Denny Hamlin’s Insider Exposes the “Disease” and It’s “Symptom” Plaguing NASCAR

Being one of the most successful crew chiefs in the NASCAR Cup Series garage for the past half-decade, Chris Gabehart knows a thing or two. And he certainly knows that the Next Gen car is not living up to its expectations. After another superspeedway chaotic chapter unfolded at Talladega Superspeedway, Denny Hamlin found himself on the sunnier side. But the sheer luck involved reminded the No. 11 crew chief about the Next-Gen’s faults yet again.

The Gen 7 car has been under fire for several reasons, but the difficulty of passing is most pronounced. That is because drivers experience that firsthand on racetracks. According to Gabehart, that is the mother cause for issues and leads to ancillary problems in racing.

Denny Hamlin’s colleague roots out the real problem

After the Next Gen car debuted in 2022, drivers have clamored about the same thing. If all cars are made from single-source supplier parts, and if they go at the same speed, how will cars pass each other? On big tracks like Talladega Superspeedway, the Next Gen model creates close, compelling racing where drivers cannot get away from each other. Then they fall upon other methods to pass –  higher tire wear or excessive fuel mileage that played out during the Brickyard 400 race. The latter is also how Denny Hamlin scored a decent finish on Sunday, capitalizing on the largest ‘Big One’ at the end.

So while addressing fuel mileage concerns during the Yellawood 500 race, Chris Gabehart emphasized the real problem of the story. “If stages were only 40 laps and paid points at the end, you’d see cars run hard the whole time. It would then just be 2x2x2 all the way back with no real passing. But they’d then run hard. The reality is, inability to pass is the disease. Fuel mileage racing is the symptom.” In Indianapolis, Denny Hamlin “ran hard” on 25 of the 160 laps of the Brickyard 400 race. Despite winning the first stage and finishing third in the second, Hamlin eventually landed in a wreck and was swiftly passed by drivers capitalizing on fuel mileage.

Denny Hamlin got away with a top-ten finish miraculously at Sunday’s Talladega race. However, Gabehardt was thoroughly annoyed at where the Next Gen car racing had reached. “With Gen 7 speedway racing, I just don’t see any greatness. There’s qualifying up front. There’s a little bit of a tussle after an event. So, green flag comes out or a pit cycle just completes and there’s a little bit of flustering. But once they get all lined up, you’re just stuck. There’s no more driver ability, not more driver talent to speak of. I mean, we’re talking about very small things. So, it’s all about green flag pit cycles and strategy and fuel mileage and stuff.”

Next Gen cars falter, especially short tracks, which have lost their charm over the years.

The lifeblood of NASCAR took a hit

Although NASCAR boasts a variety of racetracks, only one type describes its grassroots. Short tracks stand out among superspeedways, road courses, and intermediates. Now they are also standing out as the tracks to bear the brunt of the Next Gen car’s faults. The aerodynamic nature prevented drivers from even getting close to one another, let alone passing. Temporary fixes like tire wear appeared, but even that seems to be outside NASCAR’s control at present. Fans bashed Goodyear for a failed race day at Bristol a few weeks ago. But Kyle Larson reminded them of the real problem, just like Denny Hamlin’s crew chief: “We’re trying to crutch this race car on short tracks with the tire and then blame Goodyear every week cause cars can’t pass.”

Six years ago, the popularity of short-track racing prompted people to don ‘More Short Tracks’ shirts. Those people included Dale Earnhardt Jr., and now he laments about the situation. He said officials would have to “entirely overhaul” the Gen 7 car for better racing. “I do not see short track racing surviving this if they don’t find some solution,” Jr. said on his “Dale Jr. Download” podcast. “We lost one Richmond (race) and it’s not out of the question to think in just a few years, the Martinsvilles and the Bristols are going to be really hanging by a thread to keep their two races.”

Evidently, the Next Gen car’s problems have upset most people in the Cup Seris garage. We can only wait and see if NASCAR considers their problems or not.