed for cars. Dr. Jacuzzi assured that there is around a 25 percent difference in the liftoff speed and explained that it meant a 100-mile-an-hour improvement.
