When you hear names like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr, and Jeff Gordon, you immediately think of ‘superstars.’ But today’s NASCAR scene might just be seeing the sunset of that superstar era. According to NASCAR analyst Kyle Petty, the culprit is the Next-Gen cars. Sure, these cars are the safest NASCAR’s ever rolled out, packed with cutting-edge tech and looking sharp, but Kyle Petty reckons they’re missing something crucial needed to forge superstars.

In the age of parity, the throne’s empty

Kyle Petty, chatting with Eric Estepp on his YouTube channel, didn’t mince words about the Next-Gen cars leveling the competition field: “I will never ever applaud parity. I hate it. I hate it. I want somebody that I have to chase. I want everybody chasing me. I want Dale Earnhardt Sr. I want Richard Petty. I want Jeff Gordon. I want a guy out there that I got a chase that I can measure myself against. Right now, I measure myself against everybody. And everybody’s the same.”

He did tip his hat to the Next-Gen car for being a leap forward in safety and competitiveness, bringing the heat to races like Daytona and Atlanta. Yet, he’s firm that a few minor adjustments won’t patch up the larger issues. Especially with short track races turning into snooze-fests for fans, missing the mark on excitement.

Petty pointed out that when everyone’s pushing at the same speed in a NASCAR race, it’s like watching a parade. And that’s the gripe he has with races at places like Martinsville and other short tracks – it’s just a conga line of cars. It’s not all on the cars or the tracks, but the push for parity with these Next-Gen vehicles has seemingly dialed down the odds of seeing similar faces on the podium. According to many, it’s making everyone too similar for anyone to truly stand out.

And while Kyle Petty’s really rooting for Denny Hamlin, fingers crossed and all, hoping he hits that 60-win mark and Kyle Busch too, at the same time, he also wonders, “Will 60 to some of these drivers will that be the new 200? […] As we see drivers start to change their attitudes and move away from the sport in their late 30s or early 40s, that will, that number skew down is that number going to be 36 going to be retirement age in the next five or six years?” 

With so many variables in play, Petty’s also wondering how drivers are going to stand out as superstars if winning even two or three wins a year is a big deal. And if someone’s pulling off four or five wins, how do they really shine? According to the veteran, NASCAR’s got a puzzle to solve in making superstars shine again. Yet, it’s not just about spotlighting the superstars; the races themselves have turned kinda dull, lacking those gripping stories we used to get back in the day.

Track position is more important than speed in next-gen cars

When we call NASCAR a ‘race’, the audience expects it to be related to speed like in the era of Richard Petty where even the cars were made by rocket scientists. Now, it’s all about holding the right position on the track. Strategy’s king – from pit stops to winning pole position and figuring out tires. Most overtakes? They’re happening right after a restart or deep into a green flag stretch. The level playing field the cars are on now means there’s not much room for drivers to zip from the back to the front unless they’ve got luck on their side and a car that’s just a tad quicker.

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Even fans have picked up on the commentary feeling a bit flat since the drama that used to naturally bubble up in races seems to be missing. With all the cars cruising at the same clip, unless there’s a crash or some bumper car action, the races kind of just go, without much change from start to finish.

Do you agree that NASCAR’s push for absolute parity might need a rethink?