Last week, current and former drivers such as Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. criticized the Next Gen car. Kyle Petty thought the criticism was unwarranted, he said on the Performance Racing Network.
Petty, the former NASCAR driver, specifically took issue with Earnhardt, who called the Next Gen car a “sports car” and not a “NASCAR stock car.” Petty said that NASCAR hasn’t been racing stock cars “since about 1958.” He praised the Next Gen car, saying it is producing “spectacular stuff on the racetrack.”
“We had one of our prominent members of the NASCAR community, Dale Jr., criticize the Next Gen car the other day. I don’t think that criticism is deserved in a lot of ways,” Petty said. “We have not raced stock cars since about 1958. We don’t race stock cars, we race NASCARs. This is the NASCAR car that we have today. People complained in the 70s when they went to tubular chassis. They complained when we went to radial tires. They’ve complained all along as the progression of the cars.
“We were still racing cars with carburetors when you couldn’t go to your local auto parts store and buy a carburetor. It was an antiquated car that we were racing and people seemed to want to have that antiquated car. This car jumped leap years ahead. We have to adjust to it. This is the racing we have. We have to embrace it, enjoy it, we’re seeing some spectacular stuff on the racetrack and I think it’s only going to get better.”
Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr. share differing opinions on NASCAR’s Next Gen car
Petty’s opinion is far different than many fans and drivers in the garage, who have mixed feelings about the Next Gen car now in season four since its arrival. Its performance on short tracks and road courses has been panned, though it generally produces entertaining racing on intermediate tracks.
Sunday’s Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International left many fans frustrated. It led to Hamlin comparing the fan dislike of the Next Gen car to that of the original Car of Tomorrow with the wing.
“I think that we have a fundamental car problem. It is no doubt a problem. Everyone that has ever driven it has said it’s a problem,” Hamlin said on Monday’s Actions Detrimental podcast. “I believe that the Next Gen car is reaching hate levels of the COT (Car of Tomorrow) with the wing. From fans — I think they’re starting to dislike this car as much as the drivers that have to drive it.”
Overall, Earnhardt is disappointed by the overall product. He said the following after last Sunday’s race at Iowa Speedway, prior to the race at Watkins Glen.
“I’m disappointed that we have races like this, and then it’s frustrating to watch and you know what the drivers are struggling with when it comes to aero. We’re worried about being modern and having a racecar that all the kids are going to love with cool diffusers and mag wheels.”
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