Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace has pushed back on a growing chorus of fans who say modern NASCAR cars are no longer true stock cars.The NASCAR Next Gen car, launched in 2022, included an independent rear suspension in place of the traditional solid rear axle. The car now has a sealed underbody, larger brakes, a rear diffuser, and adjustable aero pieces. Some fans criticize that some of these parts and systems are more like sports cars than traditional stock vehicles. They argue that the connection between the race car and what's on the street has faded and that race cars carry only the manufacturer's name and shape, but are very different underneath.During a recent episode of 'Coffee With Kenny,' Wallace debunked the claim and explained how race cars and street cars are linked by giving an example of his wife's new car."I looked at my wife's brand new 2025 Chevrolet Suburban, I looked underneath of it, and did you know it has independent suspension all the way around it? Did you know the rear of my wife's Suburban is just like the rear of a NASCAR stock car? Same thing," Walace said (06:50 onwards)."NASCAR stock car is stock. And guys, we can't go back to 1970, okay? We can't because that's not the way they build cars anymore. The carburetor is gone for the most part. I mean, everybody's still got straight axles in the rear, but independent suspension is the way a lot of these, you know, rear independent suspension. A lot of these cars don't have straight axles anymore," he added (8:55 onwards).Kyle Petty also called out Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s criticism of the Next Gen car in August.Dale Earnhardt Jr. points out the NASCAR Next Gen car's aero flawNext Gen critique is not new, especially from former Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. He renewed his criticism of NASCAR's Next Gen car and pointed out a significant aerodynamic flaw. Earlier this month, he said, when a car follows another too closely, the disturbed "dirty air" makes it hard to pass in corners.Following the Cup Series playoff race at Kansas Speedway, he warned the Next Gen car undermines passing on his Dale Jr. Download podcast."One thing I do not love about the Next Gen car is how bad the air is when a car gets behind another car. We saw a couple moments in that race where they’re all trying to avoid each other's wake when they go down in the corner," Jr. said.The JR Motorsports team owner had earlier flagged other issues with the diffuser and low-profile tires. He also shared that the reduced power makes the car more like a road-race car and less like a stock car.