Rick Hendrick’s Insider Gives a List of Demands as Mind-Numbing Talladega Exposes NASCAR
“It’s really hard to get ahead of yourself with this Next-Gen car.” William Byron uttered these words back in 2023, but unfortunately, they hold even in 2025. Rick Hendrick’s driver is a superspeedway master in the Next-Gen era, holding four drafting track wins. He clinched his second Daytona 500 this year after overcoming a last-lap wreck. Despite this overarching success, Byron’s crew chief raised his eyebrows at NASCAR’s innovation after Sunday’s Talladega race.
The Next-Gen car has never gained an excellent reputation since its inception in 2022. Ranging from shocking safety issues to failed cost-cutting measures, NASCAR’s Generation 7 car has had many flaws. But probably the most glaring one surfaced during the Jack Link’s 500 race – the inability to make moves on the track, as Rick Hendrick’s insider observed.
A sincere plea from Rick Hendrick’s crew
Well, the recently concluded race in Talladega was entertaining. It witnessed 67 lead changes among 23 drivers, a telling formula of success. However, underneath this facade lies a bitter truth. Many drivers out front stayed in a two-by-two formation to the finish line, never being able to make a move. In the waning laps, Kyle Larson could have pushed Austin Cindric far enough to cut to the lead, but never could. Denny Hamlin could never get through the iron wall that Ross Chastain created by throwing a block around lap 175. Similarly, William Byron faced a similar dilemma, as he could not push Ryan Preece far enough ahead of the win, which would have lent him a window of opportunity. But Rick Hendrick’s team member has a solution.
Yes, safety should always come first
No, speed is what makes racing exciting
Balance both, but lean towards safety
Balance both, but lean towards speed
Do you think Katherine Legge is unfairly targeted by fans despite not being at fault for the Talladega crash?
Yes, she’s being scapegoated
No, her performance invites criticism
It’s a mix of both
I don’t follow NASCAR closely enough to say
How should NASCAR address the online abuse faced by drivers like Katherine Legge?
Implement stricter penalties for abusive fans
Launch awareness campaigns
Drivers should ignore and focus on racing
It’s part of the sport, nothing can be done
Do you think Tony Stewart’s latest NHRA win solidifies his status as the greatest all-around racer of all time?
Absolutely, he’s unmatched
No, legends like AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti still reign supreme
It’s too soon to tell
I don’t follow NHRA, so I’m not sure
Can Kyle Larson or Christopher Bell become the next Tony Stewart by conquering multiple racing disciplines?
Kyle Larson is well on his way
Christopher Bell has the potential
Both have a shot, but it’s a long road
Neither will reach Stewart’s level
Rudy Fugle, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, has won 13 races with William Byron since 2021. Knowing NASCAR by the pulse from its early Next-Gen days, Fugle knows what to do to fix the problem that Talladega faced. “To me, it’s not easy to drive at all when you’re getting pushed. We’re doing the things, pushing and going really hard, locking bumpers. But if we can get the cars where they’re harder to drive wide open, where you couldn’t lock on very much, that would probably be the best case, and we could get some more movement, more handling, and things like that.” He summed up his points, but added a dilemma as well. “A little bit harder to drive, wide-open, so that you just have to speed the cars up, which then becomes a safety problem.”
Indeed, the Sunday race featured only four cautions – a relatively low number for the rampage that Talladega is usually associated with. So Rick Hendrick‘s insider acknowledged that NASCAR may need to consider both safety and speed. Rudy Fugle continued, “It’s a really, you know, rock, paper, paintball kind of situation. It’s really, really tough for NASCAR and us to say, we want to go 10 miles an hour faster and see what will happen. The only way you’re going to find out is by taking a race…a series of three or four races. None of these races is the same. Daytona had no green-flag cycles till they had some…You have to try a package of three or four races.”
