NASCAR has been embroiled in controversy ever since the introduction of its latest race vehicle, the Next-Gen car. A race team was no longer able to build and engineer their own race car because of the new vehicle. In contrast to the past, all of the teams were now required to purchase their race car parts from NASCAR’s affiliated third-party dealer.
Theoretically, this was meant to encourage parity racing by making it easier for the smaller and more recent teams to compete against the best. The concept of parity racing appears to be successful, as evidenced by the competition between elite teams like JGR, Hendrick Motorsports, and Team Penske and teams like Trackhouse Racing and 23XI Racing.
However, the other new issues this car has brought around overwhelm this one element. Drivers and the racing community have not held back from pointing out the shortcomings of the Gen-7 car, which range from a lack of horsepower to a disappointing short-track racing package.
Mark Martin has discovered another fault, though, and this one has to do with the race car’s appearance rather than performance. It began when a racing enthusiast posted a picture of Tim Richmond’s flamboyant red Pontiac race vehicle on X. Now, Mark Martin chose to use a veiled jab rather than explicitly criticize NASCAR’s latest innovation.
The seasoned driver commented, “Wouldn’t it look better if the number was all up on the front tire?” in response to the X post. As everyone knows, the Next Gen car’s number element is pushed to the front tires. The door panel is often covered by the sponsor branding, and it appears that Martin dislikes this recent modification.
In order to improve racing performance, NASCAR fans have generally been in agreement when calling for changes to the Next Gen car. This time, though, they disagreed with Mark Martin’s assessment of the Next Gen’s vehicle’s aesthetic appeal. The Gen-7 car’s number positioning caused controversy among NASCAR fans.
The large numbers on the racetrack have long been used by fans to identify their favorite drivers and teams. However, viewers find it difficult to identify the race cars because the numbers on the side panel are pushed forward. There are new plans with several partners on board with the teams, which exacerbates the situation. Therefore, this admirer wrote, “Lol,” supporting Martin. From week to week, it takes half the race to figure out which car is sponsored and what color it is. Those large numbers are what I miss.
This die-hard NASCAR fan didn’t even think it was necessary to contrast the modern cars with the vintage models. Instead, he thought NASCAR’s new race machine was inferior to race cars from the previous ten years in terms of both appearance and performance. “I don’t know about other people, but I think the car they drove in 2011–2012 was better looking and even sounded than the one they have now 🤷♂️.”
As he mockingly ridiculed the Next Gen race car, this fan’s comment was maybe the greatest. He connected the dreary short-track bundle with the numeral placement. As everyone is aware, this race car’s tires do not deteriorate as quickly on surfaces where they should.
Tracks like Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond no longer deliver the caliber of races they once did. To ensure that the tires don’t lose rubber along the side, reduce the horsepower by approximately 400. That excellent number placement needs to be preserved.
The notion that everything about the Next Gen automobile is worse than its predecessors, however, was not shared by everyone in the comments section. One member on X stated, “I think the NextGen cars look good,” defying the general consensus. Not all of the numbers were below the window net. Occasionally, things change. 🤷🏻♂️ 🏁 More people began to voice their support for the current design, though.
Although the preceding generations performed better on the racetrack, the Gen-7’s futuristic style and number placement complement each other effectively, especially when considering how well the car’s sponsors are represented. In support of the user’s point in the aforementioned comment, a fan responded, “Nope.. Nope.. Nope. And no.
