If NASCAR’s new short-track package fails to improve the racing this weekend at Phoenix, how much longer will NASCAR ignore the drivers and stakeholders?
Since its inception in 2022, the NextGen or Generation Seven NASCAR Cup Series racecar has not performed to expectations on short tracks. With a new suspension design, bigger tires and brakes, and a sequential transmission, it drastically changed compared to the previous generation racecar. Drivers would publicly state how mistakes did not matter anymore. Drivers who missed the corner at Martinsville could simply just downshift into a lower gear and throttle out of the corner with no positions lost.
NASCAR understood the problems with the car and took steps over the offseason to remedy these problems. Following the championship race, a three-day test was held at Phoenix to test different parts to improve racing. Different underbody aero parts were run and Goodyear brought new tires to test. Defending champion Ryan Blaney told NASCAR.com that he could immediately tell the car handled differently. He also commented on the lack of downforce from the new splitter.