February 6, 2022 will begin the new racing season for NASCAR Cup Series with a special short-track race taking place at the Los Angeles Coliseum in California. The new season will also feature the new Gen 7 car which will feature improved aero and down-force packages while introducing new technologies on the track. This move by officials also helps to lower costs for teams and offers opportunities for other manufacturers to enter into the race.
So, what is new in the new cars?
The cars will use a steel space frame to allow teams for a faster setup. Talks are continuing to move towards a carbon fiber tub in future generations. The old four-speed manual transmission will be replaced with a floor-mounted six-speed Xtrac Limited sequential manual transmission to allow faster shift times but, restricts the driver to selecting either the next or previous gear, in a successive order. The old solid rear axle suspension is replaced with a new independent ream suspension with 5-way adjustable TTR dampers which will provide the drivers with better handling. The new car will also have new wheels. The old 15-inch steel wheel with the lug nut system is replaced with an 18-inch aluminum wheel with a single, center-locking lug nut. To make pit stops faster the old gas cylinder canister carried by a big burly guy to add fuel is replaced by a clamp-on refueling hose used by Formula 1 racing.
But how will these new changes work and affect the drivers? According to Kevin Harvick ” we’re still at a point where we’re diagnosing how the throttle works and how it functions, the steering, and how hot it’s going to get inside, and vision, and all the little nuances in the driver’s compartment that you’ll want to try to have out of the way before you do get to a place like Daytona.”
“The race in California allows us to diagnose those things in a situation where you really can’t quit, or come into the pits and say, ‘This isn’t working right, let’s fix it.’ You’ll have to work through it. And are those things that you’re going to have to work through for 500 miles? How do we work through these things methodically in order to just survive? Or, what are the things that are OK and you’re going to have to pick and choose the things that you’re just going to have to survive with for a while?”
This will definitely be an interesting NASCAR season and the best teams will be the ones who will adapt to the new cars and handling fastest. Find the complete NASCAR race schedule here.
The one device in the car that will not change in the new Gen 7 car is the McClaren Digital Race Dash instrument panel. And also, the glare that reflects off the LCD display. That is why the Stewart-Haas race team will continue to use the NuShield Triple A anti-glare screen protector film to eliminate the glare and give its drivers the slight edge that might win them the race. When you are driving in excess of 170 mph you only have time to quickly glance at the display. The last thing you need is sun glare coming in from your side windows during day races and overhead track lights during night races blocking your display visibility.
But you don’t need to be a race car driver to enjoy the NuShield Triple A film. Many car owners install this film on their own GPS display to cut down glare. The NuShield film is compatible with most cars made since 2000 and the film comes pre-cut to fit your display, depending on the make, model and year of the car. For drivers who wear polarized sunglasses while driving or own a convertible, the NuShield DayVue film type is the right solution. That is also the film used by Formula 1 racing teams.
Order your NuShield film on our website or contact us if you don’t see your car model or year listed.