NASCAR Next Gen is ready to set some more records

After a record-blistering debut last season, the Next Gen car returns for another action-packed 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Announced in a competition briefing with media during preseason, NASCAR has made some changes to the rear of the Next Gen car to improve safety during impacts. The updates have been implemented by the teams, and the industry is ready for the close, side-by-side racing fans have come to love this weekend in the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.

 

Last season, the Next Gen car exceeded expectations on the competition-side. Below are just a few of the accolades the Next Gen car produced in 2022.

 

·       Series-Most Race Winners (19) In A Single Season: The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season produced the series-most different winners (19) in a single season (1949-2022). The 2022 season tied the NASCAR Cup Series record of the most different winners in a single season (19) all-time; joining 1956, 1958, 1961 and 2001 with 19 different winners each. Chase Elliott led the NASCAR Cup Series in wins in 2022 with five victories.

 

·       Most First-Time Winners In A Season (Five): The most first-time NASCAR Cup Series winners in a single season in the Modern Era (1972-2022) is five and it has happened four times: 2001, 2002, 2011 and 2022.

 

·       22 of the 36 Races (61%) Won By Drivers Under The Age Of 30: The youth movement was undeniable in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022, as 12 different drivers under the age of 30 visited Victory Lane in 22 of 36 races (61%). Austin Cindric was the youngest Cup winner of 2022 at the age of 23.  

 

·       Second Closest Average Margin Of Victory Since Advent Of Electronic Scoring (1993): The average Margin of Victory for the 36 races of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season was 1.011-seconds - the second-closest average Margin of Victory since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993 - behind only the 2014 season (0.909 sec.). The closest finish of the 2022 season was the 0.036-second victory Austin Cindric (winner) had in the DAYTONA 500 over Bubba Wallace (second)

 

·       Series-Most Green Flag Passes For The Lead All-Time: The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season produced 1,544 green flag passes for the lead (GFPL), the series-most green flag passes for the lead in a single-season since the Loop Data statistic was initially tabulated in 2007 (the last 16 seasons). The Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on October 2, 2022, produced the most green flag passes for the lead in a single event in 2022 at 190 green flag passes for the lead.

 

·       Nine Races Set Records In Green Flag Passes For The Lead In 2022: A total of nine different NASCAR Cup Series races have set records in green flag passes for the lead this season; including Circuit of The Americas (30 GFPL), Atlanta-1 (141 GFPL), Las Vegas-1 (57 GFPL), Bristol Dirt (20 GFPL) Darlington-1 (28 GFPL), Kansas-1 (41 GFPL), Charlotte (64 GFPL), Nashville (47 GFPL) and Las Vegas-2 (46 GFPL).

 

·       Green Flag Passes Up 6.36% Year-Over-Year: In a year-over-year comparison (2021 to 2022), the 2022 season produced an increase in total green flag passes throughout the field of +6.36%. (Total GFP – 2021 = 115,056 GFP; 2022 = 122,869 GFP). A total of 20 of the 36 races in 2022 have a positive year-over-year percentage in total green flag passes (55.5%).

 

·       Seven Races Set Records In Total Green Flag Passes: Seven different races this season have set records in total green flag passes - Atlanta-1 (6,439), Richmond-1 (3,072), Bristol Dirt (2,703), Nashville (2,470), Road America (2,080), Richmond-2 (3,559) and Watkins Glen (3,141).