“I think that we have a fundamental car problem,” said Denny Hamlin, sharing his thoughts about the Next-Gen vehicle on his podcast. He’s not alone, with plenty of drivers and fans having mixed feelings about the car since its arrival in 2022. While the car performs well on intermediate tracks, many feel that its performance on short tracks and road courses leaves much to be desired, with Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen leaving many frustrated as well. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t held back.

But Kyle Petty is having none of it. The former racer has come to the Next-Gen car’s defence, busting a long-standing myth surrounding stock cars in the NASCAR world. However, with the majority sentiment being overwhelmingly against the Cup cars, will his views fall on deaf ears?

Kyle Petty hits back at Dale Earnhardt Jr’s views

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks, people listen. And after the race at Iowa Speedway, the veteran didn’t hold back about the Next-Gen vehicles. Expressing his frustration at the inclusion of a diffuser, low-profile tires, and big brakes, he said, “I want to say that I don’t love the Next Gen car, but it’s here. I don’t love the Next Gen car. It’s an IMSA car, it’s a sports car, it’s got a diffuser, it’s got low-profile tires, it’s got big rims and big brakes. It’s a sports car, it’s not a NASCAR stock car, but it’s here. Everybody’s invested.”

He wasn’t the only one, with Denny Hamlin joining in as well. However, Kyle Petty shared a very contrasting viewpoint and even took specific issue with Junior’s opinion that the Next-Gen car wasn’t a “NASCAR stock car.” Petty dismissed those views on PRN Live, saying, “We have our prominent members of the NASCAR community, Dale Jr. criticized the Next-Gen car the other day, and I don’t think that criticism is deserved in a lot of ways. We have not raced stock cars since about 1958. We don’t race stock cars. We race NASCARs. This is a NASCAR car that we have today.”

According to Kyle Petty, complaints about the vehicle NASCAR is using are nothing new. The 65-year-old went on to say, “People complained in the 70s when they went to tubular chassis. They complained when we went to radial tires. They’ve complained all along as the progression of the cars.” This was at a time when the sanctioning body was racing cars with carburetors, even though the device wasn’t ‘accessible’ to the common fan, nullifying the myth that the sport was using stock cars back in the day.

Surprisingly, Petty felt that the Next-Gen car is only going to improve, despite the races at Iowa Speedway, Watkins Glen, and others drawing the ire of fans and drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t the exception, with Jordan Bianchi going as far as to say, “You almost expect a mob outside NASCAR’s Daytona headquarters with pitchforks demanding this car go away.” It seems like after years of lackluster races on short tracks and road courses, patience is wearing thin. The question is, will NASCAR give in to the pressure, or stand firm and back the car like Kyle Petty?

Denny Hamlin opens up about Next-Gen woes

Outspoken as ever, Denny Hamlin didn’t shy away from sharing his thoughts on the Next-Gen car after the race at Watkins Glen International. The road course race saw Shane van Gisbergen win by a margin of more than 11 seconds, highlighting not just his dominance but the lack of competitiveness of the vehicle on such tracks. It’s not the first time the Kiwi has won by a double-digit gap, as his triumph in Mexico City was a staggering 16.567 seconds.

Echoing Dale Earnhardt Jr’s views, Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “It is no doubt a problem. Everyone that has ever driven it has said it’s a problem. I believe that the Next Gen car is reaching hate levels of the COT (Car of Tomorrow) with the wing. From fans, I think they’re starting to dislike this car as much as the drivers that have to drive it.” That’s some pretty strong words from the veteran, who has used three different generations of Cup cars over the years.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired during the Gen-6 era, when cars were lighter and handled more easily with the aero and downforce package being tweaked every year. This made for exciting races across different formats, and Junior can’t help but feel sorry for the drivers today. He said, “I’m disappointed that we have races like this, and then it’s frustrating to watch, and you know what the drivers are struggling with when it comes to aero.” Ultimately, NASCAR has a decision to make. Should they continue making improvements to the current car, or get back to the drawing board and come up with a new vehicle? Either way, something needs to change.