NASCAR Stat: Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin Lead Next Gen Era in Dominance

With the advent of the Next-Gen cars, NASCAR has leveled the field for every team on its roster. And that means, aerodynamic management, and most importantly pit road strategies, are the two main factors that decide how often a driver will stay up front and how good their chances at winning are. On that note, let’s take a look at the drivers who have spent the highest percentage of laps in the top 15 per race, in the next-gen era till 2023.

Hendrick Motorsports ace, Kyle Larson tops the list with an average of 72.52%, while Denny Hamlin, his golf buddy, is right below him with an average of 71.13%. closely tailing them is Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney with an average of 69.77% and Larson’s teammate, William Byron with an average of 68. 51%.

Average percentage of laps spent in the top 15 per race with the NextGen car
(20 start minimum) pic.twitter.com/l7hAd7twqb

— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) January 23, 2024

Although it’s a Hendrick Motorsports racer who is right on top of that list, another HMS driver stated that the Next Gen cars have been made with inefficient engines.

Chase Elliott spills the beans on the Next Gen car

Since the inception of the new car back in 2022, the drivers as well as the racing aficionados have complained from time to time that NASCAR has failed to bring forth exciting races on the short tracks. Several drivers like Denny Hamlin have demanded an increase in horsepower to create more chances of passing, which is quite low owing to the similarity between every car there is.

Currently, the engine in a NASCAR car lasts only for two races before it needs to be replaced. And with their reliance on standard parts, they often fall short of throttling to their maximum potential. The downforce-generating flaps on the car have further increased the inefficiency of the cars.

The 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, believes that removing certain parts from the engine can result in smoother car performance and significantly reduce engine stress for every race. NASCAR, however, has other plans.

The governing body is planning on introducing hybrid engines, which are essentially run using a combination of gasoline and electric power. These type of powertrains have made their way into the arena of Formula 1 in 2014 and IndyCar in 2024. Reports say NASCAR could also try out something similar later this year. Now, it’s just about time before we get to know how that works out for the drivers.