Generation 4 (NASCAR)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Generation 4
pushrod V-8
358 cubic inches (5,870 cc)
FuelUnocal 76 110 (1992-2003)
Sunoco Supreme 112 (2004-2007)
TiresGoodyear
Hoosier (1994)
Competition history
DebutFebruary 16, 1992
(1992 Daytona 500)
Last eventNovember 18, 2007
(2007 Ford 400)

The Generation 4 car was the NASCAR vehicle generation used from 1992 to 2007 full-time in the

ARCA Racing Series until 2017. The generation has been described as the generation that removed all "stock" aspects from stock car racing and was as aerodynamically sensitive as a Le Mans Prototype.[2]

Generation 4 cars feature highly modified bodies with teams spending hours in the wind tunnel to gain aerodynamics.[3] The bumpers, nose and tail are composed of molded fiberglass based on production counterparts.[3][1] In the 2000s teams began using different RPM levels on their engines making each team and manufacturer sound different.[4]

History

In 1992, the Gen 4 car arrived at the sport when steel bodies became primarily custom made instead of using stock pieces, and wind tunnels became a staple as teams worked to gain aerodynamics.[5] At racing speeds approaching 200 miles per hour, a modern NASCAR race car can generate enough lift to get airborne if it spins sideways. To keep cars firmly planted, roof flaps were required in 1994.[3]

1994 was also the final year that V6 engines were used in the Busch Series, as many short track series had abandoned six-cylinder engines.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

In 1995, Chevrolet switched back to the Monte Carlo,[1] which started the trend of rounder body shapes in Cup as a body facelift and the then-Busch Series. In 1998, Ford introduced the Taurus, which was the first four-door stock car model approved for NASCAR competition in the modern era.[1]

In 2001, Dodge made its return to NASCAR with the

Unocal 76 fuel to Sunoco.[13]

The Gen 4 car was used full time until 2007, and it was retired in the Cup Series after the 2007 season (in which

ARCA Racing Series until 2020, when composite-bodied cars in the style of the Generation 6 were mandated (despite this, modern ARCA cars still use Gen 4 chassis). As of 2022, the Gen 4 car is still legal in the ARCA Menards Series West and East (though Dodge body panels are illegal); Hailie Deegan scored her first NASCAR win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway
dirt track in a Gen 4 Toyota Camry in 2019.

In the generation's final years, aerodynamic development led to some of the cars (otherwise known as "offset" bodies) being called "twisted sisters" in reference to the asymmetrical shapes of the car's body. The Car of Tomorrow, by contrast, featured a symmetrical body in order to curb aerodynamic development wars in an attempt to cut costs.

Models

Carl Edwards' 2007 Ford Fusion at Texas Motor Speedway
Dale Earnhardt's 1994 Chevrolet Lumina
Kasey Kahne's 2006 Dodge Charger
Greg Biffle's 2005 Ford Taurus
Bill Elliott's 1994 Ford Thunderbird
Michael Waltrip's 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix
Dale Jarrett's 2007 Toyota Camry
Casey Atwood's 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Tony Stewart's 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
Ward Burton's 2002 Dodge Intrepid

Chrysler

Ford

General Motors

  • Chevrolet Lumina (1992–1994)
  • Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1995–2005)
  • Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
    (2006–2007, use continued until 2008 in Nationwide Series)
  • Chevrolet Impala (2009–2010, Nationwide Series only)
  • Pontiac Grand Prix (1992–2004, no factory support after 2003, use continued until 2005 in Busch Series, and until 2007 in the ARCA Racing Series)

Toyota

  • Toyota Camry (2007, use continued until 2010 in Nationwide Series)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "The evolution of NASCAR Cup Series cars". NASCAR.com. July 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Hinton, Ed (January 15, 2013). "Six generations of NASCAR cars". ESPN.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Evolution of stock cars". Foxsports.com. July 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Different Engine Pitch Sounds in NASCAR, retrieved 2023-08-01
  5. ^ Weaver, Matt (May 6, 2021). "NASCAR Generations". Autoweek.com.
  6. ^ "Resin NASCAR Buick/Chevy V6 Busch Grand National Engine | #443476133".
  7. ^ "1994 Chevrolet Lumina NASCAR | F260 | Kissimmee 2012".
  8. ^ "When Did V8 Engine Replace V6 in Busch Grand National? – McNally Institute".[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "No Reserve: 1994 Chevrolet Lumina Busch Series Race Car Project".
  10. ^ "Buick: Racing's forgotten (V-6!) juggernaut". 5 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Chevy 4.3L 262ci V-6 - Engine Build - Overview - Tech - Hot Rod Magazine". 18 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Popular Mechanics". Hearst Magazines. May 1997.
  13. ^ "Racing". Sunoco.com. July 26, 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Generation 4 NASCAR automobiles.
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