One of the primary goals that NASCAR had for the Next Gen car was to create parity amongst the field. While they did find success in this goal by reducing the horsepower, widening the tire, and installing an independent rear suspension, they also inadvertently created a grip-power ratio imbalance. The result of this is a blaring issue that rings across the sport.
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When talking of issues in the NextGen car, the first item to pop up would be the trouble in passing. Since all the cars are identical, it is only through the perfection of execution that teams can beat each other on the race track. So, how can this be solved? Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Chris Gabehart had some ideas when talking to Kevin Harvick on his podcast.
He said, “When I look at the stated goal of parity, and that is every driver and every team can buy the same parts and have the same opportunity to go win a race. I think that’s a great stated goal. Problem is, physics gets in the way.” Continuing to explain how parity forces execution to be the only separating factor, he expressed his opinion that things have to be made harder for teams.
Chris Gabehart tells @KevinHarvick that parity is a great goal but the “problem is physics gets in the way.” He has some suggestions for the Next Gen car. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/5OROsRlir5
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) June 27, 2024
“Whether it’s [by] more horsepower or smaller footprint of the tires,” he broke it down. “Which we could do by the way. All the revisions we have made to this car, how big a deal would it be to make a two-inch narrower wheel from the inside and make the footprint of the tire smaller? We simply have a horsepower-grip ratio imbalance.”
What of the teams that are still managing to climb spots and win races?
Gabehart did not fail to take into consideration the top teams that were still finding ways to gain multiple spots during races. He believes that though the best teams are still finding a way to handle this imbalance, the optics are that it is now harder to pass than ever before. He, once again, reiterated that this was because NASCAR had made the jobs of teams too easy by bringing in parity.
The crew chief is not alone in this stand he has taken. Several drivers including Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson have all demanded for more horsepower or a different solution to enable better passing. While NASCAR has been continually testing answers, there hasn’t been a perfectly viable one so far.
