We are slowly inching closer to the debut of the 2022 NASCAR Next Gen car. While the general reception has been largely positive, a few concerns are slowly starting to creep in. In fact, Denny Hamlin admitted that these cars are completely different beasts compared to what they are used to.

According to him, the Next Gen car has different gear shifts and drives completely different. To that end, the simulators do not exactly perform the best job of emulating the actual car. Owing to this, practice time in the real car is essential.

He said, “This thing is an entirely different machine. There will certainly be more wrecks, no question. That’s fantastic but I can’t f***ing see.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also revealed that another issue with the Next Gen cars, is the sight lines. This is because these cars are one and a half inches lower to the hood, and the seats can be lowered seat by four inches. While Denny Hamlin acknowledged that it was great, but the big problem was that he could barely see. The #11 driver also admitted that this could be a problem at tracks like Martinsville.

What else did Denny Hamlin say?

According to him, heat will also be a massive headache to deal with. He said, “We are the steak and the floorboard is the grill. We cook from the bottom up. NASCAR will work with the teams to figure out some of these design issues. Getting all the stuff in time scares me. We are going to be running around in circles in February.”

To be perfectly honest, Hamlin’s biggest concern is the teams’ supply chain and getting parts in time. Despite this, the driver is fairly optimistic about the direction that the sport is taking in terms of its future.

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