Chris Gabehart has expressed serious concerns about the performance of the next generation of cars on the highway and has called for immediate changes to the circuit. Crew chief Denny Hamlin’s comments came after a tense race at Talladega in which the driver narrowly avoided a major crash. Both Gabehart and Hamlin, both seasoned racing veterans, noticed a drop in performance and expressed concern about the current state of the 7th generation of racing.
Reflecting on last weekend’s Talladega race, Gabehart lamented in an interview with Frontstretch’s Brian Nolen (below). “Normally in a race like this you just have to be lucky at the right time and we were lucky at the start. “We’ve been racing the Gen 7 on this platform for some time on the highways and we’ve had a lot of problems through our own fault.
This belief in success led Gabehart to ask NASCAR to make adjustments to the car that would restore the excitement of the sport. “Greatness is not found in seventh-generation drag racing. There are choices before and some challenges at the end of the event. “So there’s a little bit of confusion when the green flag comes out or the pit cycle ends. “But once they all line up, you’re stuck. “I have no leadership skills or talent,” he said.It’s fair to say that what Gabehart loves about superspeedway racing seems to get lost in a cloud of pit strategy and fuel efficiency rather than pure driver skill. “I mean, we’re talking about very small things, so it’s all about green flag pit cycles, strategy, fuel consumption, etc. So can I fix it? That is, if we want racing to be an area of interest.”
