NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps Boldly Declares ‘Next-Gen Era Racing Is Better’ in Court

Senior NASCAR official Steve Phelps made some big revelations and claims during his testimony in the charter lawsuit trail.

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps Boldly Declares ‘Next-Gen Era Racing Is Better’ in Court

Steve Phelps (Via IMAGO)

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Day seven of the NASCAR charter lawsuit trial witnessed some huge testimonies and revelations.  NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps, ECO Jim France and Richard Childress Racing owner Richard Childress were the big names that were on the stand. The crosse-examination of the witnesses were as wild as the whole lawsuit.

One of the most explosive statements of the day came from the Commissioner Steve Phelps and it was about the Next-Gen car. The veteran was asked about what he feels about the controversial seventh generation car, the designs, race product and how it influenced teams’ operations. He insisted that the racing got better and branded it the safest car in motorsport at the moment.

The racing is just better, so it has accomplished what I hoped it would accomplish… I believe this is the safest car in all of motorsports.

Steve Phelps said in court.

There are a lot of arguments that can be made for and against the assertion from the senior NASCAR officials. While the new car has made racing closer than ever, with just the 650 hp and aero issues, racing hasn’t been top notch, especially in the short tracks. But if it’s compared to past design like the COT (Car of Tomorrow) there has been a massive improvement.

Now about safety, there are pros and cons with the 7th gen car. Ryan Preece surviving the massive Daytona flip shows the cars integrity, but at the same time there have been multiple drivers that got serious injury with the car. Kurt Busch was forced to retire after massive concussion, while he was racing for 23XI Racing in 2022, and ironically the same team is suing the sport now.  

The likes of Cody Ware, Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman and Erik Jones had suffered different injuries that made them miss multiple races in the current era as well. These incident shows while the car has seen massive development with regards to safety, it has also created situation that put the drivers in danger.

Steve Phelps got grilled over the charter deal ultimatum

One of the major reasons behind the lawsuit is the charter dela drama from 2024. Towards the end of the that season, after failing to negotiate a proper deal with Race Team Alliance, NASCAR surprised the teams by sending the deal and demanding them to sign it within hours or loose the charters.

Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan (via Newsweek), Steve Phelps (via Getty)
Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan (via Newsweek), Steve Phelps (via imago)

The only two teams that refused to sign were Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing. They went onto file the lawsuit. This ultimatum is one of the biggest pieces of evidence in the teams’ case, as they are using this to credit their narrative that the premier stock car racing series is a monopoly.

The commissioner Phelps, who was the NASCAR leader during the negotiation was asked by 23XI-FRM lawyer Jeffrey Kessler about the deal and the take it or leave it email that was send to them. He read a personal email from the official where he claimed “teams are playing fire” and asserted “pick a date and they can sign or lose charters”. He insisted the same happened and it showed monopoly. Phelps asserted it didn’t happen as it shown here.

SP: That is not what happened

JK: We’ll let the jury decide.

Steve Phelps and Jeffrey Kessler in court.

It was a got you moment that went in favor of the teams. After the latest testimonies, it is believed that the teams have the edge in the case, but it is still unclear whether it enough to earn them a verdict in their favour, along with a massive settlement.

Also Read: Kevin Harvick Delivers Emotional Tribute to His Late Stewart Haas Racing teammate