Once upon a time in NASCAR, short tracks were the gritty, glorious heart of the sport. Places like Martinsville, Richmond, and Bristol weren’t just racetracks; they were coliseums. Tempers flared, bumpers bashed, and legends were made in the tight confines of these bullrings. Remember Jeff Gordon vs. Rusty Wallace at Bristol in ‘02? It was the birthplace of BUMP and RUN.
That kind of fireworks made short tracks iconic. But now, those beloved brawls feel like a distant memory. The modern Next-Gen car, hyped as NASCAR’s big equalizer, just can’t deliver the same magic on these smaller ovals. At least, that’s what industry voices are saying. And this weekend at Bristol, one insider floated a wildly expensive fix. Sadly, this one might be the only way to save NASCAR’s historical proving ground.
The car problem that’s killing NASCAR’s short track racing
Short track racing is what NASCAR was built on. Tracks like Bowman Gray, Bristol, and Martinsville are where legends learned the ropes. Short tracks also provide the stepping stone for drivers to make the jump from Xfinity to Cup, as seen with Jesse Love, who made his Cup Series debut at Bristol on Sunday. However, even he was vocal about the tire compound and the lack of passing options after the race.
The frustration was loud and clear after Bristol. “I don’t think you can fix it with this car. This car is not designed for short track racing… It’s this car. The car sucks at short tracks.” Jeff Gluck declared on the Teardown podcast with Jordan Bianchi. He’s not wrong. The Next-Gen car, introduced to even the playing field in 2022, has completely neutered short-track racing. It’s aero-dependent, clunky in traffic, and takes the life out of once-electric bullring battles.
Sunday’s Bristol race proved it. Kyle Larson dominated the night, leading a dominant 411 of 500 laps, sweeping both stages, and eventually winning it. That left barely any room for overtakes, let alone the bruising, side-by-side action Bristol’s famous for. “This wasn’t the antithesis of Bristol,” Jordan Bianchi noted. “You do want to have closer action. You do want to have moments where people are putting bumpers to each other and have that physicality.” But with this car, tight battles have become rare exceptions, not the rule.
Even the few bumpers traded late in the race felt empty. Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer noted on the FS1 broadcast how little physicality we saw. NASCAR Insider Eric Estepp put it bluntly, stating, “I’d rather sit through a dozen mid-2010s Pocono races than be forced to watch another Bristol race.” Jeff Gluck warned, “Unless you overhaul the car, I don’t know how you fix it.” And the grim reality? A complete car revamp isn’t on the horizon. Why? Obviously, it’s going to cost a lot to go back to the drawing board and come up with something new.
Passing, even through slower traffic, was a nightmare. “Aero-sensitive, hard to even get through slower traffic,” Bianchi pointed out. And he’s spot on. Drivers repeatedly complained about being stuck in line, unable to make a move without burning up tires or losing momentum. It wasn’t just a one-off issue. It’s been a season-long trend on short tracks. But is this issue only limited to short tracks? And haven’t we seen dominant victories at Bristol before the Next-Gen era?
Sep 16, 2023; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (24) and driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) and driver Alex Bowman (48) during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
The answer to the first question is ‘no’, according to Jordan Bianchi. “But it is just short tracks? We’re coming off a race at Darlington where, largely kind of the same one driver dominated, hard to pass… We’ve seen it at Phoenix; we’ve seen it at other size tracks, too. Is it just a short-track thing? It doesn’t seem like it’s just a short-track thing anymore.” The Darlington race also saw William Byron sweep both stages as he led the first 243 laps of the race. While he did lose the race because of late cautions, it highlighted how even a track like Darlington faces such issues with the Next-Gen car. However, dominant wins like Larson’s at Bristol are not new to NASCAR.
Kyle Busch had eight wins at Bristol before the Next-Gen era, and a lot of them were won by leading over 300 laps. Rowdy was notoriously impeccable at ‘The Last Great Colosseum’ and even swept the weekend on two occasions, 2010 and 2017. After Larson won the fall race in 2024 by leading over 450 laps, he faced a lot of backlash due to the nature of the tire and the dominance of the car. He simply responded on X that year, writing, “All this tire wear talk about Bristol got me wondering… Have we ever had a lot tire wear at Bristol besides the spring of 24? Eh, not much of any.” However, while Bristol has also been a one-driver dominated track in the past, it doesn’t excuse the limitations of the Next-Gen car when it comes to passing.
Some insiders feel that NASCAR has made its bed. “This is what happens when you don’t gimmick up things. You’re going to have the best driver in the team, you know, show flex their muscle,” one unnamed crew chief told Bianchi at the race. When there are no manufactured cautions or lucky dogs to reset the field, the fastest car runs away. And with this car, it’s happening at tracks where unpredictability was once guaranteed.
Can Richmond and Iowa break the cycle?
Up next on the schedule are two more short-track tests: Richmond Raceway and the brand-new addition, Iowa Speedway. Traditionally, Richmond’s known for nail-biting finishes and late-race drama. Who could forget Carl Edwards’ classic bump-and-run on teammate Kyle Busch in 2016? But with this current car, fans fear those moments might be history.
Iowa Speedway finally joins the Cup Series calendar this season, and anticipation’s been high. Its 0.875-mile layout has produced thrilling Xfinity and Truck Series battles for years. Yet, doubts linger. If the Next-Gen car struggles on Bristol’s high banks and Phoenix’s flat corners, what chance does Iowa have of delivering the chaos fans crave? Drivers and insiders alike have voiced concerns. Richmond’s recent Cup races have turned into strategy-heavy affairs with little on-track action. Clean air dominates and overtakes grow scarce as the tires fall off. That’s not what fans want from short tracks.
Iowa could be the wildcard. Its progressive banking and unique shape offer a glimmer of hope. But the car’s aerodynamics remain a hurdle. If drivers can’t maneuver in dirty air or use multiple grooves, even Iowa’s promising debut could disappoint. NASCAR needs these next two tracks to break the cycle, or they risk losing more of what built the sport’s reputation.
What do you think of the short track situation with the Next-Gen car? Let us know in the comments!
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