While NASCAR may have fallen far from its roots as a legitimate stock car racing organization, the organization deserves some credit for trying to give racers and companies some more “wiggle room.” What we mean is that NASCAR is giving car builders a little more leeway to help the track cars stand out from one another, and allow fans to be better able to identify what production vehicles are represented at the races.

NASCAR reports that Jack Roush and Ford are close to finalizing a 2013 Mustang chassis design, and it gives some insight to what stock car builders must go through in order to meet the stringent design criteria.

Jack Roush recently announced that fans may soon get a sneak peak at the 2013 Ford Mustang NASCAR design, which will commemorate the Mustang’s return to stock car racing, though the new chassis design rules are still 18 months away. Roush also noted that NASCAR has designated four “hard points” where all manufacturers cars must be similar, as to not create any aerodynamic advantages.

These areas include the decklid, roof, wheel wells, and areas around the front and rear fascias. This areas must be the same among all manufacturers…though there is plenty of room to allow for “brand identifying” changes. Places like the door panels, fenders, and quarter-panels will be designed to resemble production cars, helping to identify the cars. While we’d still like to see a return to real stock car racing, this is a small step in that direction, and we can’t wait to see what the 2013 Mustang looks like as a NASCAR racer.