NASCAR fans hoping for an entirely new Cup Series car may have to wait a lot longer than expected.
NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell indicated that a Gen 8 car is not on the horizon, making it clear that the sport has no immediate plans to replace the Next Gen car. Instead, NASCAR is expected to focus on smaller adjustments and improvements to its current platform.
Speaking about the future of the sport, O’Donnell defended the Next Gen car and pointed to several positive developments that have taken place since its introduction.
“You have many new owners that have come into the sport. You have an ownership landscape that is much healthier than it was before. You have Dodge entering the sport. You have other OEMs who are looking at it, and you have pretty good racing,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell also emphasized the financial impact that comes with developing an entirely new generation of race cars. According to him, introducing a Gen 8 would bring significant costs and additional challenges for teams, manufacturers and the overall industry.
“So for us, we want a sustainable model for the industry, a Gen 8 or next gen car comes with all kinds of costs and all kinds of different things,” O’Donnell explained.
Rather than starting over, NASCAR appears committed to making adjustments to the current car where necessary.
“I’m confident in our guys and the industry and the OEMs to tweak what we have where necessary, but also be pretty confident in our drivers going out there and having the ability to go win races and put on some pretty darn good competition,” he added.
The Next Gen car has been a major talking point since its introduction, with drivers, teams and fans continuing to debate its handling, racing product and overall performance.
While there is still room for improvement, O’Donnell’s comments suggest NASCAR believes the benefits of keeping the current platform outweigh the costs of developing an entirely new one.
With Dodge preparing to enter the Cup Series and additional manufacturers reportedly keeping an eye on the sport, NASCAR appears more interested in building on its current foundation than starting from scratch.
For now, a Gen 8 car does not appear to be anywhere close to becoming a reality. NASCAR’s message is clear: expect tweaks to the Next Gen, not an entirely new car anytime soon.