Denny Hamlin Criticizes NASCAR Next Gen Cars for Excessive Track Stability

Legendary driver Denny Hamlin has expressed his concerns about NASCAR Cup Series racing with Next Gen cars in their fourth season — the vehicles are too stable and planted on the track.

“These cars are just so planted. I can’t tell you enough how much that’s the case, that they’re stuck to the racetrack,” Hamlin stated during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We have to unstick them somehow.”

This situation was evident during last weekend’s Bristol race — cars were separated by mere tenths of a second, yet drivers matching leader Kyle Larson’s pace struggled to make overtaking moves.

The Next Gen cars, introduced in 2022, brought significant technological changes:

• Independent rear suspension
• Five-speed sequential transmission
• Single-lug wheels
• Spec chassis
• Aerodynamic overhaul

John Probst, NASCAR’s Chief Racing Development Officer, responded to suggestions about increasing power — such changes would be risky due to high costs without guaranteed racing improvements.

Veteran driver Kevin Harvick also criticized the situation. “It’s absolutely ridiculous that we went to an unrestricted mile-and-a-half and they qualified wide-open. What in the world do we need to do to get more horsepower? This screams horsepower to me,” he emphasized.