The first half of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season and the introduction of the NextGen car went remarkably well. There were 14 different winners in the first 20 races. The racing at intermediate racetracks was superb. Smaller teams were more competitive and regularly challenged the big four (i.e. Hendrick, Penske, Gibbs, and Stewart/Haas). The NextGen car appeared to be a success.
However, as the season progressed, problems began to surface.
First, safety issues. This was raised by drivers prior to the 2022 season, claiming the hits they were taking during crashes were substantially harder than in the previous generation cars. This complaint largely disappeared after the season began. However, during qualifying at the end of July for the Pocono race, Kurt Busch spun into the Turn 3 wall, which resulted in a season (and possible) career ending head injury. After crashing out of the summer Daytona race in August, Denny Hamlin told reporters that his whole body hurt, even his jaw, confirming the violent nature of the crashes in the NextGen car. At the October Talladega race, Alex Bowman sustained a rear-end impact that resulted in a concussion and sidelined him for four weeks.
Second, the NextGen car did not perform well on short tracks, the “bread and butter” of the NASCAR calendar. The Spring Race at Martinsville Speedway was dominated by a single car and passing was extremely difficult. Poor showings at the Bristol Night Race, Richmond International Raceway, and the season finale at Phonies International Raceway confirmed fears that the NexGen car did not produce good racing on short tracks.
Despite 19 different winners (20 if you count the All-Star Race) in the 2022 season, concerns over safety and the sub-par performance of the NextGen car on short-tracks casted a cloud over what was arguably the most competitive season in NASCAR history. NASCAR vowed to make changes that would make the cars safer and the short-track racing better.
Through the off-season and the beginning of the 2023 season, NASCAR has implemented changes to improve safety and better the racing product. To some, the changes NASCAR implemented have not been enough, especially with respect to the short-track racing package.
While I understand the frustration, the solution is not likely to be immediate or readily ascertainable. The NextGen car was a massive departure from the previous generations of cars. Essentially, NASCAR started from scratch and developed a car from the ground up. Additionally, much of the fabrication (manufacture and assembly) of the NextGen car is no longer done by the teams. NASCAR, much like INDYCAR, is moving toward becoming a spec series, meaning that many of the parts and pieces come from third party vendors. Thus, if the teams no longer build the cars, the teams are no longer able to fix problems to the cars. In the past, NASCAR could implement rule changes and the teams could adapt their cars accordingly. Now, any changes NASCAR makes to the parts and/or pieces must be made by the third-party vendors and sent to the team. This process ends up being much slower.
At the end of the day, the development of a new car is a marathon, not a sprint. We saw similar difficulties with the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow in 2007. Eventually, the teams and NASCAR were able to identify the problems and improve the car.
NASCAR’s goal is to produce an entertaining product. Its financial success depends on the promotion of entertaining racing. NASCAR will do everything in its power to put the best racing product on the track. Even as early as last week, drivers seemed encouraged by additional changes that NASCAR is making to the short-track package. More changes will likely be coming in the near future. NASCAR does not need to swing for the fences and fix all its problems at once. That is simply not possible. The best it can do is continue making small improvements, week-by-week, while laying the groundwork for more significant, long-term changes in the future. There is work to be done, but it may not be as much as expected.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.