NASCAR insiders, Leigh Diffey react to Roger Penske Next Gen car comments

Roger Penske had some interesting things about the NextGen car, and two NASCAR insiders and NASCAR broadcaster Leigh Diffey weighed in on the comments. On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Diffey, Freddie Kraft, and Tommy Baldwin reacted to Penske saying the NextGen car has “enhanced on-track racing” for his team and others.

“I would say that if I was Roger Penske,” Baldwin said. “I’m not going to go really against what he says of efficiencies. But I’m not too sure about it to be honest with you. I would look at that section. Yes, savings is a little bit better. But I think in other areas, the money has been spent, rather than the car section, the engineer section, the tools, all that stuff. I haven’t seen it.”

Diffey said he doesn’t have a problem with the NextGen car. “For what we do in the business of sport and entertainment, it’s fine,” Diffey said. “I hear what everybody says, I hear what the drivers say, I certainly see what the fans say about it. But has there ever been the perfect race car to fit the economics of the sport or to satisfy the drivers to a tee? I don’t think there has been in any series.”

NASCAR insdiers share more on Roger Penske’s NextGen comments

Kraft said the NextGen car doesn’t bring parity to NASCAR because the same teams are on top every season. “The car was designed for parity, and we saw that the first year,” Kraft stated. “We saw a lot of different winners. But now, as we go on, the cream is rising to the top.”

Roger Penske made the statements on the NextGen car while defending the charter system for the case between NASCAR and the teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. In his statement, Penske said, “In addition to cost efficiencies, the Next Gen car has enhanced on-track racing for our team and certainly others.”

It’s easy for Penske to say that since Team Penske drivers have won the last three NASCAR Cup Series championships. On the podcast, Kraft and Baldwin talked about Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing being the teams that have found success with the NextGen car since they are the top three teams in the sport. Proof of that is that the eight remaining drivers in the playoffs this year are from those three teams.