NASCAR Cup series teams will have the option to put lifters on the rear dampers (shock absorbers) of their cars beginning at Michigan International Speedway.
It is an addition to the vehicles in hopes of helping if they become “beached” due to a flat tire. A downside of the Next Gen car, even in its third season, has been flat tires severely damaging the underbody if the driver can continue after a flat tire or becoming completely stuck on the racetrack with a lengthy process of getting it back to pit road.
A rules bulletin about the lifters was sent to teams in the week leading into Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The lifter will allow the car to be raised off the ground (by a few inches) for safety crews to tow it back to pit road.
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“It’s a system that’s on the rear of the car; it works around the shock absorber,” NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer recently explained to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “As everyone knows, the Next Gen has been really, really good for our racing. I think we’ve had some phenomenal racing.
“What came with that and we noticed that immediately at Auto Club two years ago, is when this car has a flat tire or four flats particularly, it can’t go anywhere.”
NASCAR’s Next Gen car features an 18-inch wheel with a single lug nut that does not have an inner liner, and it worked with Cup series shock absorber vendor Öhlins for the lifter assembly.
“There’s a quick connect that will be connected or installed along the A-post of the Cup cars that when the track service worker gets there, they basically can take an air hose, if you will, and pump that up to the rear and the tire will lift up and then gives the drivers the ability to drive back to pit road,” Sawyer said. “Today, we’re having to hook them up or push them; we’re way too far in the middle or deep end of having to get cars back to pit road so they can start their service. So, [we’re] trying to keep that more on the team’s side.
“As we get to the incident, plug in there, put a little air to the rear lifters that basically picks up the back of the car. Then, when they get to pit road, there’s a valve there. They just hit the valve and the rear of the car will go back down.”
NASCAR tried a dolly system at Iowa Speedway, which came into play during practice when Ross Chastain stopped on the track with a flat left rear tire. However, it wasn’t a quick process and NASCAR did not feel it was a solution to be used during a race.