‘I’m incredibly impressed and optimistic,’ NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon on the Next-Gen cars evening out the grid

‘I’m incredibly impressed and optimistic,’ NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon on the Next-Gen cars evening out the grid

Jeff Gordon (Via IMAGO)

NASCAR community has a complicated relationship with the next generation cars which hit the track in 2022 as some appreciate the radical changes, made with the main objective of making the races more competitive, some don’t because of the reducing speed and mechanical failures such as tire problems surfacing.

Though the traditionally successful teams such as Penske Racing and Hendrick Motorsports won the first 3 round’s 2022, it is evident that there is more competition on the track. The frontrunners are benefitting from the historical advantages in terms of crew and technology they have and it won’t take long before the mid-table teams catch up.

Now Hendrick Motorsport Vice-President and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon has come out expressing his opinion on how the Next-Gen car has been successful in putting back the emphasis on driving skills and ability than just cars performance.

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Find out what Jeff Gordon said

Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordan acknowledges that they have seen great racing so far this season as we saw drivers moving upfront from back and vice versa, as the drivers are forced to rely more on their talent and ability with the cars on edge. He went on to add that he is proud of NASCAR going with the lower downforce, higher horsepower which will put more emphasis on driving skills than the car’s performance.

“I think we’ve seen great racing. I think we’ve seen cars coming from the back to the front, front to the back. We’ve seen where they can race hard. But the cars are on the edge. The drivers are having to show their talent and ability,” Jeff Gordon said.

“I think that was the intent – to have a car that was on a more level playing field. I’m proud of NASCAR going with the lower downforce, higher horsepower for these types of tracks because it does put it more in the drivers’ hands. When you see guys spinning out by themselves, we haven’t seen that in years. You see guys catching it, but yet you can tell they’re still pushing and driving hard,” Jeff Gordon added.

Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones
Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones

The Hall of Famer went on to say he is impressed and optimistic about the Next-Gen car adding he wants to the performance put in by drivers such as what Erik Jones and Tyler Reddick had been so far this season.

“I’m incredibly impressed and optimistic about what this car has to bring throughout the season as these guys continue to work on it. It’s also great to see fresh faces and names upfront. We saw it with Tyler Reddick last week (and) Erik Jones. This week Ross Chastain was incredibly impressive. I hope we see more of that,” says Jeff Gordon.

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