UPDATE: As The Athletic first reported, the Next Gen car has been delayed.



“Due to the challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic, the debut of the Next Gen car will be delayed until 2022,” John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president of racing innovation, said in a statement released Thursday. The decision was made in collaboration with the OEMs and team owners. We will continue to develop the Next Gen car, and a revised testing timeline will be shared when more information is available.”



The debut of NASCAR’s Next Gen car will be postponed to a later date, delaying the original timeline for the car to debut at the season-opening 2021 Daytona 500, The Athletic has learned. The decision is expected to be announced this week.



NASCAR has two meetings scheduled with team owners this week, one with the Race Team Alliance on Monday, and a second on Wednesday that is open to owners not part of the RTA, individuals familiar with the...