Chris Gabehart explains how to make the next generation car better

NASCAR is in the middle of the third year of the next-gen car era, a car specifically designed to level the playing field.

Although parity was the goal and it was achieved, established teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have continued to rise to the top. Drivers from these three teams have combined to win 15 of 18 races this season, with Penske winning the last two championships.

Chris Gabehart, Denny Hamlin’s crew chief, said on Kevin Harvick’s “Happy Hour” podcast this week that the reason the best teams continue to move up is because the car’s revisions have made it “too easy” for them.

Chris Gabehart discusses parity in the next-gen era

“When I look at the stated goal of parity, which is that every driver can buy the same parts for every team and have the same chance to win a race, I think that’s a great stated goal,” Gabehart said. “The problem is that physics gets in the way. And the leading car is going to have an advantage over the second place car, and it’s measurable. And so on and so forth for the rest of the field. If you can’t overcome that disadvantage, then you’re actually tying up all the drivers and all the teams in a battle to execute. It just becomes a race of quality control – Monday through Sunday.

“So in my opinion we need to make it harder. I think that’s by adding more horsepower or reducing the tire footprint, which I think we could do by the way. With all the changes we’ve made to this car, it would be a big deal to make a wheel two inches narrower on the inside and reduce the tire footprint. We’ve simply created an imbalance in the horsepower to grip ratio. Take away 100 horsepower. We’ve got wider tires and independent rear suspension, we’ve increased grip and reduced horsepower. That’s too easy for you. That’s too easy for the race teams. And that’s why the physics disadvantage you have because of your setup on the track depending on the scenario is harder to overcome.

“Now you can see that the best teams are still coming out. It’s interesting, I do a survey every week on how you park in the garage. How you park in the garage every week is kind of a litmus test of how you’re doing. I had two Hendrick cars to my left, one to my right and two Toyotas to the right of that one. Pretty telling that the best teams are still coming out. But it looks like it’s harder than ever to pass. And I think that’s just because it’s a little too easy.”

Chris Gabehart summarizes Denny Hamlin’s 2024 season

One of those teams that consistently runs up front is the No. 11 team. Hamlin has three wins this season and is currently third in the points standings. Although recent results have been less than convincing, Gabehart is happy with where they are at the halfway point of the 2024 season.

“I think we’re at a really high level in terms of capability. But as you mentioned, in the Gen 7 era, mistakes can be tolerated more than ever by the driver, by the team, by the circumstances on the race track,” Gabehart said. “Maybe it’s not even your fault, but when you get sucked into it, it’s so hard to recover from it. I think we’re right where we need to be, and we’re capable of having really good days, we just need to be able to see them through to the end.”