Happy New Year! Here’s hoping that 2022 will be an improvement on the previous two years, not only for life in general but the racing world in particular. There are huge changes this year for two major racing series and a few tweaks for some others.
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Both NASCAR and Formula 1 are undergoing major technical changes to their cars for 2022 after both were delayed for a year because of COVID-19. NASCAR has a head start, having been testing prototypes and production models of their Next Gen machine for over a year. The new car sounds great and has lots of big changes including 18-inch wheels with a single lug nut, a sequential shifter, independent rear suspension, composite bodywork, and less aero grip. It now more closely resembles race cars in the IMSA series and handles much better on road courses than the old car.
The Next Gen’s oval performance might take a little more development before we see lap times comparable to the old machines, however. There are six road course races on the NASCAR Cup schedule in 2022, one fewer than in 2021. That’s good news for Chase Elliott, who has been awesome on road courses the last two seasons. But the new car may usher in a whole new ball game, and last year’s hot tickets like Elliott and Kyle Larson could be also-rans in 2022.
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On the downside, there are indications that car counts may further decline next season, beginning with the Daytona 500. Only a handful of races in 2021 had a full field of 40 cars, and the usual drama of cars being bumped out in the Duels at Daytona may fizzle in February. The countdown to the new season is on, only 36 days until the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum.
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The 2022 Formula 1 cars, like NASCAR’s Next Gen machines, will also have 18-inch wheels, but there the resemblance ends. Front and rear wings have been redesigned to reduce the loss of downforce experienced by a following car. Less visible are the under-car changes, relying on ground effects to provide downforce and the phenomenal roadholding that F1 cars exhibit. Hopefully we will see more competition for the front of the field and several drivers in championship contention. While Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull, and Mercedes dominated the 2021 season, there were also four other drivers who made an appearance on the top step of the podium including wins by McLaren and Alpine drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Ocon. I’d like to see more winners in 2022.
With a very late end to the 2021 season, teams are scrambling to get their cars ready for the first pre-season test. Barcelona will host the test Feb. 23-25, with a second test set for Bahrain prior to the first race of the season there. Another change I hope is in the works for 2022 is a new race director, after Michael Masi’s cavalier attitude towards the rule book left us with a tainted championship and bad feelings about the sport’s legitimacy.
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The Rolex 24 at Daytona will see its biggest field in years with 60 entries and a wait list. Last year’s field consisted of just 49 cars. For 2022 there will be 25 prototypes split among the DPi, LMP2, and LMP1 classes. The GT categories will comprise 35 entries, 22 in the GTD category and 13 in the new GTD Pro class which replaces the old GTLM classification. Jimmie Johnson will be aboard the Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi entry teaming will IndyCar ace Simon Pagenaud, former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi, and sports car veteran Mike Rockenfeller.
