REPORTS: Big Boost for NASCAR Fans as Dale Earnhardt Jr Offers Assessment of Next-Gen Car

Published 10/27/2021, 10:29 AM EDT

Recently, former NASCAR drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart had runs in the Next Gen cars. The latest tests took place at the Bowman Gray stadium in North Carolina. After that, Earnhardt Jr gave his verdict on the car and it was all fairly positive. Needless to say, he thoroughly enjoyed himself on the track.

According to him, the Next Gen car had really good brakes. This is because, he was slowing down way sooner than he actually expected. Although he did not have any complaints, he acknowledged that it has been a while since he stepped into a car. The driver also confessed that he is itching to get more time in the car.

Dale Jr said, “I drove the car around the track and it breaks — the brake performance is gonna take some time for me to get used to, or any of these guys get used to. That was probably the one thing that I found myself improving the most as I ran [with] the lap times is letting the car get in the corner because these brakes work so much better. I’m over-slowing the car using the brake pedal the way I’ve always in my life, so that was one thing. But it’s got a bigger turn, more grip, does everything much better.”

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This test is important, especially with the 2021 season rapidly winding down. Next year, the Next Gen cars make their debuts, and the first race is at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The LA Coliseum track is reportedly a short track, so NASCAR recruited some ex drivers to put the cars through its paces.

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What did the fellow drivers of Dale Earnhardt Jr have to say about the car?

Clint Bowyer had plenty of positive things to say about the car. However, he did predict that there may be a possibility of carnage. Even Tony Stewart enjoyed himself thoroughly out on the Bowman Gray stadium track.

For the moment, there have been a number of positive opinions, in spite of a few reservations. So, the drivers will be hoping that the new cars will actually deliver on its promises.

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Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.