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Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang Smithifeld
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Special feature

How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival

The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars

A common misconception: NASCAR machines are powered by the least high-tech engine of any motorsport series on the planet – basically the same motors that they used in the 1960s.

In terms of architecture, the 358 cubic-inch, 90-degree pushrod V8s have been motivating America’s premier stock car series for decades – that much is true – but each engine on the Cup Series grid is actually stacked with Formula 1-level technology in radically designed cylinder heads with insanely tight tolerances that cost tens of thousands of dollars per piece to produce.

Previous article Busch Light invests $10m in female NASCAR driver programme
Next article Bubba Wallace: NASCAR Next Gen aero still a “world of unknown” at Daytona

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