There have been plenty of complaints about the Next Gen car ever since it was introduced in 2022. One of the most concerning of them is that the car brings too much parity across the field and doesn’t facilitate passing. While the enhanced safety and engineering are attributes to appreciate and even marvel at, they might be coming at the cost of race entertainment.
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The two-time Busch Series champion, Randy LaJoie, spoke about this in a recent interview with Frontstretch. He opined that the advanced technology has reduced the level of excitement that races bring. He used another popular racing series as an example to make his case.
“Just look at the Formula 1 cars. Most technology you’ve ever seen. They can’t race. They go too fast. That’s why when you’re at a local racetrack, the best racing is usually [in] the slowest class,” LaJoie stated.
He instead prefers the races at local short tracks since they possess a higher level of competitiveness between the cars. He went on to call the drivers of today “computer kids” and “reset button kids” who “pay to play.” Not a lot of pages have to be turned back to note the issues with the Next Gen car.
Just last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, fans saw a crown jewel race but with minimal passes and side-by-side racing. The dirty air simply stopped cars from being able to overtake each other. In addition to this, LaJoie’s contention is only further strengthened by the continuing problems that cars face on short tracks like Martinsville Speedway.
How technology might be affecting NASCAR’s racing product
The lack of differentiation between the cars on the track is one issue. But there are other ways in which the advanced technology in the Next Gen car is impacting the racing product. For instance, it reduces the reliance on drivers. The highly engineered aerodynamic packages and the nature of the car have made races more about track position than driver skill.
The limited practice times that drivers and teams get on the track have also led to them depending heavily on simulators. This could cause the sport to feel too systematic and detach it from its grassroots identity.
Technology ought to be a means through which the spirit of NASCAR is preserved and taken to wider forums. Losing an idea of what the sport is about is not an ideal outcome.
