NASCAR’s Next-Gen Car is in Dire Need of Revision

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NASCAR’s Next-Gen Car is in Dire Need of Revision

Publish Date: March 13, 2024

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When NASCAR introduced the Next-Gen Car in 2022, there was much optimism that it would help improve the quality of racing. Since the Gen-6 Car debuted in 2013, dirty air had become much more prevalent than ever before. This hampered the racing.when trailing cars could not get close to their competitors without losing the handling.

NASCAR played around with a handful of packages in the Gen-6 Car’s final few years to bridge the gap to the Next-Gen Car. None of them worked that well.

Despite the Gen-6 Car’s troubles, there was one thing it did quite well at: short track racing.

It was not necessarily because of anything the car did well. Short track racing’s lack of dependence on aerodynamics makes it a very compatible style. The Gen-6 Car did not do anything in particular to hamper the short track racing product.

That is where the Next-Gen Car went wrong.

There are countless changes that were made for the car, many of which have been detrimental to the racing product. These changes were made in hopes of improving the racing at intermediate tracks.

The effect of these changes on intermediate racing is debatable. Some view the product as improved, others do not. One thing that has not been debatable is the short track product. It has been hampered to near unrecognizable levels.

For starters, tires are now wider than before. More tire on track means more grip. The cars also now use a five-speed transmission, up from their typical four-speed. This has caused shifting to be a normality at almost every short track race. Shifting gives drivers a bit more control than before, and could help negate the impact of their mistakes. The introduction of a rear diffuser has also given the cars more downforce underneath the car.