NASCAR to take 3 cars back to the R&D Center after Talladega
TALLADEGA, Ala. — NASCAR officials will take three cars back to the R&D Center after Sunday’s Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Officials will take Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher’s cars back for wind tunnel testing. They are also taking Erik Jones’ car to the R&D Center for further evaluation.
Jones wrecked hard in turn three on lap 151. When his car came to a rest, he complained of back pain. He was checked and released from the care center and talked to the media. Then, after the race wrapped up, he returned to the care center and was taken to the local hospital.
The front and rear clips on the Gen 7/Next Gen car have been a point of contention for its rigidity and a string of related injuries, especially in 2022. NASCAR made changes following that season that made the clips less rigid. However, some drivers have still expressed over the severity of the hits.
Officials will likely focus on those two points of the car to see if they can make any more improvements.
As for Bowman and Buescher, neither had a spectacular race at Talladega. Bowman didn’t lead any laps but placed ninth in stage one while Buescher placed seventh and led six laps in stage two. They entered the final lap in 11th and 22nd before ending up fifth and 25th, respectively, at the finish.
Buescher is running a new Ford body. While it has performed well in the drafting races this year, the manufacturer has struggled elsewhere and is still winless through 10 races this season.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
You did omit that Nascar changed the design of the front and rear clips along with the center section already in response to the injuries incurred in 2022. The car was taken back to see if the changes did work as planned when subjected to that severe a frontal impact.
It is implied that Nascar has done nothing to address the 2022 injuries in your article.