Austin Dillon wrecked during Next Gen test, but NASCAR said ‘car performed as designed’ in crash
Not two weeks after the end of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, drivers were already back on the track this week. But it was for the latest test for the Next Gen car, which will debut in 2022, first with The Clash at The Coliseum, a preseason exhibition event, in Los Angeles and then officially with the season-opening Daytona 500 in February.
Although multiple drivers spun out during Wednesday’s session on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s oval, Austin Dillon was the first to wreck.
Early in the testing, Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet hit the wall and slid across the track before smashing into the SAFER barrier, as NBC Sports noted. And the front of the new car was seriously damaged, forcing Richard Childress racing to take it back to the shop for repairs to continue testing eventually.
Dillon was evaluated and released by the infield care center, and NASCAR detailed the crash as “an above-average impact.”
#NASCAR … A look at the Austin Dillon car that wrecked in the opening minutes of Next Gen testing at @CLTMotorSpdwy pic.twitter.com/BHRyBn4mxk
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) November 17, 2021
After the crash Wednesday, NASCAR’s senior vice president of racing innovation, John Probst, addressed the media at the test and seemed pleased from a safety perspective. He said, via NASCAR.com:
“We’re always glad when the drivers get out of the cars, and when the incident happened, we actually left our spot over there in The Speedway Club and drove over there and 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, [it] looked like it crushed the way it was designed to do.
“Talking with [Dillon], he felt like it wasn’t any kind of anything different than what he’s felt in the past, so I think that was certainly a good reference point. We don’t ever like to see them crash, but we felt like the car performed very well.”
After Richard Childress Racing crews made some repairs to the damaged car, Dillon was able to get back on track Wednesday.
And per NASCAR, the team replaced the left-front quarter panel, hood, splitter, engine, front clip and front suspension, among other things. Probst noted that teams being able to replace the front clip of the Next Gen car was part of the design criteria.
8.5 hour later … The No. 3 and @austindillon3 are back on track at @CLTMotorSpdwy pic.twitter.com/GCvS9hWq2c
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 18, 2021
And Dillon commented on the crash and Richard Childress Racing crews on Instagram later on Wednesday.
He wrote in the caption:
I bit the wall today early in our #NextGen test at Charlotte Motor Speedway. We were trying to maximize all of the available test time, but the track probably wasn’t quite ready and we were over-confident. I came over the radio and apologized to the team and told them our test was over. They replied with ‘see you at 7.’
The guys went right to work rebuilding the car and got us much needed time on track. RCR showed what they are made of today, and I am so thankful for their hard work and dedication.
Here’s a look at some of the other moments from NASCAR’s latest Next Gen test this week.
… from the outside … pic.twitter.com/uUxrfZiW5V
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 18, 2021
Having a very merry offseason . pic.twitter.com/4G4syJgZns
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 17, 2021
A slide for @dennyhamlin, but he does a great job keeping it off the @CLTMotorSpdwy wall. #NextGen pic.twitter.com/zzg1G56iSv
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 17, 2021
Let's go for a #NextGen ride around @CLTMotorSpdwy. @StenhouseJr | @JTGRacing pic.twitter.com/DIUy8RzJg1
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 17, 2021
All the single lug nuts, all the single lug nuts. #NextGen pic.twitter.com/XMChQRuedn
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 17, 2021
The Next Gen car will debut in the exhibition Clash race on February 6 on the purpose-built Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum track before officially premiering in the Daytona 500 on February 20.