Last year would have been 1 week in the chassis shop, 2 days in heavy fab, 6 days on a body plate, 2 days in finish fab, 2 days in the body shop, a day in the scan room, 40 runs in the Hawkeye.”
That’s what Crew Chief Rodney Childers tweeted after they were able to take the car Kevin Harvick wrecked in practice Saturday at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, plug a few replacement pieces on, and repair it well-enough to run in Sunday’s race.
There’s a lot we’re still learning about the new car; but there is one thing that is abundantly clear through two races: it’s durable.
That was certainly one of NASCAR’s goals. As part of the cost savings piece of the Next Gen, make it durable so that teams don’t have to spend big bucks to continue building new cars.
It’s working. And, as we continue moving forward with this car, I’m sure we’ll continue to learn there are more benefits; not just financially.