The Next Gen Car, which NASCAR introduced in 2022, is not a favorite with drivers or fans. Initially intended to reduce costs and draw in new original equipment manufacturers, the car was dubbed the Gen-7 car. But the Next Gen Car isn’t that powerful either. Along with other drivers, spectators, and commentators, Hamlin feels the unimpressive car is to blame for last weekend’s lackluster race at Bristol, where Kyle Larson won. When the Next Gen car was about to be released, Hamlin said he expressed his frustrations about it on Monday. The 44-year-old discussed his concerns about the contemporary race car with John Probst, senior vice president of racing development for NASCAR.
“The first team owner meeting I ever attended,” Hamlin stated on his podcast, “Actions Detrimental.” “… “Are you sure we have this car ready to race at all types of different racetracks?” I asked Mr. Probst. With this blank canvas, we have the chance to create a vehicle that can perform admirably on any track. “Are we certain we have it correct? I responded, “Okay, I believe you, I have no reason not to,” after Probst answered “yes.” Before the 2022 season, NASCAR tested the car, but Hamlin, who recently won back-to-back Cup Series races, doesn’t think it was sufficient because of a number of problems. “They simply didn’t do enough testing,” he continued. The vehicle wasn’t prepared. We had to to delay it one year, we had the COVID thing – it was not thought out enough… We didn’t have multiple racecars on the racetrack testing this car until two months before the very first race.
And that’s when we all knew that you can’t pass, holy —-. It was terrible, terrible. “Now, we took some action. We intended to operate at 500 horsepower. 500 horsepower was the initial aim for this vehicle. However, we were able to convince them into 670 since it was so awful. Fans concurred with Hamlin that the Food City 500 was a disappointing event to watch since there wasn’t much passing. Larson led for over 80 percent of the 500-lap race and easily won. One fan said, “It’s not the same anymore, the Next Gen has too much drag, you simply can’t pass without a push.” “What’s wrong with @NASCAR? We detest this fucking car! If it’s not fixed soon I’m done. I’ve stuck it out and have been a fan since the mid-80s. But y’all obviously don’t care.”
Indeed another person said, “I’m over the Next Gen car.” Despite winning his second race of the season, Larson also expressed dissatisfaction with the vehicle. ” Fans of NASCAR, Hamlin, and Larson will be hoping for a better show at the Jack Link’s 500 on Sunday, April 27 at Talladega Superspeedway.
