Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 10
NASCAR Says Christopher Bell's Michigan Crash Was Next Gen's Hardest Since 2016, Breaking His Wrist
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 10

NASCAR Says Christopher Bell's Michigan Crash Was Next Gen's Hardest Since 2016, Breaking His Wrist

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 10

Summary

  • Mike Forde said on NASCAR's Hauler Talk podcast that Christopher Bell's Michigan wreck produced the highest Delta-v recorded for a Next Gen car since the model debuted in 2022.
  • Forde said the impact was also the hardest NASCAR has measured in at least 10 years, using Delta-v—the amount of speed lost in a crash—as the key benchmark.
  • NASCAR has not released the exact Delta-v or G-force figures, calling them proprietary, though both sets of data were shared with Bell's team and the driver.
  • The crash began when Chase Elliott lost control between Turns 3 and 4 and hit Bell, who escaped the car but suffered a broken wrist, fell to 10th in the standings and has been cleared to race at Pocono.

Insights

How does a driver mentally prepare to race again just days after surviving the most violent NASCAR crash in a decade?
This record crash proved the Next Gen car's safety, but still injured the driver. What does this paradox reveal about future car design?
Beyond the driver, what are the hidden financial costs for a team when a car is destroyed in a record-breaking crash?