The Evolution of the NASCAR Racecar

Motorsports have come a long way in the last few decades, with improvements not only with the cars, but the tracks, tyres, fuels and the drivers themselves. Cars nowadays are safer, faster, and in nearly every race series in the world; custom built machines that might look similar to the cars you can buy in the showroom, but underneath are totally different.

NASCAR has come a long way in the last 60 years, and since the 2018 Daytona 500 is just around the corner, marking 60 years of the Great American Race, what better way to get geared up, than looking back at how much these firebreathing V8’s have come over the last 6 decades.

Genesis - Generation 1 - 1948 - 1966

During the 1920’s, the USA passed a nationwide ban on alcohol. Whilst most citizens went dry for the next decade, several decided to break the rules, modifying their cars with bigger, faster engines, uprated brakes and suspension components, to allow them to not only carry large amounts of alcohol, but also outrun the local law enforcement. After the end of World War II, new cars were in short supply. The USA had been focussing on building tanks, such as the M4A1 Sherman, or M3 Stuart, and weapons, and the automotive industry had taken a back seat, but that need for speed was still there.

By now, the USA had lifted its ban on alcohol, meaning that the local law breakers no longer had a use for their high powered, modified cars. That was until they decided to start racing each other, and thus NASCAR was born.

The first cars had a basic set of criteria; Strictly stock frame and body, doors strapped shut, seat belts required, heavy-duty rear axle required to stop cars flipping during the races. Not much in the way of safety. Nearer the end of the Generation 1 era, cars were also required to have roll-cages, but a lot of drivers felt these added unneccisary weight, so they made look-a-likes, out of wood and other light materials.
Some of the most iconic cars of the time were the 1939 Ford Coupe, 1952 Hudson Hornet (above), 1956 Ford Convertible, which was outlawed after the 1966 Darlington race, and the 1956 Ford Galaxie. These cars differed greatly in both safety and performance, leading to some rather interesting moments on track.

Generation 2 - 1967- 1980

1967 saw NASCAR really shake up the rules for the cars. From now on, the cars had to have a stock body, but a modified frame and chassis. This not only assisted with handling and performance, but also safety. It also introduced new companies to the mix, with Holman-Moody, Banjo Matthews and Hutchenson-Pagan, building chassis for the teams.

It was during this time that aerodynamics started to be used. Cars started to develop small lip spoilers, and in the case of the Dodge Daytona, full grown rear spoilers. The Dodge Daytona would also be the first NASCAR racecar to break the 200mph barrier in 1970 with Buddy Baker behind the wheel. Although the cars were still quite different from one another, the rules were a little tighter.

Generation 3 - 1981-1991

1981 saw NASCAR become a more race-centralised series when it came to the cars on track. Suddenly the wheel base was reduced to 110 inches, and NASCAR downsized the cars to help better resemble the models on the showroom floors across the country. Body panels were still bought via the manufacturers though, meaning these cars still had some of their road going DNA in-tact.

Teams were concentrating more on the engines nowadays, as there were still no restrictions on power. It was in 1987 that Bill Elliott set a NASCAR record, which still stands to this day; posting a qualifying speed of 212.809mph. Just two years earlier, Elliott had clawed his way back at Talladega, from 2 laps down, he would eventually win the race by an astounding 1.72 seconds, which may not sound like a lot, but these days a win at Talladega is normally between 0.05 and 0.1 seconds.

Generation 4 - 1992 - 2007

In 1992 the sport would change massively. It no longer used body panels from the manufacturers, but instead highly modified shells, with fibreglass hoods, decklids, and entire front/rear housings. The cars also now had to fit a certain template, meaning no little body flares, or adding spoilers and fins.

Suddenly the cars were moulded in the wind tunnel, to fit the templates, but also slice through the air. By its final years, the generation 4 had a highly moulded nose, which ended up looking nothing like the production car models.

Generation 5 - 2007 - 2010

Following the death of NASCARs superman, Dale Earnhardt in 2001, the sport promised to make the cars safer. In 2007, the Car of Tomorrow (COT) shared a part-time schedule with the Generation 4 cars. The COT was taller, and moved the driver to a more central position to better protect them from rollovers and side impacts. The side of the car were filled with energy absorbing foam, the front had a large splitter, and the rear a new rear wing, instead of a spoiler. A lot of fans disliked this car, and on its debut at Bristol, Kyle Busch, the race winner, commented ‘I still can’t stand to drive these things, they suck’.
A lot of fans however, would praise the COT a year later, when Michael McDowell crashed head on into the outside wall at Texas Motorspeedway during a qualifying run. McDowell hit the wall at an estimated 180mph, before rolling down the track several times. Michael then got out of the car, under his own strength and waved to the crowds, a testament to how safe these new cars (and the SAFER barrier) really were.

Generation 5.1 - 2010-2010

After a few scary crashes, which saw cars flipped over backwards, it was deemed the rear wing actually acted detrimentally to the car when it was spun around at high speed. NASCAR fixed this by re-adding the spoiler in 2010. From the Martinsville round, until the end of the season, the spoiler was used.

Generation 5.2 - 2011-2012

In 2011, the nose of the COT was re-shaped. Now the front splitter wasn’t such a sharp edge, and was hidden under a new, more curved, nose design. Fans apprecieted NASCARs efforts to make the cars looks more appealing, and relished the return of the spoiler.

Generation 6 - 2013 - Today

Todays NASCAR racecars have moved back towards looking more like their showroom counterparts. Technical rules have changed year in, year out since their introduction, as NASCAR tries to make the cars as good as they can possibly be. When first released, the cars had large rear spoilers, and a large radiator pan, giving the cars lots of downforce. Fans complained, this made the cars too reliant on the aerodynamics to race effectively in a pack, and the drivers agreed. NASCAR then reduced the spoiler by a couple of inches, and knocked a fair amount off the radiator pans too, to reduce downforce. This was teamed with a softer tyre the promote more frantic, harder racing early on.

During the first couple of seasons with the Generation 6 car, teams found that by flaring the left fender out, just before the rear wheel, during a pitstop (as the car wouldn’t pass technical inspection pre-race with this flare), the car would gain an advantage with downforce. This was outlawed in the 2015 season, after it was deemed unsporting, and dangerous to pit crew members.

NASCAR is a huge sport, with lots of history; so I’ve tried to simplify it here. If you think I’ve missed something important, feel free to comment below and I’ll add it in! :)

This content was originally posted by a Car Throttle user on our Community platform and was not commissioned or created by the CT editorial team.