When NASCAR brought out the Next Gen car in 2022, it promised fans a bold, game-changing future. This new car, dubbed Generation Seven, was meant to level the playing field, cut team costs, and bring back pack racing. But now, here we are in 2025—and let’s just say things haven’t exactly gone the way they hoped.
At first, everything sounded great. A sleek new design, fairer competition, safer racing, better action. But three seasons later, fans are still waiting for that excitement to show up.
Instead, we’ve gotten a car that looks good in the shop but feels kind of broken once it hits the track. And, from drivers to crew chiefs to diehard fans—aren’t shy about saying it out loud.
Clean Air, Dirty Racing
Let’s talk about the racing itself. If you only watch races on 1.5-mile ovals like Kansas or Charlotte, you might think this car isn’t all that bad. But once it rolls into places like Martinsville or Bristol—tracks that used to bring fireworks—it’s like someone hit the snooze button.
It’s just flat boring and predictable.
One of the biggest gripes is it’s way too hard to pass. And that’s a huge problem when you’re trying to put on a show. These cars are almost too perfect. They don’t wear tires like they used to. They don’t slide around as much. Drivers barely make mistakes anymore because the car’s too stable.
And we’ve got shifting now on short tracks, which sounds cool, but it actually makes it harder to make moves. Everyone’s just downshifting into corners and gassing it out like they’re on a video game. The battles that used to come from raw car control are just not there.
The horsepower has been reduced to a mere 670, a move which was obviously hated by many. That might sound fast, but it’s not enough to make these cars dance. There’s not enough throttle response, not enough wheelspin, not enough of that good old chaos we used to love.
Another big headache is something called “dirty air.” The way the Next Gen car builds downforce mostly from underneath makes following another car a nightmare. Once a driver is stuck behind another, they experience a lot of turbulent air which messes with the grip, due to extensive tire wear. It’s a problem Formula One fans know all too well, but now it’s hit NASCAR hard.
Safety Issues, Wild Crashes and What’s Next for NASCAR
Now let’s get serious for a second—safety. When the Next Gen car was introduced, NASCAR said it would be the safest one ever. But that claim got tested real fast.
Kurt Busch’s crash at Pocono took him out of full-time racing. Alex Bowman had a similar scare, which rattled him. NASCAR responded with some changes to the rear clip and crumple zones, which have definitely helped.
Still, the issues aren’t over. Since this car showed up, there have been seven blowovers. Ryan Preece’s flip at Daytona this year was very scary. His car literally wheelied and went airborne. And Josh Berry flipped too, even after NASCAR added that rear windshield wind deflector.
A lot of the blame seems to land on the diffuser underneath the car. That thing traps air like a parachute, and once a car spins backward at speed, it’s ready for take-off. It’s like NASCAR traded old problems for a whole new set of scary ones.
NASCAR deserves credit for trying something new. It takes guts to overhaul the sport like that. But this Next Gen car clearly isn’t doing what it was meant to do. It’s not delivering the side-by-side action we miss. It’s not keeping drivers as safe as promised. And it’s definitely not making the fans jump out of their seats.
Maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Whether that means big changes to this car or moving on to something better, like a Generation Eight car. Because right now, this car just isn’t cutting it—and people are starting to notice.