“It’s Just Changed the Way We Race” – Joey Logano Delivers His Verdict on NASCAR’s Divisive Introduction From Last Year

Ever since the Next Gen car was introduced, along with all the other practices it came with, it has become somewhat of a polarizing subject in NASCAR. There are those who like it, and those who don’t. There are those who miss the old era of how things went in the sport, and there are those who appreciate the new way. But then there are a few who oscillate or even balance between these two extremes. One of those few is Joey Logano.

The defending Cup champion recently opened up on his thoughts on the Next Gen car, what he likes about it, what he doesn’t like about it, and how he perceives it.

Joey Logano on the positives of the Next Gen car

Speaking in a recent interview with former driver Kenny Wallace on his show, Logano began his verdict of the Next Gen car by claiming that it’s “different.” “There’re pros and cons to it like everything else but it has changed the way we race, it has changed the way we set up a car, it has changed the way we practice a car, what we can or can’t do, it changes the way we evolve the racecar, from building parts to buying parts,” he reasoned.

“That’s changed everything. Some of it in a good way because it’s brought new ownership into the sport, new interest in the sport. There’s also the old-school part in me that really loves the practice and really loves the creativity of building a new car and coming up with crazy things that are way outside the box.”

Logano split between the old-school way and the new way

Having touched upon the pros and cons of the Next Gen car, Joey Logano pointed to the fact that now all the racecars are equal, and hence, the things that separate drivers on the track are the decisions behind the wheel. But still, the #22 driver admitted there are things about the old days that he misses, while there’s importance to aspects that weren’t that important before.

“No one’s got a better part than me. Maybe a manufacturer maybe ahead of one or the other here and there. But we have the same chassis, we have the same springs that we all can buy, all the same parts and pieces we can all be part of, engines or aero or some of the pieces we can’t touch on a whole bunch,” Logano claimed. “The way you call a race, the way you set up a car, work out your team and pit stops and all that stuff matters so much more now. So it’s just changed the way we race. Part of me misses the old-school way, part of me loves the new way.”

“It’s just what it is. I think it’s okay. It’s just different.”

Logano’s comments will certainly come as a comfort to those who just can’t make up their minds about what to make of the Next Gen car. Perhaps it is a little bit of both. It is good and bad.

It induces a longing for the past, but it also excites you for the future.