It has long been contested that the Next Gen car has brought down the level of entertainment that used to be in Cup Series races naturally. The car’s main purpose now is to enforce parity across the field and what that means is none of the drivers have a significant advantage over the other. Although of good intention, this outcome has rendered it so that passing is simply a tough-to-achieve task.
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For this very reason, there have been multiple calls of dissent from drivers and fans in the last three years. But this isn’t the case in the Xfinity Series.
The cars in the second tier are still of the traditional engineering methods and drivers still pass each other very frequently no matter the track type. This imbalance is causing fans to follow the Xfinity Series more than they do the Cup Series.
Brett Griffin, former spotter for Elliott Sadler, Clint Bowyer, and others, wrote on X recently that the Xfinity Series races are simply better than the Cup races from an entertainment perspective.
He compared them to college football and the NFL to make his case. Surprisingly, many fans shared his view and expressed similar opinions below the post.
Xfinity Series = College Football
Cup Series = NFL
From an entertainment perspective….
Saturdays are superior. Sorry not sorry.
— Brett Griffin (@SpotterBrett) November 18, 2024
Fans rally in support of Griffin’s opinion
One wrote, “Yes! I’ve been saying this for a while. The Xfinity car races so much better than the next-gen car.” Another followed, “Been there with college football. This racing season has turned me into more of an Xfinity fan than Cup.”
It is not just fans who think the Xfinity Series racing product is better than its superior counterpart. Denny Hamlin shared a thought on similar lines on his podcast.
He said back in July, “This is what it is. It’s never put on a great race, but you then watch the Xfinity race and it’s like they’re able to pass.”
The physics of the Xfinity car, he felt, was better than that of the Next Gen. Despite these differences, the amount of money involved in the Xfinity Series is nowhere near that at the Cup level. It is perhaps high time that this situation changes.
One comment read, “If the money were available to develop and keep drivers/crews in the Xfinity Series, it would give Cup a run for its money. Better car, tires, and rules.”
Another fan added, “Saturdays are how the sport is supposed to be played bc the players still love it. Sundays are just about money.” It is no secret that NASCAR is struggling to get its viewership back on track. The solution could be lying right under its nose.
