How Fast Does a NASCAR Next Gen Car Go at Phoenix Raceway?

NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) races for position against driver Alex Bowman (48) during the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway.

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.

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.

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.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
Kyle Larson

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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