The NASCAR Cup Series has been in a perpetual state of change since March 25, 2007, when the Car of Tomorrow made its competition debut on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway.
Following the death of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR fast-tracked the design, construction and implementation of the sanctioning body’s Gen 5 race car. Nicknamed the Car of Tomorrow, it showcased multiple safety upgrades and was used through the end of the 2012 season.
The Gen 6 car was rolled out for the 2013 Daytona 500. This engineering exercise was intended to make NASCAR stock cars look more like their street-legal counterparts. It featured different aero and downforce packages while improving upon the safety aspects of its predecessor.
Finally, drivers and teams are still learning the Gen 7 cars that have been used in the NASCAR Cup Series since the start of the 2022 season. Despite the introduction of numerous new technologies, the Next Gen car was designed to lower costs while improving the racing.
USAC graduate Tony Stewart logged 31 Cup Series victories during his 10-year run with Joe Gibbs Racing that ended in 2008. Stewart then earned six additional wins during his first two seasons with the newly minted Stewart-Haas Racing. Ryan Newman also won a race for SHR in 2009.
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