The Next Gen car has been under fire throughout the 2025 NASCAR season, with fans and drivers voicing frustration over a perceived lack of excitement and overtaking. Denny Hamlin, a vocal critic, recently highlighted the car’s inadequate testing, noting, “We didn’t have multiple racecars on the track testing this vehicle until just two months before the inaugural race. That’s when it became clear that passing was extraordinarily difficult. It was quite problematic.” And, these concerns have fueled ongoing debates about whether the car can deliver the thrilling racing that fans expect. But while calls mount for a change, some insiders stand firmly by this development.

This includes some of the NASCAR officials, especially John Patalak, Vice President of Safety at NASCAR. And he confirmed that the car was tested. “NASCAR did over 5,000 crash simulations over multiple years. Each one takes hours to run and post-process,” he said. Now, even if it is not the kind of testing Denny Hamlin wanted, it still counts, right? But it does not change the fact that it’s not exciting. But, Ryan Blaney, for one, is offering a very different perspective from behind the wheel-one that challenges the narrative dominating headlines and social media.

Ryan Blaney pushes back on Next Gen criticism as Kansas delivers tight qualifying

Ryan Blaney defended the mounting criticism aimed at NASCAR’s Next Gen car, even as the 2025 season’s narrative has been shaped by debate over the on-track product. Speaking ahead of the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, Blaney addressed concerns that recent races have been “bad,” insisting, “I don’t know why they were bad. Well, the guy kicked the a– with a race. They did that all the time back when people praised it.” Kansas Speedway has once again proven to be a battleground for both drivers and opinions. In Saturday’s qualifying session, Kyle Larson edged out Chris Buescher to claim the pole with a lap of 183.730 mph. He was just 0.057 seconds ahead of Buescher. And the event has a few significances.

This marked Kyle Larson’s first pole of the season and his first ever at Kansas. Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Joey Logano are rounding out the top five starters for Sunday’s 400-mile event. Again, hardly any time gap separates them. Ryan Blaney pointed to this and other recent events as evidence that the racing remains compelling, saying, “I look at Darlington, that was a great race. Yeah, 24 led a lot of laps, but it was really dicey. Texas, you had a lot of comers and goers, you had a different group of people at the end of the race than what were there at the front.” At Darlington, William Byron led 243 laps. But late cautions and pit strategy saw Denny Hamlin surge to victory in overtime. Similarly, in Texas, the Würth 400 featured 20 lead changes among 13 drivers and 12 cautions, with Joey Logano winning a chaotic overtime finish.

He also highlighted the difference in perspective between fans and competitors, noting, “From my viewpoint, and it’s different than everyone else’s viewpoint because I’m sitting behind the wheel of the thing. There’s exciting moments and there’s battles going on all over the place.” Blaney acknowledged that while the car can be difficult in traffic. It can sometimes get the drivers into difficult situations. “I wish the car was a little bit better so that you could be more maneuverable in traffic,” Blaney exclaimed. But for people who feel this generation’s car is meant for power, you might have been wrong all along.

There are a few things that the next-gen car was supposed to do. And needless to say, it is effortlessly solving the purpose it was made for: safety. How do we know? Well, John Patalak said so. Presenting NASCAR’s perspective behind the next-gen car, he said, “From a vehicle standpoint, we want a car to do three things. We want to design a driver survival space against intrusion. We want to manage the chassis so that the peak accelerations are as low as possible. And we want to make sure that the chassis has fuel system integrity against crash to reduce the risk of fires or electrolyte leaks, whatever our propulsion or energy source is — whether it’s battery, hydrocarbon liquid fuel, or hydrogen gas.” Let’s hope this gives us a better perspective of what to expect from the product.

It looks like NASCAR is delivering on its promise. There have been terrible crashes after the introduction of this car type, but none of them have threatened the life of a driver. And yes, fires have reduced significantly if we overlook Denny Hamlin’s car catching fire at Texas. Yes, the sport has lost some of its best drivers to disasters, and safety is much more important than thrill at this point. But, drivers like Blaney take positives to crowd in hours of backlash, and that counts.

As Kansas prepares for its 39th Cup Series race, Blaney’s defense of the Next Gen car underscores the divide between those inside the cockpit and those watching from the stands, especially after a qualifying session that once again showcased the razor-thin margins and unpredictability that define the sport. And thinking of it, the #12 Team Penske driver has been a force to reckon with at Kansas, anyway. So maybe that could be a reason for his perspective.

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Ryan Blaney’s Kansas record: Consistency, challenges, and 2025 prospects

Ryan Blaney’s history at Kansas Speedway is a story of steady performance and near-misses. Since making his Cup Series debut at the 1.5-mile oval in 2014, Blaney has accumulated four top-five and eight top-ten finishes at Kansas, though a win has remained elusive. His average finish of 15.4 at the track underscores both his competitiveness and the challenges he’s faced in converting strong runs into victories.

Blaney’s Kansas highlights include a third-place finish during the 2023 playoffs, achieved despite starting last after a post-qualifying inspection failure. That run was a testament to his ability to navigate adversity and capitalize on late-race opportunities. Over the years, Kansas has been a venue where Team Penske’s speed often shines, but luck and timing have sometimes kept Blaney from the top step of the podium.

In the 2025 AdventHealth 400 qualifying session, Blaney secured the 10th starting spot with a lap of 29.596 seconds, placing him solidly in the top ten for Sunday’s race. This result positions him well for another potential run at the front, especially considering Team Penske’s strong track record on intermediate tracks. With Kyle Larson on pole and a competitive field around him, Blaney will need to balance aggression with tire management. This was a theme throughout the Kansas race weekend due to recent tire issues with Goodyear in practice.

Looking ahead, Blaney’s consistency at Kansas and his current qualifying form suggest he could be a factor as the race unfolds. Will this be the year he finally breaks through for his first Kansas win, or will the trend of near-misses continue? As the green flag drops, all eyes will be on Blaney to see if he can turn solid stats into a long-awaited victory.