NASCAR failed to allay drivers' concerns about the safety of its "Next Gen" spec chassis after nearly a full season of racing has shown their fears are justified—and that more chassis revisions are necessary. But after a drawn-out public campaign by current and former drivers, and a pair of potentially season-ending head injuries, those changes are now coming.
Criticisms of the Next Gen chassis first blossomed last spring when rumors circulated that a prototype car had "killed" a dummy in a crash test by being too stiff. NASCAR responded by conducting an unusual live-fire crash test that confirmed the car was too rigid in impacts, with the trial providing crucial data for improving the chassis' safety.
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