For 2022, a brand-new NASCAR Cup Series car is on the way, and it might have a significantly different look.
To create more sponsorship space, NASCAR is considering moving the side number away from the door’s center. This has some fans riled up.
“You know what, it’s mixed. There are some fans that absolutely hate it, and there are fans that absolutely love it, so no decision as to what we’re going to do on where those numbers are going to be placed,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said in May.
The cars had their numbers half on the rear quarter panel for the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race, which was a significant change, although Ford’s NextGen Mustang’s livery appeared to leave room in the same position.
However, according to a recent report from Sports Business Journal, the number will be advanced instead, and an official announcement will be made soon.
A mock-up of how it may look on Alex Bowman’s #48 car was uploaded on the Lefty Designs Twitter account, and it appears to match Chevy’s NextGen reveal design.
Not many fans are convinced by this placement, but Larry McReynolds, a FOX Sports analyst and two-time Daytona 500 winning crew chief, told Fox News Autos that he believes they’ll get over it.
“I’m a traditionalist and I like the number in the center of the door, but after seeing the NextGen car, I understand the need to slide it forward,” he said.
“I think it’s a necessity to do it to give sponsors the space and value they need, and without the sponsors, we’d have to close up shop. I think by halfway through next season, we’ll wonder why we ever had the number on the door … to be honest, when I was racing, I wouldn’t have cared if the number was on the door, up front or on top, my only concern was making the car go fast.”
The uniforms of NASCAR racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price:
