 | |
| Constructor |  ChevroletFordPontiac (1992-2003)Dodge (2001-2007) Toyota (2007)Oldsmobile (1992) |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Generation 3 |
| Successor | Car of Tomorrow |
| Technical specifications | |
| Wheelbase | 110 in (279.4 cm) |
| Engine | 90°pushrodV-8 358 cubic inches (5,870 cc) |
| Fuel | Unocal 76 110 (1992-2003) Sunoco Supreme 112 (2004-2007) |
| Tires | Goodyear Hoosier (1994) |
| Competition history | |
| Debut | February 16, 1992 (1992 Daytona 500) |
| Last event | November 18, 2007 (2007 Ford 400) |
TheGeneration 4 car was the NASCAR vehicle generation that was used in theNASCAR Cup Series full-time from 1992 to 2007 and part-time in2008,[1] in theBusch/Nationwide Series until 2010, and in theARCA Racing Series until 2017. The generation has been described as the generation that removed all "stock" aspects fromstock car racing and was as aerodynamically sensitive as aLe 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]
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 thatV6 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 theMonte 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 theTaurus, 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 theIntrepid.[1] That same year,Dale Earnhardtdied from a crash at theDaytona 500, leading NASCAR to make serious safety changes. In 2003, in response to the asymmetrical body of the Taurus in the previous seasons, NASCAR set up new body rules, better known as the "common body templates" rule; as a result, the hood, roof, and decklid were no longer required to be identical to their stock counterparts. In 2004, the sport switched fromUnocal 76 fuel toSunoco.[13]
The Gen 4 car was used full time until 2007, and it was retired in the Cup Series after the 2007 season (in whichToyota, who had already competed in theNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, made their debut in the Cup and the then-Busch Series with theCamry), while the other sixteen races were run by the fifth-generationCar of Tomorrow. The Car of Tomorrow went full-time in 2008, with the second-tier series adopting their own Car of Tomorrow first part-time in 2010 and full-time the following year. Body panels in the style of the Gen 4 car continue to be manufactured by Five Star Race Car Bodies, and were legal in theARCA Racing Series until 2020, when composite-bodied cars in the style of theGeneration 6 were mandated (despite this, modern ARCA cars still use Gen 4 chassis). As of 2022, the Gen 4 car is still legal in theARCA Menards Series West andEast (though Dodge body panels are illegal);Hailie Deegan scored her first NASCAR win at theLas 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.
| Chairmen and presidents | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major national racing series | |||||||||
| NASCAR Regional |
| ||||||||
| International series |
| ||||||||
| Online racing series |
| ||||||||
| Former series |
| ||||||||
| Television and radio | |||||||||
| Lists | |||||||||
| Topics | |||||||||
