NASCAR Legend Kyle Petty came under fire from fans after the eight-time Cup Series winner defended the current NextGen cars amid heavy criticism from the likes Dale Earnhardt Jr..
The current generation of cars has been the subject of heated debate subsequently, not helped by the fact that they were outqualified by ARCA cars at Iowa Speedway, leading to Kevin Harvick’s embarrassment.
After the Iowa Corn 350, which ended up being won by William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletEarnhardt Jr. said on his Dale Jr.Download podcast, “I don’t like the NextGen car. I don’t like (that) it’s an IMSA car, it’s a sports car, it has a diffuser, it has low profile tires, it has big rims and brakes, and it’s a sports car.”
“It’s not a NASCAR stock car. But it’s here. Everybody’s invested. There’s millions of dollars on the road already, and the cars here, they’re on the track, they’re not changing, they’re not going anywhere.”
He also criticized the lack of tire sag and the difficulty with which NextGen cars pass, two common complaints within the NASCAR community.
In response to Earnhardt’s comments and other criticism of NextGen cars, Petty said after Shane van Gisbergen wins at Watkins Glen On Sunday, he didn’t think such comments were “deserved in many ways.”
“We haven’t raced stock cars since about 1958. We don’t race stock cars, we race NASCAR,” he said. “This is the NASCAR car we have today. People were complaining in the ’70s when they moved to tubular chassis. They were complaining when we were switching to radial tires. They were complaining from the beginning, as the cars progressed (continued).
“We were still racing carburetors when you couldn’t go to your local auto parts store and buy a carburetor. It was an outdated car that we were racing, and people seemed to want to have this outdated car. This car has taken a leap of years. We have to adapt to it. Aerodynamics is a problem, but it’s been a problem since 1982. So I don’t want to hear it anymore…
“This is the race we have. We have to embrace it, enjoy it, we are seeing spectacular things on the track, and I think it will only get better.”
Petty’s forceful defense of NextGen cars sparked numerous comments from his followers on social media, many challenging his stance.
“No one is asking for this car to have a carburetor,” one fan said. “We are asking NASCAR to make simple changes to maintain the spirit of racing. A trailing car should not pull into the wall when driving in the slipstream of another car.”
A second commented: “@kylepetty sorry you are wrong, if you like that extra power, but not us fans! FYI you can always buy carburetors at a local auto parts store.”
While another added: “I don’t agree with this 100%. If there was a way to modify the Gen4 car to make it safer while still having similar cars it would be much better than the racing we have now. Hell, even the Gen7 car puts this new car to shame.”
The Cup Series is set to head to another short track Saturday for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, potentially setting the stage for another tough race for advocates of NextGen cars, who have continually struggled at such tracks.
