Veteran drivers have been spilling their hearts about how NASCAR’s lost its soul, and it’s a chorus that hits hard. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has gotten real with USA Today and NBC Sports, saying the Next Gen car and playoff format “take away some of the unpredictability and feel of racing” compared to the looser machines he cut his teeth on.

In Sports Illustrated, Jeff Gordon lamented the push for parity in standardized cars, noting that the physicality of Gen 4 and Car of Tomorrow eras forced drivers to improvise, creating moments that still give fans chills. Tony Stewart’s been blunt with Autoweek, calling the playoffs out for rewarding “luck more than skill” and shortchanging consistent grinders.

Now, Xfinity driver Landon Cassill is joining the fray, getting emotional about how the Next Gen has stripped stock car racing of its raw magic.

Cassill laments NASCAR’s lost soul

Landon Cassill didn’t pull punches on his post: “What was a stock car through the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s that everybody loves so much? They were loud, they were fast, they made a shit load of Horsepower. The tires slid around the corner of the car and were out of control. The driver’s hands were moving. They were leaning on each other. They had spectacular crashes, and the driver climbed out and was greasy and dirty and did some romantic shit about stock car racing.”

Cassill’s painting is a love letter to the era when Cup cars cranked 600-700 hp, with minimal aero keeping things loose. Drivers wrestled the wheel, tires howled, and cars banged like they meant it. That greasy, dirt-streaked driver climbing from the wreck? Pure romance, the kind that hooked generations.

“It’s different from other Motorsports, right? Cause F1, I can be romantic about F1 that has nothing to do with how the cars race on the track. An F1 car on the track by itself is enough to make you want to go pay money to go watch it,” Cassill said.

F1’s sleek machines wow with tech and speed, but NASCAR’s charm was the fight, the sliding, banging, human element. Unlike F1’s aero wizardry, stock cars were everyman’s thrill, and Cassill’s saying the Next Gen’s spec chassis and sealed underbody have dulled that edge.

“In an endurance racing in sports car racing that type of racing is romantic for a different reason but stock car racing is stock car racing and so that’s, you know, when we talk about the criticisms of the Next Gen car and we get into these critiques of like well, it needs more horsepower here, it needs less downforce, it needs this and needs that. And it’s like what were we rooted in because I think it’s possible, maybe have lost sight of what is NASCAR,” he added.

The Next Gen’s 670 hp and uniform parts aim for parity, but Cassill’s worried it’s forgotten the roots: loud, loose, driver-driven chaos. His call for more HP and less downforce echoes the era’s raw feel, where sliding tires and banging doors made every lap a story.

Cassill’s emotion runs deep; he’s not just critiquing; he’s mourning the sport’s heart. The Next Gen’s safety and cost cuts are noble, but they’ve tamed the beast that hooked fans. As Ryan Newman and Dale Jr. have said, the old cars demanded skill, not just speed. Cassill’s voice adds to the chorus, a driver who gets why fans crave that romance back.

Cassill’s nostalgia for NASCAR’s wild roots connects to Connor Zilisch’s bold take on jumping to Cup, calling it tougher than Max Verstappen’s F1 ascent.

Zilisch’s Cup leaps harder than F1

The 19-year-old Xfinity phenom, with 10 wins in 32 starts for JR Motorsports, is set for Trackhouse’s No. 99 in 2026, replacing Daniel Suárez. “Obviously, (four-time F1 champ) Max Verstappen is a once-in-a-generation talent, and yeah, it’s hard to say I’m going to be like him and have as successful a jump to the highest level as he did,” Zilisch told CBS Sports.

“I feel that just the way he was brought up, it might be a little bit easier for him, and especially in F1, with how car-dependent it is. I feel it’s easier to rise to the occasion. (But)With NASCAR, all the cars are very even, and the driver makes a really big difference in car feedback and what the car needs. I feel like it’s just a little bit tougher, and it’s a much different jump. So I think it is going to be a bit of a harder jump than maybe a guy like Max Verstappen going to F1,” Zilisch said.

Verstappen’s 2015 F1 debut at 17 led to a win the next year and four titles, but Zilisch sees Cup’s spec cars as a bigger test; driver skill shines when parity rules. His Xfinity dominance, 10 wins, including Charlotte’s Blue Cross NC 250, shows he’s ready, but the Cup’s deeper field and playoff pressure make it a beast.

“But you know it’s definitely possible. And I get confidence from a guy like him who was able to do it at my age. I feel like there have been guys in the past who have made the jump and really struggled, but I just hope that I’m able to kind of adapt quicker, and I feel like my background and all the different cars (he’s driven) will help with that transition,” Zilisch added.

His Charlotte-area roots and multi-series runs, from Trucks to Xfinity, give him an edge, much like Verstappen’s karting base. Fans see Zilisch as NASCAR’s Verstappen, a once-in-a-generation kid eyeing a title run.