NASCAR's long-awaited Next Gen race car is a radical departure from tradition | Hagerty Media

[Hagerty]

Sequential shifter, single-lug wheels, rack-and-pinion steering, and independent rear suspension-NASCAR's newest generation of race car has arrived, and with it, a bevy of firsts for North America's premier stock car division. The new "Next Gen" stock cars from each participating manufacturer (Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota) were unveiled to the public today in Charlotte, North Carolina.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/motorsports/nascars-long-awaited-next-gen-race-car-is-a-radical-depart...

[JeffWeimer]

They *could* go back to the original formula - *stock* cars - factory bodies, suspension and motors. It would certainly slow things down, for a while, and it would require manufacturer involvement to make the cars faster.

[Air_and_Water]

I'd be satisfied if they went back to original suspension mounting points and suspension type so that they could keep the safety aspect of a dedicated race car, but in their quest for every car being equal they've doomed that. Also that would leave the FWD Camry out, and there's a lot of money there so that's not happening. 😕

I love vintage stock car racing, but when they started building to a formula and all cars were for all intents and purposes identical I lost interest. It's all about the drivers now and I don't care about stardom and internal politics. I'm a car guy!

[Hagerty Fan]

It's obvious the Ford is leaning towards the GT500 look in the front. Unless the Ford teams label the car as such they should paint the middle partition between the upper grill and the lower cooling facia the color of the car to bring out the iconic Mustang Galloping Grill. IMHP.

[Gary_Bechtold]

I miss when Nascar race cars had some relation to actual cars you could buy. While these look less deformed from whatever they are supposed to be they still basically share very little with a production car. These cars look good but it doesn't make me want to watch Nascar.

[TimK]

It looks like positive changes in the cars but NASCAR's "wokeness", format and rules nonsense will keep me from going back to watching.

[Reinhold_Weege]

A solid "do not care" from me until they institute clear rules on garage door pull-ropes.

[NWDude]

Meaning?

[CJinSD]

I've read multiple sources that say the new chassis will be sold to the teams by Dallara Automobili S.p.A. Maybe they should do away with 'stage racing' to reduce costs so the series can hang on for a few more years.

[drhino]

“We wanted to put the ‘stock’ back in stock car,” said NASCAR president Steve Phelps.

Hysterical.

Spec car racing is awful. Period. True separate constructors are needed to get me interested at all.

Watch MotoGP! Great racing, unbelievable skill, wonderful personalities. The total package.

[HHCO]

Way too sterile,haven’t watched nascar in years,boring.

[TG]

granted we have a few V8 RWD throwback models kicking around, but I always wondered why if the prevailing chassis of the day is a transverse 6 cylinder why hasn't NASCAR incorporated this? sure the platform is a little bland... but maybe because no-one is seriously racing that platform

[DMcC]

Not knowing but guessing about the demographics of NASCAR TV and live fans, are they an older generation? The younger car owners/drivers of today and for the last 20+ years have been with available 4-cyl. and V-6 front wheel drive cars. Do these drivers follow NASCAR? Maybe not. A few years ago a local drag strip opened Thursdays for high schoolers and their cars. The crowd numbers exceeded the weekend drag fan numbers.

[nonameatall]

NASCAR hasn't held a STOCK car race since the days of Lee Petty. The computerized airfoils that they run around the tracks nowadays are about as close to a stock car as my 76 year old behind is to an Olympic athlete's!

[hyperv6]

Here is the deal folks this is all about holding cost, adding Hybrids later and bringing in new MFGs.

I was a long time NASCAR from back to the 60's when you had to watch an half hour of figure skating to see 15 of tape delayed racing.

Yes the Stock days were great but that ship has left as safety and technology has negated that from ever coming back. If they did this you would complain about the limited freak cars that would be built and banned. The BOP that would need to be used etc.

The new cars actually look stock and will hold cost down. Will they race well? I expect there will be a lot of testing and work yet to be done.

NASCAR needs new MFGs to enter and they need to retain who they have. To do that the MFGs want to look stock and they want to show case the coming electric motors and run the long races on a generator hybrid Battery power EV. Yes the MFG have asked for this.

The real trouble they need to address is too long time fans as myself. They need to get back to different tracks as the cookie cutter tracks are a bore. Don't even think street race. Open Wilksboro up again.

They lost me with this chase and stage racing. The year the driver won the championship sitting out half the year with a broken leg killed it for me. That is not how championships are won. Sorry but the winner should be the best driver at all the races not just half.

We used to have many close championships with no false help so they need to bet back to basics.

The main racing I watch any more is the C8 R Vettes in IMSA. Even that series is struggling with high cost and getting MFGs to enter.

One series I have been to and really like what I see is the Trans Am series 1 and 2. They put on a great show and have had full fields at all the events. A wide variety of MFGs involved and it is fun to watch the multi classes race at once. It is a shame they get so little coverage. Where else can you see a Jag race a Mustang race a Porsche to a Dodge, Vette, Cadillac and Camaro in the same race.

We as spectators also need to really give feed back in a realistic way. We need to understand their needs and limitations as saying let all go back to stock is not going to work anymore.

I liked the dirt race but it should have been at a dirt track not Bristol.

The trucks put on a great show and why? Because they have poor aero and knock holes in the air like the old cars did. There is much to learn there.

These new cars are just the start as more changes will be coming. Will they find a solution? Not sure as it is tough to make a competitive racing series anymore due to cost and lack of MFG participation.

Even the local tracks are suffering as it is getting too expensive for the local drivers to race anymore.

Heck out last soap box derby car was over $1000 with an average paint job. Then there are the specific tools and the $130 a weekend to race. More if you break something.

[Hagerty Fan]

My god the amount of complaining in this thread. I think its great that they are finally catching up to the rest of the racing world tech-wise. And that they have taken a clear stand against intolerance in the sport. If that really bugs you that bad than stop watching. No sport needs those kinds of fans anyways.