Earlier this week, there was a pre-season NASCAR test at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. When the session kicked off, Joey Logano was the first man out on track. However, as his #22 Ford rolled out, there was a noticeable addition to the car. Apparently, there was a large offset rear wing on his car and it vaguely resembled a shark fin.

According to reports, the teams will later move to a 6-inch centered spoiler. After that, there are more tests scheduled, this time with a 4-inch centered spoiler. However, it is worth mentioning that the shark fin will be featured on both runs. For the uninitiated, the offset spoiler sits a little further inside on the trunk, as opposed to sitting on the very edge.

Apparently, the primary aim for this is to improve pack racing. This is an issue that Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin raised, especially at intermediate ovals. Due to the pack racing element, there will likely be a need to reduce and equalize power among the cars.

How do the shark fins come into play for the NASCAR Next Gen cars?

As per some observations, NASCAR’s 550 horsepower package appears to favor that type of racing. Unfortunately, the Gen 6 car lacked the rear sideforce to mimic that type of racing. Owing to this, the shark fin has been added as an aerodynamic aid to help generate the sideforce.

Hopefully, these shark fins will do the trick and help improve the racing in 2022. Without a doubt, everyone is working hard, and the data gathered will be useful. As we are in the month of December, it means that the 2022 season is barely a couple of months away. So, all of the drivers and teams will be hard at work on these Next Gen cars. One thing is for sure, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season will be exciting.

What do you make of the latest addition?

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