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Last year, the Martinsville race rang a lot of alarm bells inside the NASCAR garage simply because of the racing product on display. All the criticism and voicing against what happened had everyone hoping that the new package would change that. But of course, it didn’t happen either as Denny Hamlin called out the new short-track package after his 4th-place finish last weekend.
In a post-race interview, Hamlin remarked on the “terrible” package which he blamed for the racing product on display as he argued it’s either that or the tires. “You can’t pass. Cars that I was lapping 10 laps before, we caught caution, and I couldn’t pass them for second. It’s very difficult,” he described, as per Motorsport.
“Next Gen racing is all about strategy, execution on pit road… that’s who wins. Rarely does the car that dominates or the best car win, simply because you can’t control the race when you need to – at least we couldn’t.”
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HMS executive calls for changes to be made on subject that Denny Hamlin was critical about
Apart from Denny Hamlin’s criticism of the new package, Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Andrews also touched up on this subject. However, Andrews’ comments were less about the criticism and more about the urgency of the need to start working on the changes for next year.
“When you start to make changes to that, it requires changes to a lot of parts and pieces. And some of those would be as much as a year to possibly 18 months lead time to get that work done and get parts ordered,” he said as per NBC Sports.
“That decision needs to be made now. Yeah, very soon. Because depending on the parts and pieces, some things, as I said, are easily six months to a year out from a planning perspective.”
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MARTINSVILLE, VA – OCTOBER 30: Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars.com Chevrolet and Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet lead the field to the green flag during the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Playoff Xfinity 500 on October 30, 2022 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: OCT 30 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff – Xfinity 500 Icon221030717500
WATCH THIS STORY: “Points Don’t Matter Now” – Chase Elliott Acing His Only Championship Option at Martinsville Could Wield a $100,000 Boost to Charity
Kevin Harvick seconds comments of Jeff Andrews with one simple demand:
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Jeff Andrews claiming NASCAR needs to determine the changes for next year so the teams can start working on them attracted a lot of attention from everyone, including from Kevin Harvick.
The veteran driver, who is set to retire from the sport at the end of this year, demanded a simple thing that many fans may vehemently agree with. More horsepower.
“1000 HP spec. Order it…,” Harvick tweeted.
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1000 HP spec. Order it… https://t.co/HAaR0cNC8K
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) April 17, 2023
Now, whether NASCAR will actually start working on the changes right away, or whether they will include a higher horsepower package, as Harvick suggested, is something time will tell.
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But one thing is pretty clear, no one is happy with the kind of racing the current package has produced, neither the fans nor the drivers.
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