Does NASCAR listen to driver feedback? Well, for those who have been following NASCAR ever since they rolled out the Next Gen car, they very well understand the pain points with this newest innovation. Parity racing, aero-heavy design, and restricted horsepower have negatively impacted short-track and superspeedway racing. If you ask Denny Hamlin, the easy solution to improve the on-track product is a bump in the horsepower. “It can be done with one phone call with no additional money.”
Well, it looks like NASCAR has finally listened to the feedback shared by Hamlin and others in the garage. NASCAR is holding a key meeting with the drivers this weekend to discuss the changes in the car packages at different tracks. But, again, this change comes with a condition, one that even drivers can’t overlook.
How is NASCAR fixing the Next Gen car with the rules package?
“We’ll talk about rules, packages and track packages. Talk about Talladega and the superspeedway package and fuel mileage. Take lift-off, for instance, that’s going to be an agenda topic this weekend. Lift-off speed is something we’ve talked about a number of times on Hauler Talk. Dr Eric Jacuzzi, our lead aerodynamicist, has been doing a lot of work. Him and his team, have been doing a lot of work on increasing the lift-off speed. Which really means, say the lift-off speed is 250 miles an hour at 90°, is when a car starts getting up in the air a little bit.” NASCAR’s Mike Ford shared during the Hauler Talk.
A leap from 670 to 750 hp is well within the capabilities of the engine makers, but before these changes are rolled out, NASCAR wants to prioritize drivers’ safety. We saw the violent flips that happened last year with the likes of Corey LaJoie and Josh Berry. Not to forget, Ryan Preece was once again involved in the horrifying crash at the Daytona 500, where his car practically did a wheelie and then rammed into the safer barriers.
The sanctioning body rolled out the shark fins and is currently working on a new air flap to keep the car grounded. However, Hamlin believes that rather than relying on band-aids, the superspeedway package needs an overhaul, which again came down to speed. “The knee-jerk reactions is why we’ve gotten to run 175 miles an hour on these tracks, and it’s why we’re crashing each other so hard. Let us run 200 with a little more space, and it would be less dangerous.”
Feb 19, 2024; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Hemric (31), driver Corey LaJoie (7) and driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) race three wide during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Well, it sure looks like NASCAR is taking proactive steps in listening to the drivers and the racing community. And we might see the rollout of the new packages very soon. While an increase in horsepower remains TBD, fans have another reason to celebrate, and unlike the rules package, this announcement is official.
NASCAR returns to Homestead Miami for the championship race
Homestead Miami Speedway is one of the few tracks where racing is actually thrilling with the Next Gen car. Multiple grooves, pit strategy, and multiple lead changes do affect the overall result. We all saw that last year, when Tyler Reddick pulled off a race-winning move on the last lap and took 23XI Racing to its first championship race. That is the kind of racing the track produced as the championship venue from 2002 to 2019, until Phoenix Raceway took this spot.
2026 will see the championship race return to South Florida as part of the rotation of the finale weekend. “The racing product, I think, is another big part of this. And then overall, it’s just the entire industry’s feedback on this. So we collaborate with our broadcast partners, our teams. We hear from our drivers what they think, a lot of our corporate partners, and then ultimately the fans, and the fans have a large voice in this, and we get their perspective on it every single year.” NASCAR’s Executive Vice President, Ben Kennedy, said in a press release.
We have Homestead Miami back in the mix, the horsepower demands seem to be headed in the right direction, so what’s next could be on NASCAR’s agenda? If you ask the fans, the only thing that needs sorting is the playoff format.
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