Christopher Bell shares a similar theory with many of his NASCAR Cup Series peers in suggesting that the current level of driving standards is a reflection of the current generation race car.
The NextGen is a figurative tank, at least compared to all the generations that came before it, in that it can take a pounding and still continue. For example, Ross Chastain was able to slam into the wall at Martinsville in October 2022 and drive full-throttle into it all the way around half of the track with no consequence.
William Byron climbed Brad Keselowski late in the race and both drove away and that couldn’t happen in any other racing discipline, either.
Bell says, the moment he and his peers realized this car could take that kind of punishment, it resulted in the really aggressive, cutthroat form of racing that is prominent during green-white-checkers but especially on road courses like Sunday at Watkins Glen.
It’s a sentiment discussed already this week by Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano in response to scathing comments from Martin Truex Jr. after the Go Bowling at The Glen.
“The biggest thing that I have noticed as far as respect on the track and etiquette is that it really changed, probably, midway through the 2022 season,” Bell said. “The NextGen car came out and it, as we started to run it, we drivers learned how durable it is.
“You’re able to get away with contact and not damage your car and hinder your own race. It has definitely enticed people, especially on the road courses, to make sure you’re the one on offense and not defense.
“Before, if you were to bump guys or rough them up, you’d have a tire rub and end up on pit road. Since the introduction of the NextGen, it hasn’t been that way. For me, that 2021 to 2022 season was where the transition started.”
So then, is it up to the drivers or NASCAR to begin policing race craft?
“It’s a good question and I don’t know how to answer that because, frankly, we’re not going to get all 36 of us on board with the same policy, especially if it isn’t policed by anybody,” Bell said. “I don’t like gray area rules.
“But on the other hand, I don’t like what we’ve had, especially on the road courses since the NextGen has been figured out. I don’t know what the answer is but I would be in favor of something to keep driving standards more in line and keeping the racing product professional with less crashing.”
