Rick Hendrick’s Driver Firmly Demands Dale Earnhardt Jr & Denny Hamlin-Backed Radical Step

Sleeker, safer, and stronger! When the Next Gen cars made a splashing debut at the Daytona 500 last season, they were touted as NASCAR’s answer to the uneven playing field for the teams. From greater affordability to supposedly better aero and downforce packages, it was an era-defining revamp. Or so it promised. Within a few months, drivers endured safety issues, and the cost rocketed through the roof due to multiple crashes, leading to a major backlash. Now, another prominent voice from Rick Hendrick’s garage has joined the chorus.

In recent times, veterans like Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr have protested certain new challenges faced with the Next Gen cars, related to passing and safety. Hendrick Motorsports drivers haven’t been silent either. Earlier this year, Chase Elliott shared his concerns about an iconic track that made a return to NASCAR this year. Now it looks like another HMS stalwart has joined the cause for a crucial modification, and his suggestions are as radical as Hamlin’s.

Rick Hendrick’s Texas triumph touted a bigger change for shorter tracks

Safety concerns overshadowed the mechanical shortfalls after Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman consecutively suffered concussions on account of the newer model last season. Rick Hendrick’s stalwarts, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, have repeatedly expressed their frustration at the power steering. In fact, as recently as the Bristol Xfinity race last month, Dale Earnhardt Jr admitted difficulty controlling the car and its grip.

Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky published her fascinating research on the performance of the Next Gen designs before the playoffs this season. As reported by NBC Sports, the qualifying positions have garnered greater importance in the past two years on longer tracks. The researcher explained this contradiction by suggesting the possibility of innovative strategies employed by teams to overcome that hurdle. Current playoff leader and Hendrick Motorsports’ driver of the #24 Chevy, William Byron, recommended a popular solution.

William Byron participated in the revolutionary NASCAR roundtable hosted by racing insider Steve Letarte. Byron proposed a boost in horsepower, which could eliminate the cumbersome shifting mechanism. Calling himself a “big fan” of increased horsepower, the #24 driver recalled the thrilling short-track races that propelled him forward in his racing career. He said, “I was watching a lot of races in 2014. Like 2013–2014 was when I was just getting into race car. They had the 850 horsepower I think it was, and they had the pretty tall spoiler [helping with grip]. And I thought the racing was awesome at Martinsville. And even the ‘07-’08 one when the cars had a lot of horsepower.”

William Byron further remembered, “I just thought that those were the good races to me because you saw lunges off the corner. Maybe the shifting is doing the same thing. But I feel if you eliminate the shifting and you had more horsepower on the short tracks, you could have something that would create that spinning the tires but staying the same gear to do it.”

Although there was a consensus for higher horsepower, Denny Hamlin went a step further in seeking drastic alterations.

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Denny Hamlin presented a radical ‘2.0’ version amid Next Gen turmoil

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Joe Gibbs Racing‘s #11 driver was one of the foremost voices against the Next Gen car last season. Veteran racer Kevin Harvick lent his fierce disapproval after the officials paid no heed throughout the season. In fact, Hamlin went as far as to suggest the entire model be scrapped and replaced with a Next Gen 2.0 for the 2023 season. NASCAR eventually bowed down to pressure and assured substantial changes before the start of this year. Even though safety features were upgraded, the remaining issues were not addressed.

The matter of cost mentioned with a touch of irony by the JGR driver could not be disregarded. Hall of Famer Dale Jr proclaimed the move unlikely in the near future. Junior was part of the initial testing phase and knew the time and effort that went into such a large-scale alteration. He estimated a newer design in a few years if all stakeholders marked their displeasure in unison.

Read More: NASCAR Insider “Reluctantly” Sides With Rick Hendrick’s Driver After Historic Win

Unfortunately, the conversation surrounding Next Gen cars is restricted to minor tweaks at the moment. But the racing body’s initiative to gather key players in a roundtable collaboration of this nature would go a long way in taking the movement forward.