Denny Hamlin says that from a racing standpoint, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series cars are better than the next-gen cars. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver finds it harder to pass the new cars, especially in traffic.
The advent of the next-gen cars has made the field of drivers more balanced. The specs of the cars are nearly identical because the components come from a single supplier. But the nature of the next-gen cars has hindered the competitive nature that is the hallmark of NASCAR. With this in mind, drivers cannot pass other cars that are traveling at the same speed as them (Coca-Cola iRacing Series):
“We all know these next-gen cars are terrible in traffic. These are the worst cars in traffic in NASCAR. When we designed the car, we designed a car that would be the worst in traffic ever.”
Denny Hamlin revealed that he asked the relevant authorities if they were sure about the new car before it was released. “Before this car was released, I asked them three times: ‘Are you sure it’s right?’ Before they released the car in December, they took it to the circuit with another car and were like, ‘Oh, there’s a problem.'” I’m not kidding, it’ll take you two years to figure that out. Oh my God, that’s really frustrating.”
Denny Hamlin has won 54 Cup Series races. His accolades include victories at the Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500 and Daytona 500. He has also won seven times at Pocono Raceway. Hamlin’s most recent win was the 2024 Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway in April. He finished with 706 points and is fourth in the Cup Series standings.
Denny Hamlin praises NASCAR Xfinity Series cars
Cup Series and Xfinity Series cars look similar, but they’re different. The differences range from the length of the wheelbase to the amount of downforce the car has, but the biggest difference lies elsewhere.
The difference is that, unlike Cup drivers, Xfinity Series drivers can use the slipstream in a calculated way to manipulate the car in front of them. The car in front of him disrupts the uncontrolled movement of air, creating a zone of low pressure directly over the bumper. Disrupting the air resistance allows the following car to leave the leading car behind. Of the Xfinity cars, Denny Hamlin said:
You can pass them. If you have a good car that can pass you, you get to control the car in front of you instead of being controlled by the car in front of you.
“That’s the big difference,” added the Cup Series regular. “[In] Cup, the closer you get to them the more the car launches. You lose all your downforce. It’s over. In Xfinity, the closer you are to the car in front, the more downforce you lose on the rear axle, and the closer you get to the rear of the car, the more lift you get.”
It takes years of experience and practice, but that’s the essence of racing.
