The Next Gen car is the seventh and latest iteration of stock cars in NASCAR. Introduced in 2022, it came with a host of technological, engineering, and safety advancements along with a promise. The promise from the sanctioning body was that the cars would be extremely competitive with each other and help prevent the dominance of a single driver or team throughout the year.
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Currently, in its third year, all signs point towards the word being fulfilled. A key stat that underlines the same is that there have been 415 lead changes in the first 16 races of the ongoing 2024 Cup Series season. The last time the sport saw such close racing was back in 2014 when there were 407 lead changes and in 2011 when there were 472 lead changes.
There have been 415 lead changes in the first 16 races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
This is only the 4th time in NASCAR HISTORY that there have been more than 400 lead changes in the first 16 races of the season
1. 2011 – 472
2. 2010 – 446
3. 2024 – 415
4. 2014 – 407 pic.twitter.com/3OlU3prfdC— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) June 10, 2024
2024 is only the fourth time in NASCAR history that there have been more than 400 lead changes in the first 16 races. There used to be a time when a single driver securing 9-10 wins per season regularly was the norm in the sport. Thanks to the Next Gen car plenty of new drivers and teams have been able to see what the victory lane looks like.
The closer competition has limited dominance to a level where even the best of contenders barely get past five wins in a season. As someone who has been around the scene a long time and experienced multiple generations of NASCAR cars, 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. too is all praise for the vehicle for the parity that it has provided across the field.
Martin Truex Jr. on how the Next Gen car has revolutionized NASCAR
Talking to the press ahead of Sunday’s race at Iowa, Truex touched upon how parity has changed in NASCAR over recent years. He said, “I think it has changed a lot since l’ve been here. I think the last few years with the NextGen car have seen the biggest change, I would say. It has constantly evolved since l’ve come into the sport as far as trying to tighten things up, but the NextGen car just has taken it to a new level. “
Despite its advantages, the Next Gen car is not all green. Issues over its horsepower, short-track performance, and heightened levels of parity are constantly a debatable topic. Hopefully, the promotion will find ways to fix all the shortcomings and make the car the best in history.
