Elton Sawyer says NASCAR wants “the best thing” with short track package

Following the Bristol Motor Speedway race, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer defended the short track package amid the Next-Gen car era. He said the sanctioning body looks for ways to improve this type of racing, including regularly calling for all-driver meetings.

During the Food City 500, Kyle Larson dominated the field, leading 411 of 500 laps before winning the race. The short track race also only had four lead changes and three cautions, two of which were standard stage breaks. With that in mind, the race last Sunday could be deemed uneventful.

Per NASCAR Insider Joseph Srigley on X, Elton Sawyer spoke about the initiative to resolve the issues with the short track package.

"We're all in this together, and we all want the same thing. We all want the best product, the best racing on the racetrack, and if someone has an idea, we're all ears," Srigley quoting Sawyer.

Since the introduction of Next-Gen cars in 2022, NASCAR drivers claim wheeling the racecars has become easier. This, along with a lowered horsepower rating and the use of single-source manufacturers, affected the short track package, arguably causing cars to follow each other and limit passing.

The tire package is another factor affecting the racing product at Bristol Motor Speedway. The practice and qualifying sessions last weekend saw severe tire wear, cooking the tires as early as 30 laps. However, the race had a different tire situation, with Kyle Larson gapping the field in one set of rubbers before pitting on lap 134.

Kyle Larson (#5) leading the race at Bristol Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

The Food City 500 is the first of two stops at the 0.533-mile track. The latter (night race) is scheduled for a Round of 16 finale on September 13.

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"You cannot pass": Denny Hamlin shared initial impression of driving the NASCAR Next-Gen car

After veteran NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin bought a charter amid the Next-Gen car era, the 23XI Racing owner was surprised by the drivability. He thought the cars were "bad," saying passing was difficult, which was different from what he expected after taking NASCAR's word for it.

In an episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said:

"The very first team owner meeting that I was ever in, I just bought a charter. I said, 'Are you sure this car is ready to race at all types of different racetracks?' ... 'Are we sure we've got it right?' 'Yes' (NASCAR responded). I said, 'Okay, I believe you. I have no reason not to."

After the Next-Gen car was introduced on the track despite the lack of extensive testing, the now 56-time Cup race winner recalled:

"At that moment is when we all realized, 'Holy sh*t, you cannot pass.' It was really, really bad."

Denny Hamlin has been 23XI Racing's team co-owner, along with NBA legend Michael Jordan, since the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team currently fields two cars driven by Bubba Wallace (#23) and Tyler Reddick (#45).