"It ended up costing all of us a lot": When Richard Childress admitted NASCAR’s Next-Gen car failed to cut costs

In 2023, Richard Childress touched upon how NASCAR's efforts to cut costs with the Next Gen cars fell flat. In an interview, the owner of Richard Childress Racing stated that the teams were yet to find a fix for it and looked for ways to reduce the operating cost of a NASCAR team.

In 2022, NASCAR introduced the Next Gen car to improve overall racing and reduce the operating cost. It was also known as the Gen-7 car, a further evolution of the Generation 6, which included better aerodynamics and dynamics packages.

The car received impressive feedback both from drivers and fans, as it made racing more intense. However, the Gen-7 car also had vulnerabilities with wheel and short-track performances. Amid these, the issue that hampered the teams the most was the cost of managing these cars. The cost of operating a one-team car is around $20 million in today's day and age. Therefore, for a team with three to four Cup Series entries, along with multiple Xfinity and Truck Series entries, the budget can exceed $100 million.

"You know, with this new car, it ended up costing all of us a lot more than we ever thought it would,” Childress said. “There were different costs, and the saving points haven’t happened. So, we’ve got some challenges. But it’s like everything when you have a challenge; you’ve got to find the fix for it,” Childress was quoted as saying by the podiumfinish.net.

The 2025 Cup Series season will see the Next Gen cars start their fourth consecutive season in NASCAR. Original Equipment Manufacturers such as Chevrolet brought in the Camaro ZL1 model, while Ford and Toyota introduced Mustang's Dark Horse and Camry's XSE variants, respectively.

Richard Childress runs RCR - one of NASCAR's most renowned teams since its inception. The team saw its golden days when the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. wreaked havoc on the track with the #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet in the 1980s.

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Richard Childress was optimistic about Next Gen car's potential

While Richard Childress was far from content with how expensive things turned out to be with the Next Gen car instead of it being a cost-cutting move, the owner of RCR was optimistic about the new generation cars in the long run.

Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing with the #8 Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas - Imagn Images

Speaking about the potential and profitability of the Next Gen car, Childress said in the same interview with The Podium Finish,

“The profits are not there today, but I think there are ways that if we get the right situation with NASCAR, it’s going to be good," Childress said.

"You know, we’ve got another year or two to get this car going and to get it worked out. We’re gaining every race on making it a better car. And I think there is a time that we’re going to have to look at going forward with maybe international," he added.

Currently, Richard Childress' RCR fields two full-time cars (Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch) and one part-time car (Will Brown) in the Cup Series. In the Xfinity Series, RCR fields two full-time (Jesse Love, and Austin Hill) and one part-time car (Kasey Kahne).