NASCAR’s Next Gen racing has taken some heat recently, and two insiders understand why. On The Teardown podcast, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic discussed fans not being happy with the quality of races this season due to the Next Gen car.
“I do feel like if we haven’t hit it yet, we’re very close to hitting a tipping point with the fanbase where there’s so much anger and animosity,” Bianchi said. “You almost expect a mob outside NASCAR’s Daytona headquarters with pitchforks demanding this car go away.
“It feels like you’re almost at the point, if you’re not there already, because it’s bad. It’s been bad, it’s not getting better, and the only saving grace you have are the intermediate tracks, and when is the next one of those?”
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Gluck responded by naming the last race that was good from start to finish, based on his weekly poll. “The last good race from the poll was Atlanta,” Gluck said. “Beside from that, it’s sort of been a dry stretch, in terms of the summer lately. The Coke 600 was great, and Atlanta was great. But really, since June onward, aside from Atlanta, it’s been a little bit of a dry spell.”
The NASCAR Next Gen car was introduced during the 2022 season. After the Iowa race last week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke about the car on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, explaining when he’s not a big fan.
“This is a tough spot for me, man,” Earnhardt 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.”
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