Long before the advent of the seventh-generation ‘Next-Gen’ Cup Series cars, drivers were seen wheeling machines which despite being slightly funky to look at, performed at a level many believed was the sport’s peak in terms of car design. The Gen-4 cars were racing during an era in the sport where no compromise was made in the sheer pursuit of speed on the track.
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RFK Racing co-owner and current NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski recently reacted to a video of his competitor Denny Hamlin driving the Gen-4 car in what is seemingly an attempt to qualify at Darlington in 2008. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is seen crashing into the fence shortly after leaving the pits while on his qualifying lap, triggering a response from Keselowski.
Denny Hamlin's forgotten DNQ (Darlington 2008)
How exactly did the #18 miss this race again, lack of Owner Points???? pic.twitter.com/R2sEK94vf5
— Colby Evans (@StartAndParkCar) August 22, 2024
“No hate for Denny here. This was a different era, these cars were absolute beasts to drive. I remember multiple qualifying sessions where 10+ cars would crash. The drivers would literally get out of the cars shaking. I’d say 50 out of 330m Americans could drive these cars. Tops.”
With unbridled engine horsepower and limited grip available, drivers were often seen on the edge of their seats trying to control what was a handful of a car to race on the limit, as seconded by Keselowski. The Gen-4 car was also known as the era of the Cup Series which removed any resemblance to the machines’ road-going counterparts. With speeds hovering around 200mph, roof flaps were also mandated by the governing body in a bid to keep cars on the ground in case of spin-outs or cars getting sideways.
Another former Cup Series driver and a legend of the sport, Dale Earnhardt Jr. backed up Keselowski’s claims on how driving the Gen-4 car felt like back in the day. The JR Motorsports owner replied to the #6 Ford Mustang driver’s tweet and wrote, “If I was nervous before a race (and I always was) I would say multiply that by 10 for each qualifying session. Atlanta or Texas 2008 was wild times.”
The Gen 4 Toyota Camry was just straight 🔥🔥🔥.#NASCAR #Toyota pic.twitter.com/2I2V4I4NAC
— Mark's Random NASCAR Facts (@FactsNascar) May 15, 2020
Junior touched on how qualifying sessions at the time were filled with drivers overstepping the limits of the car and crashes being a part and parcel of driving the Gen-4 car. Several NASCAR drivers, be they young or old were seen being taken aback by the performance and difficult-to-drive nature of the machine at the time, as elaborated on by Keselowski and Earnhardt Jr.
The fifth generation ‘Car of Tomorrow’ was what followed the Gen-4 racers with a shift in focus from raw speed and performance to driver safety in light of NASCAR’s long-term plans to make the sport safer, especially after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona in 2001.
While the current Next-Gen car has taken safety standards up to a new level after initial missteps, drivers often quip about the concept’s easy-to-drive nature given its horsepower and grip levels. That is where the realization comes in that the Gen-4 car symbolized the unrelenting pursuit of speed during stock car racing’s heyday.
