‘Developing a set-up philosophy with the new cars was a learning curve, especially with the rear suspension. Trading off aerodynamic stability for mechanical stability for corner entry is a hard compromise to strike’
The 2022 NASCAR season saw the implementation of the sport’s most significant technical overhaul since its inception. The development of the so-called Gen 7 (2022-present) cars saw thousands of hours of design and testing work over several years, making its debut at the Sun, LA Memorial Coliseum in February that year.
General Motors’ brand, Chevrolet, continued its long-standing commitment to competing in NASCAR into this new generation and its director of NASCAR programmes, Eric Warren, coordinated the Gen 7 Camaro NASCAR ZL1 design effort, as well as its ongoing development.
Warren has been working in NASCAR for over 25 years. Over this time, there have been several significant evolutions of the technical rule book. However, he notes that Gen 7 represents the most momentous shift towards an OEM car design NASCAR has seen in recent history.
Primary driver
‘The primary driver for the new generation of NASCAR Cup cars came from the teams keen to reduce the competition’s running costs,’ says Warren. ‘Secondly, the manufacturers were eager to have a stronger identity connection between the racecars and their road car counterparts.’
The Gen 7 cars introduced a symmetrical body, four-way adjustable independent suspension, a sealed underbody, 18in wheels, rack and pinion steering and a sequential gearbox, along with various other lesser elements. The result is a car that is a far cry from the asymmetric Gen 6 and others that preceded it, which saw historic technology such as beam rear axles and no underfloor aerodynamic features.
‘NASCAR, the teams
