Some NASCAR drivers − including Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Spire Motorsports pole sitter Carson Hocevar − were frustrated with NASCAR’s Next Gen cars after running the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Fans were also upset after drafting and passing in NASCAR’s Next Gen cars were almost non-existent, which led to a less-than-exciting race in the opinion of many spectators.
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Here’s what NASCAR drivers and fans are saying:
NASCAR driver Joey Logano on NASCAR Next Gen cars in Indianapolis Brickyard 400 at IMS
Logano spoke with The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck after the Brickyard 400, asking: “What will it take to see a green-flag pass for the lead here in the Next Gen car?”
Logano was very blunt.
“Probably an Xfinity car … or whatever they’re called now,” Logano told Gluck. “This things … we can’t do it. We can’t get close enough to make a move. You get stuck. Multiple groove track is necessary. This one doesn’t have that.
“It’s forever going to be a Crown Jewel in my mind. It’s forever a special race, and something you always want to say you have a shot at winning. It hurts when you don’t do it. I can tell you that much.”
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NASCAR driver Carson Hocevar on NASCAR Next Gen cars in Indianapolis Brickyard 400 at IMS
Hocevar also had some thoughts for Gluck when asked the same question.
“I think we need to slow down. We were so fast in the corner,” Hocevar said. “I don’t know what is.
“I mean, I felt like there were times where I’d get a really big run on somebody, and just the straightaway is not long enough to trump pushing them out, or the lack of air I have. Even if I dive out, the stall when I get out and drag … either we need more draft, or we need to slow down way more in the corner, or have both.
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“I just think it’s the second I got clean air, I went a second faster. I got by (Tyler) Reddick and was instantly a second faster, but I wasn’t really fast at the end of the race.”
NASCAR fans on NASCAR Next Gen cars in Indianapolis Brickyard 400 at IMS
Here’s a look at what NASCAR fans are saying on X:
NASCAR in Indianapolis: Who won the 2026 Brickyard 400 at IMS yesterday?
Corey Heim held off Christopher Bell to win the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 26, 2026.
NASCAR In Indianapolis: Carson Hocevar flips bird at Brickyard 400 winner Corey Heim at 180 mph
Some flair from the Heim and Hocevar rivalry was evident during Stage 2 of Sunday’s Brickyard 400.
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“He’s No. 1,” Hocevar told Dustin Long after the race with a laugh. “He won. It’s fine. People don’t like each other. We race really hard. He does a super job with (his car). I look forward to being in front of him and maybe holding him up.”
Heim’s response?
“He lost and I won,” Heim said before adding, “You guys spend a lot of time talking about a guy who finished ninth.”
What was NASCAR Brickyard 400 attendance at IMS in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles mentioned in a driver meeting ahead of the Brickyard 400 that there would be “roughly 70,000” people attending the race, according to Long’s X account.
Chris Sims is a trending reporter for Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NASCAR drivers, fans upset by NASCAR Next Gen cars during Brickyard 400 at IMS
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