“We Don’t Race Stock Cars!” Kyle Petty SLAMS Dale Earnhardt Jr. Over Undeserved Next-Gen Car Criticism

Ex-NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Petty isn’t a fan of Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s sports car criticism of the Next-Gen cars.

“We Don’t Race Stock Cars!” Kyle Petty SLAMS Dale Earnhardt Jr. Over Undeserved Next-Gen Car Criticism

Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via IMAGO)

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Since the introduction of the Next-Gen cars in 2022, the criticism of the race cars has gone in overdrive. With the races becoming less entertaining as they used to be and drivers finding it more challenging to even overtake, the criticism of the cars is getting serious. Ex-racer Kyle Petty isn’t a big fan of this criticism which he believes is uncalled for.

Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been one of the ex-racers that has been giving reasonable criticism regarding the cars and recently even he couldn’t hide his frustration. He declared that NASCAR is no-longer stock car racing and with the car, it feels more like Sports car racing like IMSA. These comments didn’t sit well with Kyle Petty.

Seven times Cup Series champion Richard Petty’s son pointed out that Dale Jr. wasn’t right to criticize the car and his assertion about it no longer being stock car racing isn’t correct. He asserted that it’s an undeserved criticism, considering last time a real stock car racing took place was in 1958, when his Grandfather Lee Petty was racing.

We had one of our prominent members of the NASCAR community, Dale Jr., criticize the Next Gen car the other day. I don’t think that criticism is deserved in a lot of ways. We have not raced stock cars since about 1958.

Kyle Petty said via PRN.

The sport and the cars evolved once it becomes a professional series, as since then it’s NASCARs on the track not stock cars. He then highlighted that how complaints about the cars have been one of the most consistent things the sport has seen over the years, from the 70s when tubular chassis was introduced to the day when radial tires was introduced to now the 7th Gen car.

We don’t race stock cars, we race NASCARs. This is the NASCAR car that we have today. People complained in the 70s when they went to tubular chassis. They complained when we went to radial tires. They’ve complained all along as the progression of the cars.

Kyle Petty added.

Kyle Petty explains how Next-Gen car is a major update from old generation

The changes made to the car in every generation not only changed the cars, but massively upgraded the technological aspect of it. He then shifts the focus to the difference between the 6th and 7th Gen cars. The last generation cars were still using antiquated pasts like carburetors and the Next-Gen cars changed it, proving it was already late to change the car.

NASCAR Gateway Cup race
NASCAR Gateway Cup race (via IMAGO images)

We were still racing cars with carburetors when you couldn’t go to your local auto parts store and buy a carburetor. It was an antiquated car that we were racing and people seemed to want to have that antiquated car.

Kyle Petty said.

Further talking about the point, he asserted that how the Next-Gen car was a massive upgrade that was warranted for years and how the racers are now getting forced to adjust with these changes. Petty believes the community needs to embrace this change and believes things are going to change for better.

This car jumped leap years ahead. We have to adjust to it. This is the racing we have. We have to embrace it, enjoy it, we’re seeing some spectacular stuff on the racetrack and I think it’s only going to get better.

Kyle Petty added.

The comments from Kyle Petty are bold, considering though the car had massive upgrades, it isn’t reflected on the race product as everyone expected. NASCAR has to listen to both sides and use the opportunity to make changes to the car, in order to make racing better for everyone involved.

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