Kyle Busch’s frustration with NASCAR’s Next Gen car reached a boiling point ahead of the 2025 Martinsville race. The two-time Cup Series champion said short-track racing has stalled under the standardized vehicle design, reigniting debate over the sport’s direction.
While rivals Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott praise recent tire improvements, Busch says the Next Gen era has stripped drivers of strategic creativity. His take highlights a growing divide — veterans struggling to adapt and a new generation embracing uniformity.
Kyle Busch’s Scathing Take on Next Gen Cars’ Short-Track Limitations
Busch’s frustration centers on the car’s engineering. “When everybody figures out the best way to skin the cat, there’s only one way to skin the cat,” Busch said after comparing setup notes with Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon. He argues teams now operate within razor-thin margins.
“Half a tenth is a lot. If you’re running within half a tenth of somebody and trying to preserve tire, it’s about near impossible to do.”
Has the racing improved on short tracks with the Next Gen car?@KyleBusch: “No, the racing has definitely not gotten better with the Next Gen at short tracks.” #NASCAR
📹@PitLaneCPT @stephen_stumpf pic.twitter.com/A4Dr6W0PN8— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) March 22, 2025
The numbers back him up. Since the Next Gen car’s 2022 debut, Busch has just four top-10 finishes in 17 short-track races — a big drop for the veteran driver. His 62-race winless streak continues despite switching from Toyota to Chevrolet in 2023.
Busch also took aim at expanding Goodyear’s option tire program. While the softer compound helped early on with strategy, he warns full adoption would backfire.
“When everybody’s on the same stuff, you all fall off within the same five laps of one another. You can save your stuff a little bit,” he said.
“Eventually, everybody is going to figure out how to attack this car and what makes it go fast.”
Hamlin, Elliott Defend Goodyear Tires Amid Busch’s Frustrations
Not everyone shares Busch’s pessimism. Hamlin credits the option tire with helping short tracks, pointing to Ryan Preece’s 23-spot surge at Phoenix.
“I think that the tire has helped quite a bit,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said on his podcast.
“It’s been an evolution, though, because like I talked about, when the disparity from the fastest car to the slowest car was much bigger when we started next-gen.”
Elliott agreed, telling reporters the softer tire “seems like it’s better, for sure. And it seems like it’s large in part to the tire, truthfully.”
But Busch says the tire tweaks just mask deeper problems. Hamlin’s former crew chief, Chris Gabehart — now JGR’s technical director — even took a shot at the pro-tire crowd.
“Summary: He’s a fan of getting to participate for the win via the Caution Lottery,” Gabehart wrote on X, replying to RCR’s Richard Boswell, who defended the option tires. “I’m a fan of the option tire being the standard tire, and something even softer being the option.”
The divide goes beyond tires. Hamlin and Elliott represent drivers adjusting to the Next Gen’s technical limits. Busch reflects the veterans — like Kevin Harvick — who built careers on mechanical skill and strategy.
As NASCAR heads to Martinsville’s paperclip oval, one question lingers: Can tradition coexist with progress, or is the sport’s soul shifting gears?
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
