More on the 2013 roll cage:

More on the 2013 roll cage: a look at the NASCAR roll cage for 2013, built to comply with rules changes for next year intended to improve driver safety. Int the photos on the site, the tube around the top of the cage that roughly describes the roof perimeter has been doubled up with a second tube at the front along the top of the windshield. Now there are two full tubes, generously spaced, across the leading edge of the cage in front of the driver's forehead. In the most superficial way, the roll cage in a NASCAR race car hasn't changed in decades. It's still mild steel seamless DOM tubing, 1.75-inch diameter, .090-in. wall, MIG welded into a very familiar looking assembly. But over the past dozen years, nearly every detail has been agonized, sweated over, and optimized to produce the safest possible structure.

What are the reasons for a driver or team to have to start the race at the rear of the field:

What are the reasons for a driver or team to have to start the race at the rear of the field:
ENGINE CHANGE - anytime during the race weekend [except the Daytona 500, teams can change once after the Gatorade Duel 150's]
BACKUP CAR - after qualifying, if a team/driver goes to a backup car, they start at the rear of the field; if before qualifying and the backup car and engine are presented for inspection, the driver starts where they qualify.
TRANSMISSION CHANGE - anytime during the race weekend [except the road courses, new in 2009]
DRIVER CHANGE - once the car is qualified, if the driver changes, then the driver/car will start at the end of the field before the green flag.
MISSING DRIVERS MEETING - before the race, NASCAR holds a mandatory drivers / crew chief meeting, ALL drivers must attend.

Roll cage updated

NASCAR Technical Bulletin Update: Roll cage updates coming in 2013

On Tuesday, Sept. 11,2012  NASCAR issued technical bulletins in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series that address a safety enhancement to the driver’s roll cage and will take effect beginning in January, 2013. The cars in both series will feature an additional forward roof bar and a center roof support bar that will intersect near the front center of the roll cage. This addition comes following extensive testing at the NASCAR R&D Center and is an effort to strengthen the roll cage and help make it an even safer compartment for the driver.

NASCAR TECHNICAL BULLETIN UPDATE

NASCAR TECHNICAL BULLETIN UPDATE  09/06/2012

NASCAR issued a technical bulletin Thursday, Sept. 6 that reconfirms the limits NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams can go in setting up their rear end suspensions in their race cars. Effective Sept. 12, the truck trailing arm front mounting bushing assemblies may be built to allow a maximum of ¼ inch of total movement in one direction only. Truck trailing arm front mounting bushings must be designed to move freely throughout the ¼ inch of approved travel. Previously approved front truck trailing arm bushing assemblies which allow more than ¼ inch of movement or that do not move freely throughout the ¼ inch travel will no longer be permitted for use in competition. Approved front truck trailing arm bushing assemblies must not be altered after being approved. Wheelbase, rear axle location (parallel), offset and rear axle housing alignment will be inspected both pre-race and post-race.

"This doesn’t change any rules that we’ve already had," said John Darby, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director. "It reconfirms how far teams can go with their rear suspension setups. Teams have found that with a car’s rear axle steer more is better as it helps with aero and gets the cars through the corners faster. We are just reminding the teams what the limitations are and that they cannot go past these limitations. We will likely address this further in our 2013 rule book."

NASCAR technical bulletin

 9/2012
NASCAR  passed a rule that will curb the ability of teams to set their cars up in a way that gives the driver easier rear steer.
The technical bulletin issued by NASCAR goes into effect next week at Chicago, when the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins,
Drivers have alleged for months that Hendrick made gains in the rear housing this season that gave its cars an aerodynamic advantage. NASCAR has maintained through the complaints that the Hendrick teams weren't breaking any rules, which four-time champion Jeff Gordon reiterated.
"When we presented it to NASCAR for approval, they didn't act like it was something they had never seen before," Gordon said. "I don't even think we were the first ones to do it."
Gordon also alleged most everyone in the garage is doing the same thing now, which Kyle Busch confirmed -- with a caveat.
"We all started working on it once we saw what they were doing," Busch said. "It's follow the leader. You really don't have many secrets here in the garage area very long. We started going to work on those kind of things, too, and trying to manipulate some of the same things they were doing."
Starting next week, NASCAR is limiting the amount of movement of the bushings located in the rear suspension to a quarter of an inch. The bushings are sleeves made of rubber or other materials located near the rear mounting points. Hendrick teams found a way to make them softer and softer in an effort to let the truck arms move and help steer the rear of the cars in the turns.