GM is studying the problems on its Next Gen

The all-new NASCAR Next Gen car has officially made its debut, but not without problems for GM. A driveshaft failure on Tyler Reddick’s #8 Chevy Camaro during the NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum sparked an investigation by Chevrolet’s racing division to determine the source of the malfunction.

The problem occurred while the race was under yellow flag. Reddick was in the lead when the race was neutralized. The pilot then made movements with his Camaro n°8 to keep his tires in temperature. But soon the car encountered a mechanical problem which forced it to slow down. Reddick then returned to his garage giving up the lead and ending his hopes of earning his first NASCAR Cup Series victory.

The #8 Richard Childress Racing team initially believed the NASCAR Next Gen Camaro had suffered a broken gearbox. However, further investigation revealed that the driveshaft had broken causing a sudden loss of drive power.

 » [Reddick] was preparing to move off, trying to warm up the tires and he released the clutch a bit too abruptly. There is technical work to see, is this issue related to something we haven’t seen before? Was it a specific part failure? A new type of room?

said Dr. Eric Warren, director of NASCAR programs for General Motors, in an interview with NBC Sports.

No urgency for GM while waiting for Martinsville

Eric Warren said Chevrolet’s racing division will investigate the cause of the Camaro Next Gen’s driveshaft issues. He also added that the issue was a cause for « small concern, » given that the Coliseum is a small track with conditions similar to Martinsville Speedway, which the NASCAR Next Gen car won’t race on until early April.