Gen 7 in NASCAR could mean Carbon Fiber, New Manufactures & the death of V8

Normally, I would've been watching the race in Kentucky but mother nature had other plans due to the rain storms. Oh well, Sunday shall be race filled regardless with Silverstone in F1, along with this race. It however got me thinking to an article that I read a few months back. Now as we all know, NASCAR updated their cars to gen 6, to make it look it more like the cars you would see on the street. It also came to one other conclusion....

This is the car of tomorrow with an updated shell...

So in the article it shares that information but also at the same time, NASCAR is one step ahead & thinking about Gen 7. To which some of the ideas would IMO work but are rather "radical" to the NASCAR fan... Here are some of the rumors.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/could-nascar-use-turbo-v6s-and-carbon-fiber-frames-by-2-509350566

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/nascar-could-abandon-v8-engines/

According to the report, planning for the new generation car has just recently begun, and everything's on the table right now, even the engine rules that have gone largely unchanged since the early 70s and the steel tube frames that have been used since the late 60s.

The most notable of the new engine options potentially on offer is that of the turbo V6, which would be popular with heavily invested manufacturers Ford and Toyota while also helping court new manufacturers (most notably Volkswagen, who's been considering joining the sport on-and-off for the past three years). If the decision is made to switch to turbo V6s, NASCAR would join IndyCar and F1 in going a V6-only route, though it'd be safe to assume that all three would keep different specific rules, and by extent safe to assume that we're not just four years from seeing an F1 engine in a stock car.

Also on the table is a switch from frames built out of steel tubes to a DTM style hybrid chassis, half carbon fiber tub and half steel tube frame. Considering NASCAR has already announced a plan to run a North American DTM series starting in 2015, the success of that series could very well dictate whether or not this idea comes to fruition.

I don't think it would just be VW going in, this would beg for other to plays as well including rumored Honda, Nissan, Hyundai for example. Like the article said, it has to depend on how well DTM America does but in all honesty, I do think its time for a change, it seems V8's are slowly fading away in motorsport.

Speaking of DTM America, reports are the 3 DTM brands along with Toyota, Honda & Nissan are rumored to be in considering Super GT is adapting the same chasis as DTM. Other rumors include American manufactures (hopefully, Cadillac, Lincoln or Buick). 

Either way, Gen 7 is expected at the 2017 season.