NASCAR may be adding a new aerodynamic safety feature to the Next Gen car — an A-post flap — with its first appearance rumored to be at the 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
This comes after a string of scary flips and rollovers. Corey LaJoie’s flip at Michigan in 2024 and Ryan Preece’s 27-roll crash at HyperDover were big wake-up calls. After LaJoie’s crash, NASCAR mandated a right-side rear window air deflector for the 2024 Daytona night race. Now the A-post flap could be the next step in the Next Gen car’s safety evolution.
According to posts on the r/NASCAR subreddit and an image of the actual additional flap from @nascarrumornostalgia on Instagram, the A-post flap is designed to disrupt airflow when a car spins at high speeds. The goal is to raise the “liftoff speed” making it harder for a spinning car to become airborne — a problem NASCAR has been trying to solve.
NASCAR has not officially confirmed the A-post flap but they have said they are working on multiple solutions to keep cars on the ground. Previously, officials mentioned new aerodynamic devices were being tested for future use and Daytona was mentioned as a likely test track because of the high speeds reached there.
Why an A-Post Flap?
The A-post is the area near the windshield where air pressure builds up during spins. By adding a small pop-up flap (similar to the roof flaps introduced in the mid-1990s) NASCAR hopes to break the airflow that can lift a car like a kite.
Safety has always been a moving target in NASCAR and the Next Gen car, despite being strong in crash impacts , has been criticized for its aerodynamics in accidents. This rumored change shows NASCAR is willing to continue to tweak safety even as the Gen-7 platform matures.
For now the A-post flap is unofficial but many fans and insiders expect to see some form of it tested in the coming months — maybe even by the summer race at Daytona.
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