The 2023 NASCAR regular season finale drew to a close with an unexpected winner on the charts. Chris Buescher, driving the No. 17 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing came out on top in the high stakes race that involved severe crashes and high tensions at breakneck speeds. Coming out of the race that decided who the final 16 going into the highly coveted playoffs are, one could not help but marvel at the racing capabilities that NASCAR cars have acquired over the years.

Reflecting on the event’s dramatic twists and turns, sports journalist Jeff Gluck and reporter Jordan Bianchi joined forces on their popular podcast, “The Teardown,” where they delved into the racing prowess of the next-gen cars, as displayed at Daytona.

No more wide open, chaotic racing in NASCAR

Jordan reflected on the next-gen cars bringing to light a refreshing perspective at the finale. His words on the podcast emphasized the significance of actual racing dynamics. While he did seem to acknowledge that the next-gen cars did have their problems, he stated that the event showcased their racing prowess perfectly. He went on to highlight the remarkable ability of the cars to execute passes and make strategic moves. Mentioning Buescher’s skilful maneuvers, he said, “I didn’t see anything wrong with next-gen cars right? In terms of racing, actual racing. Being able to make passes. Making moves. There was one move there at the end Buescher made where he shook down a pass.. that was great.”

NASCAR’s engineers work everyday with the goal of improving the sports’ driving dynamics and safety. Whilst it can be agreed that there is still a long way to go on that road, the maneuverability of the cars are certainly on the uptrend compared to a few years back. Paralleling the same idea, Jordan expressed that though cars did not provide an experience like the “wide open chaotic speedway racing” from a few years ago, that wasn’t something bad. He said, “ I liked what I saw tonight. I thought that was really good.”

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Was last night’s Daytona the best super speed race of the ongoing era?

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When Jeff Gluck asked if the race was the best of the next-gen era, Jordan veered towards a different contender: the Talladega Superspeedway race from last year. He used the fact that it had found itself on NASCAR’s top 75 list of races to back his opinion. But sport spectators will agree that the latest dash did leave an indelible mark on viewers. As 17 drivers went to Daytona in their next-gens to fight for that one remaining playoff spot, it was pre-written that they were in for one hell of a showdown. Staying true to the expectations of millions, the race was riddled with nerve racking moments. From Martin Truex Jr’s narrow stage 1 win to the vicious 10-flip crash of Ryan Preece, many moments came together to finalize the final 16.

With the curtains closing on the regular season, playoff elites will breathe a sigh of relief before heading to the next stage. Whether last night’s race makes it to an official top races of NASCAR list or not, it certainly was worthy of being one of the best regular season finales to go down. Let us know in the comments what you thought of the race and the next-gen car’s abilities!

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