Roger Penske claimed that NASCAR‘s Next Gen car had reduced costs and improved racing for Team Penske in a bombshell revelation amid the governing body’s bitter antitrust lawsuit with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. 23XI and FRM’s legal battle with NASCAR is still ongoing and isn’t likely to be settled until later this year, where they have accused the governing body of monopolistic practices, an unfair charter system, and alleged anti-competitive practices.
23XI and FRM were the only two Cup Series teams not to sign up to NASCAR’s latest charter agreement. In an official declaration, Team Penske owner Roger Penske weighed in on the lawsuit, dividing opinion, after claiming that Next Gen has reduced costs for his NASCAR outfit since its debut in 2022 and that it has improved the on-track racing product for every team on the field.
“Since the Next Gen car began racing in 2022, Team Penske’s Cup Series race car costs have been reduced due to a smaller number of race cars in the fleet and a lesser volume of parts replacements. In addition to cost efficiencies, the Next Gen car has enhanced on-track racing for our team and certainly others,” he stated.
However, several of Penske’s competitors have disagreed and been vocally critical of NASCAR’s Next Gen car and the expenses it carries.
Justin Marks, the team owner of Trackhouse Racing, addressed Penske’s assertion a year ago on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio long before the recent lawsuit declaration. He said: “What I think is… Everybody didn’t quite anticipate that the car would not reduce the cost to go racing.
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“It just moved the cost centers around on the financials. It’s like, we don’t run the fab shop like we used to, obviously, but we have taken that cost and put it in other areas.”
Richard Childress, owner of RCR, also echoed similar comments on Lights Out with Johnny Roberts back in August. “I think the business model has a long way to go before it’ll work good for the car owners. This car came out being much, much more expensive than any of us thought it would be,” he said.
Fans have also criticized Penske’s thoughts on the Next Gen car. Team Penske has won the NASCAR Cup Series championship every year since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, with Joey Logano winning in 2022 and 2024, and Ryan Blaney in 2023.
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“Gee a guy who has won the last 3 championships likes the car.. who knew,” one fan said on social media. “He lost me at the part about the NextGen car and it’s ‘enhanced’ racing… that last statement invalidates everything he said before that,” another remarked.
“Quite literally everyone else in the industry has said cost are exactly the same if not more,” a third reacted. “How is the racing enhanced?! Most weeks the Xfinity race is the best race of the weekend,” a fourth fumed.