NASCAR Is Changing Its Superspeedway Cars Again To Keep Them From Flipping

They should call it the Preece Post!

NASCAR has updated the design of the Cup Series cars that run on its superspeedway tracks with a new aerodynamic device designed to keep them from flipping during accidents.

The new A-post flaps are attached to the front roof pillars on either side of the windscreen and deploy when the car gets turned sideways.

They are held in place with magnets and tethered to the car, while an additional cord connects them to the roof flaps to ensure that they open in concert with them.

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The flaps disrupt the air flowing over the car and are designed to reduce the lift that occurs when a vehicle isn’t pointed straight ahead.

The A-post flap is indicated in blue.

The seventh generation NASCAR Cup Series car uses several configurations specific to the type of track that it is racing on. The A-post flap will only be used on the drafting tracks of Atlanta, Talladega and Daytona and will debut in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in August.

Josh Berry flipped in last year’s race, while Ryan Preece did the same in 2023, getting thrown into one of the most dramatic barrel rolls ever seen in NASCAR.

Both escaped without serious injury and Preece followed it up with another flip at this year’s Daytona 500.

The new flaps have been tested in the wind tunnel and on the track at Michigan International Speedway, the latter just to see how they work in normal driving and not in a simulated spin.

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The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is the last race of the regular season and scheduled for Aug. 23. If all goes well, the A-post flaps will also be used at Talladega for the YellaWood 500 on Oct. 19 during the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8.