The NASCAR Cup Series finale is set to arrive at the Phoenix Raceway this weekend with 23XI’s Tyler Reddick poised to take the big prize home all for himself. From a sporting perspective, this will set the cat amongst the pigeons — given how Michael Jordan is embroiled in a legal tussle with NASCAR while his driver is on his way to be crowned the undisputed No.1 this season.
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But coming to the meat and bones of this completion, the Next Gen NASCAR car has been put through its paces during the 50-minute practice session ahead of this weekend’s Grand Final. There has been a little technical tweak this year from when we arrived here the last time — mainly on the engine configuration side of things.
The Cup Series cars will be running the 670 horsepower package as against the 720 horsepower mandate from last season. That said, these Stock Cars are still roaring and whistling to inhumane speeds with Kyle Larson topping the speed trap standings.
The #5 Chevy set the fastest average speed around the 1.5-mile Phoenix Raceway, earlier today — a whopping 131.728mph for the Hendrick Motorsports man. This is, however, around 4mph slower than the fastest average speed set by Brad Keselowski in 2021.
Laps led at Phoenix with the NextGen car
1. Ryan Blaney – 252
2. Kyle Larson – 203
3. Joey Logano – 191
4. Chase Briscoe – 112
5. William Byron – 76
6. Chase Elliott – 50
7. Kevin Harvick – 36
8. Erik Jones – 14
9. Cole Custer – 3
10. AJ Allmendinger – 1
11. Brad Keselowski – 1… pic.twitter.com/3e2Vi58Czd— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) November 1, 2023
Why does this pique interest? Well, because the Next Gen (or Gen-7 as it’s known through a technical misnomer) debuted for the first time during the 2022 season. And while these newer regulations may have not set the speed traps ablaze, they did usher in a new era for the sport.
The Next Gen Cup car also featured in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It made its debut under the Garage 56 x Hendrick Motorsports banner and competed in the 2023 edition of the race.
After a grueling 24 hours, it did finish the race — making it the first American Stock Car to do so in the history of Le Mans. What’s more, it was an ode to the Stock Car racing culture and how it isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with the biggest names in the European racing circles.
