Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not hold back his thoughts on NASCAR’s Next Gen car. On the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt aired out his frustrations with the car and the state of NASCAR after watching the Iowa race.
“This is a tough spot for me, man,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “I love being a broadcaster in this sport. I am a big fan of NASCAR, I’m a big believer of NASCAR, and I read a lot of the dialogue online. …I want to say that I don’t love the Next Gen car, but it’s here. I don’t love the Next Gen car. It’s an IMSA car, it’s a sports car, it’s got a diffuser, it’s got low-profile tires, it’s got big rims and big brakes. It’s a sports car, it’s not a NASCAR stock car, but it’s here. Everybody’s invested. There’s millions of dollars already way down the road, and the car is here.”
Earnhardt then talked about the issues with the car and how it looks during NASCAR Cup Series races. And while there are times he gets frustrated with the car, Earnhardt admitted that there are times he enjoys watching races as “the car puts on a great show.” Earnhardt added that he wouldn’t have built a stock car that has a diffuser and “wouldn’t have put a low-profile tire on it,” among other things.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares more on the NASCAR Next Gen car
“I’m disappointed that we have races like this, and then it’s frustrating to watch, and you know the drivers are dealing with, and you know what the drivers are struggling with when it comes to arrow,” Earnhardt said later. “We’re worried about being modern and having a race car that all the kids are going to love with cool diffusers and mag wheels.”
The Next Gen car replaced the Gen 6 car, which ran from 2013 to 2021. Drivers have had their share of thoughts on the Next Gen car over the last three years, and Earnhardt is not the only former driver to have a strong opinion on the vehicle.
“The car sucks. It’s not fun to see the car not be able to pass like it needs to be,” Kevin Harvick said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour this week (per Sporting News). “And it turned into a fuel mileage track position race. And that part, I don’t like, and it doesn’t seem like we’re making any ground on making it better.”
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