Joey Logano, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, recently unveiled the daunting reality of racing in the Next-Gen era cars, highlighting how the intense competition and technical hurdles have pushed the sport to new extremes.
“I don’t know how to put it into words how hard it is,” Logano admitted. “But I think anyone listening that has probably done anything in professional sports understands it as good as anybody. You put the best of the best at their profession, doing the same thing with one common goal.
“The competition is always trying to get better, and everybody is wanting to win. It just gets harder and harder to do. The field gets closer and closer every year. It’s tough. It’s hard to find an advantage over anybody anymore.”
Logano’s words paint a stark picture of the current NASCAR landscape. With the playing field leveled by Next-Gen cars, finding a competitive edge feels almost impossible.
Technical Challenges of the Next-Gen Cars
Adding to the intense competition are the technical headaches brought by the next-gen cars. Teams are grappling with a myriad of problems, from wheel failures to heat-induced modifications, leaving little room for error.
The complexity of these cars forces teams to stay alert constantly, managing problems that were previously unheard of. Logano isn’t alone in airing these concerns; many within NASCAR’s elite echo his sentiments.
Chris Gabehart’s Critique: Is Parity a Pipe Dream?
Denny Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gabehart, offered a critical take on the philosophy behind the Next-Gen design. While the goal of creating parity—equal opportunities for every driver and team—seems noble, Gabehart argues that physics inevitably creates disparities on the track.
“The car that’s leading is going to have an advantage over the car that’s in second,” Gabehart explained. “And if you can’t overcome that disadvantage, then what you’re actually doing is handcuffing all the drivers and all the teams into an execution battle. It simply becomes a race of QC, Monday through Sunday.”
A Call for Change: More Horsepower, Less Grip
Gabehart believes the solution lies in making racing harder. He proposed significant changes to rebalance the horsepower-to-grip ratio, including narrower tires and increased horsepower.
“All the revisions that we’ve made to this car, how big a deal would it be to make a two-inch narrow wheel from the inside and make the footprint of the tire smaller? We simply have a horsepower-to-grip ratio imbalance,” Gabehart stated.
By cutting 100 horsepower while increasing grip with wider tires and independent rear suspension, NASCAR has inadvertently made it “too easy” for teams to find consistent setups. “That’s too easy for the race teams,” Gabehart emphasized. “And therefore, the physics disadvantage from however you line up on the track is hard to overcome.”
The Verdict: A Sport in Transition
NASCAR’s shift to Next-Gen cars symbolizes a new chapter of challenges for drivers, teams, and engineers. While the move aims to create parity and excitement, it has also introduced complexities that redefine competition. As Joey Logano and other key figures voice their frustrations, the sport faces critical decisions on how to adapt.
