There have been several notable problems with the Next-Gen car ever since its introduction last year. Some of the major concerns from the previous season were about driver safety. However, since the 2023 season has just begun, it is pretty early to comment if that has been mitigated already.
Despite whatever fixes NASCAR brought into the car, former driver and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr recently dropped his opinion on how these cars looked out on track. During one of his latest podcasts, Junior took a deeper dive to elaborate on what he finds to be a “strange car to watch.” He also spoke about Kyle Larson’s underrated save during the Daytona 500 this year.
What did Dale Earnhardt Jr. say about the cars?
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Dale Earnhardt Jr mentioned, “The one thing that I noticed about the race that was interesting third lane didn’t form at all. To me this car is a strange car to watch at the plate races. How the runs materialize?”
“It’s going to not always make sense. I could literally with the old car, know exactly when the outside line was going to create momentum. When a guy was in a bad position, or when somebody was trying to take advantage of somebody, and it’s a little harder to see.”
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He further mentioned how some things “surprise you” in relation to the Next-Gen cars not creating “momentum.” Junior also pointed out the way “these cars lose control and how they act and look and react.” Giving the example of Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick’s wreck, he elaborated that the cars were almost “comical” about how “twitchy” they were when bumped.
Later on, he gave another example when he said, “That’s what makes Larson’s (Kyle) save so incredible. When he got turned sideways in the middle of 3 and 4, that. He’s Larson, I know, one of the greatest drivers currently in the world. I don’t know how he gets that save every single time.” He then went on to talk about how with the Next-gen cars once a car turned sideways, it was a done deal. However, with the older cars, the aero would kick it back in place.
The 2023 Daytona 500 was a wreck fest
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When you field a bunch of drivers on an oval to fight it out for bragging rights, things can get a bit chaotic toward the end, right? That was exactly the case with this year’s Daytona 500. With everyone vying for that iconic Daytona 500 win, the field constantly jostled for position.
However, the final few laps of the race, saw multiple big ones sending the race into overtime. At one point it was Kyle Busch who was leading the race. Many believed that this was going to be his redemption day. But as luck would have it, Daniel Suarez crashed out, bringing out the caution. Following the next re-start, Busch was no longer the leader. Instead, it was a completely new set of cars leading the pack. That too would not last long, as we would see a few more massive wrecks take place.
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Finally, closure arrived, but in the form of Ricky Stenhouse Jr, taking the white flag, moments before yet another massive wreck. But since it was already over time, fate was sealed, and Stenhouse Jr emerged victorious.