What’s Happening?
The introduction of NASCAR’s Next Gen car in 2022 began a new era of racing for the sport. Like any race car, it has experienced its share of flips. Here is a complete list of every flip in Next Gen car history.
- This list aims to provide the NASCAR community with a collective count of every flip in this car’s short history.
- The Next Gen car has had some controversial history with flipping, specifically after several flips that occurred in late 2024, as some of them were not caused by accident but were blow-overs.
- We will also only count times that cars did not land immediately back on all four tires, so Michael McDowell’s dramatic blow-over at Daytona or Ross Chastain’s collision with Kyle Busch will not count.
Flips by Season (Eight in Total)
- 2022: 2
- 2023: 1
- 2024: 4
- 2025: 1
2022: Harrison Burton – Daytona 500
The first flip in Next Gen history occurred in the car’s first points-paying race, the 2022 Daytona 500. Rookie second-generation driver Harrison Burton blew over in a multi-car accident. Similar crashes have occurred since, mostly at superspeedways.
2022: Chris Buescher – Coca-Cola 600
The second flip in Next Gen history was perhaps its first viral flip. Christ Buescher found himself collected in what looked to be a typical intermediate track crash. However, as Buescher slid through the infield turf of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the No. 17 hooked turf and barreled over multiple times.
2023: Ryan Preece – Coke Zero Sugar 400
The Buescher flip was quickly overshadowed over a year later when Ryan Preece suffered a scary flip at Daytona. Preece showed up at Darlington the next weekend with bruised eyes from the violent crash. Daytona would later pave over the grass that caused the flip.
2024: Corey LaJoie – Geico 500
After a tame 2023, NASCAR’s next flip occurred at Talladega when Spire Motorsports Corey LaJoie found himself buried in a crash resulting from a defensive block from Micahel McDowell. LaJoie was pinched between two cars, turned on his side, and slid down the wall across the finish line.
2024: Corey LaJoie – FireKeepers Casino 400
LaJoie’s second flip was a single-car incident in which he lost control of his No. 7 and blew over on the back stretch of Michigan International Speedway. This flip raised alarms amongst fans who were concerned with the ease with which Ljaoie blew over on the backstretch.
2024: Josh Berry – Coke Zero Sugar 400
Josh Berry flipped on Daytona’s backstretch shortly after LaJoie. After getting turned from the lead, Berry and Austin Cindric slid toward the inside wall. Cindric, with his air blocked by Berry, lifted a little. However, Berry had a full-on flip, going head-on into the wall.
This flip proved that even with the backstretch grass gone, cars will still flip when provoked. NASCAR made changes to the superspeedway package for Talladega during the playoffs.
2024: Tyler Reddick – South Point 400
Tyler Reddick had an infield-assisted flip at Las Vegas during the NASCAR Playoffs. Reddick, sliding through the infield while his fellow crash-ees, clipped the Legends oval asphalt with minimal air. Reddick clipped it perfectly and barreled over.
2025: Ryan Preece – Daytona 500
Ryan Preece’s poor luck continued immediately in 2025 when he found himself pinched between two cars and having what some deemed an “IndyCar Flip.” Essentially, Preece’s car grabbed the air and barreled into the wall.
This list will be updated throughout the continued use of NASCAR’s Current Next Gen Car.