The Texas Cup race was anything but predictable! From four drivers crashing out of runners-up contention to Kyle Larson’s wheel going on a solo run all by itself, almost 16 cautions shuffled up the field to bring fans some trademark NASCAR action on Sunday.

Despite the constant delays caused by reviewing every call, the back-and-forths before every restart only heightened the anticipation for a dramatic overtime finish. But with three consecutive races now finishing under green-white-checkered conditions, the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 could signal the dawn of the ‘Next Gen’ of NASCAR racing.

Three in a row! Overtime finishes signal shift in NASCAR

A closer look at collective fan sentiments online reflects that Texas was indeed a “good race”. Jeff Gluck’s mandatory post-race poll suggests that exactly 74.2% of the viewers think so, the first time a Texas race has even exceeded the 70-mark in 15 prior races. Nevertheless, the 276-lap overtime spectacle also broke some notable restart streaks in recent history. 

A Twitter post by Trey Ryan, NASCAR’s self-proclaimed ‘stat guy’, explains, “This the first time since the Fall of 2007 that 3 straight races have gone to Overtime, more than 16 years ago! This is immediately after having 14 races without Overtime, the longest run in a decade.” 

Before Denny Hamlin’s controversial Richmond victory in overtime, the last race to end on extra laps was the Hollywood Casino 300 at Kansas last September. Now. With the 2024 season in full swing and three consecutive restart victories heading to Talladega, the question arises: Will this be the new norm for a rapidly evolving NASCAR spectrum?

A lot of the overtime drama could be attributed to the double-lane restart system, which was only implemented in 2009. Before that, restarts in the early 2000s usually featured the race leaders trying to overtake each other from a single file. With the race leaders, bunched up next to each other on restarts these days, the probability of a caution being called on the final laps due to aggressive tussles between drivers for a coveted race win only increases the likelihood of a shootout-style finish.

The Next-Gen car is also responsible for leveling the playing field for drivers, making it tougher for them to overtake each other on tight tracks like Martinsville and Richmond. Nevertheless, the 1.5-mile Texas in 2024 has revealed a newer perspective on the evolving changes, courtesy of a NASCAR legend making his debut in a Gen 7 car for the first time at Texas this Sunday: 7x champ Jimmie Johnson.

A passing of the torch?

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Currently the co-owner of Legacy Motor Club with Maury Gallagher, Johnson is widely acclaimed as Texas’ supreme victor. The former Hendrick Motorsports talisman has taken his #48 to victory lane 7 record-making times on the intermediate racetrack, the highest out of all drivers in the Cup Series.

Hence, it was surprising to hear Johnson lay out some anxious challenges right before his 6th part-time start in his #84 LMC entry, at Texas. He said, “The previous configuration. That was really the most fun that you could have on a mile and a half, was turns one and two. So bummed that it’s still not there, but, you know, same for everybody, it is what it is.”

A beacon for the previous generation of fantastic NASCAR drivers, Johnson ironically brought out the first caution of the Texas race on lap 51, when his #84 Camry XSE, spun out on Turn 4. This resulted in a meager P29 finish at the back of the pack for a TMS icon. As it happens, almost all the following cautions of the race went on to take place off of Turns 2 and 4 of the repaved 1.5-mile oval.

Interestingly, the current Hendrick Motorsports podium finishers, both aged under 30, faced minimal problems en route to securing a second overtime race win for Rick Hendrick and their team in 2024. This could indeed signal the passing of the torch from former champions onto the legends of tomorrow. But in terms of viewership experience? Fans can expect many such overtime excitements to enthrall in the coming years.