New NASCAR Cars Bringing Major Wins To This Jackson, MI Company
As we get ready to celebrate NASCAR's return to Michigan International Speedway this summer, Jackson company, Technique Inc. is getting ready to celebrate seeing the new NASCAR Cup Series cars hit the track with their Michigan-made chassis underneath!
New Cars In The 2022 Season
Back in May of 2021, NASCAR unveiled their "Next Gen" cars they worked with Ford, Chevy and Toyota to make more like cars someone could see on the track and then walk into the dealership the next day and buy something like it.
When we talked about this then, we shared some of the Michigan companies that were helping facilitate the changes (CLICK HERE for the article) and one name stood out to us locals and that was Technique Inc. in Jackson!
According to MLive, for these cars, NASCAR wanted to save some money so they decided to use vendors to build the parts they would need and then have the teams put them together...think of it like the Ikea of motorsports.
That's where Technique Inc. Comes In
Owner and operator, Ronnie Johncox is actually a former IndyCar racer which makes winning a bid like this even more sweet. It also means there is someone "behind the wheel" of this mission who knows a bit more than the average manufacturer.
Johncox explained to MLive, "The chassis is the frame or “skeleton” of the car, which includes a steel roll cage with various bars to protect drivers in crashes."
He also told them while Technique is charging $28,000 for each chassis and everything that comes with it, it's actually about two-times less than what teams were paying before.
According to MLive, "each team can buy seven chassis' per driver for the season."
From there, with everyone starting with the same setup when it comes to the chassis, the teams can tweak and modify things to make their car perform the best for them. Adding to the competition in a way that Johncox describes like a "pinewood derby."
MLive reports that John Probst, senior vice president of racing innovation with NASCAR said it basically puts the focus and competition on the best drivers and not just the ones with the most money to throw around.
Technique's Relationship with Racing
With Johncox being a retired IndyCar driver, he says he has also been to almost every track in America but somehow never got to go to the Daytona 500.
Now, MLive reports, he and the Technique employees will be attending next year's to see the first time their chassis hit the track!
Probst told MLive that since 2007 when Technique started building chassis parts for race teams, now 80% use parts made by the company and Johncox also said since then, drivers using Technique parts have won every NASCAR Cup championship.
As a NASCAR fan myself, I'm not sure what to be most excited for. The new cars themselves or the fact the factory I pass every single day on my way to and from work is integral in making them happen!
CLICK HERE for more on the story from MLive like Johncox's story and more about Technique.