“You almost expect a mob outside Daytona headquarters”: NASCAR insider warns of fan anger reaching a ‘tipping point’ over Next-Gen cars

NASCAR's latest trip to Watkins Glen produced another showcase of Shane van Gisbergen's road-course dominance. But for NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi, it was another round of frustration over the current Cup Series car.

The 36-year-old New Zealander, in his rookie season, took his fourth consecutive road-course win of 2025, adding to earlier triumphs in Mexico City, Chicago, and Sonoma. He crossed the line more than 11 seconds clear of Christopher Bell, a margin that has become all too familiar this season.

It's part of a wider pattern. When someone dominates a race in the Cup Series right now, they tend to dominate it all the way through. Kyle Larson leads in ovals and Denny Hamlin on short tracks, and van Gisbergen has been untouchable on road courses.

On the Teardown podcast after Watkins Glen, NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck summed up the growing sentiment in the garage.

"If you listen to the Dale Jr. Download... Kevin Harvick's podcast... Denny Hamlin's Actions Detrimental, these three either Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers - people who have driven these cars, who are legends of the sport... they're done with this car. They're very fed up with this car and they sound very frustrated and almost demoralized about it." (17:40 onwards)

The seventh-generation 'Next Gen' Cup Series car, introduced in 2022 with hopes of leveling the field and improving the racing product, is now four seasons old. Optimism has given way to criticism. The car's design generates huge aerodynamic downforce, but creates heavy 'dirty air' for cars behind. The trailing drivers lose grip as a result, and passing is tough, especially on single-groove (racing line) tracks.

The result is predictable: once a race settles into rhythm, positions barely change. The fastest cars can only build small advantages, so drivers push them to the absolute limit to try to gain track position. But in this car, overstepping the limit often leads to an instant spin with no warning. It's a razor-thin margin that frustrates both the mid-pack and the leaders.

Denny Hamlin (11) is towed to the garage during the Brickyard 400 qualifying. Source: Imagn

Jordan Bianchi didn’t hold back on where this could be headed:

"If we haven't hit it yet, we're very close to hitting a tipping point with the fan base where… there's so much anger and animosity and it's like almost to the point, you expect like a mob outside of NASCAR's Daytona headquarters with pitchforks demanding this car go away... It's been bad and it's not getting better." (20:21 onwards)

Fan frustration is already showing in Gluck's weekly post-race poll. Just 28.1% felt Watkins Glen was a good race - the second-lowest rating of the 2025 season so far. And while NASCAR's Elton Sawyer hinted at a potential horsepower increase from 650 to 750 horsepower, critics note that if all cars receive the same boost, the underlying issues won’t be resolved.

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NASCAR Insiders believe tracks are adding to the Next Gen car problems

NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway on August 03, 2025. Source: Getty

The NASCAR Cup Series' 36 races this year span 30 ovals, five road courses, and one street course. The ovals break down into four short tracks, 14 intermediates, and three superspeedways. Of those, intermediates have arguably produced better racing in the Next Gen era, but it hasn’t always meant unpredictable.

Kansas, an intermediate, saw Kyle Larson lead 221 of 267 laps in May. Martinsville, a short track, had Denny Hamlin controlling 274 of 400 laps for his first win of 2025. Even when the layout favors passing, the margins at the front remain overwhelming. Jeff Gluck pointed to the recent schedule stretch as adding to fan fatigue (via The Teardown):

"I think the tracks recently have built this up too, because we've had a huge road course stretch, all which were dominated by SVG... four of the last five ovals have been all fuel mileage races. Then when you get a fuel mileage race, where you can't pass at a short track last week, that irritates everybody and sparks this whole thing. And then you get another road course this week." (23:51 onwards)

And looking ahead, the calendar doesn't promise instant relief, according to Gluck.

Richmond is next, likely bringing a heavy tire-wear strategy. Daytona's regular-season finale will offer its usual superspeedway chaos, but also long stretches of pack riding. Then the playoffs open at Darlington, where April's throwback race saw William Byron lead 243 of 297 laps in a processional affair.

Gluck noted that Bristol remains the lowest-rated race of 2025 in his poll, with Darlington right behind. Watkins Glen now joins them near the bottom. For a sport that thrives on unpredictability and drama, it's a worrying trend. As the voices inside the garage grow louder, NASCAR's challenge is to fix the racing product before fan frustration boils over.