Steve Phelps makes a big admission about “bigger budget” NASCAR teams, reveals their NextGen supremacy

NASCAR President Steve Phelps has admitted that teams with hefty pockets have the upper hand in extracting superior performance using the NextGen platform of the Cup Series cars. The NextGen cars marked its Cup Series debut in 2022 at the season-opener, Daytona 500.

Since the Gen 7 cars replaced their predecessor, Team Penske has been the dominant force in the Cup Series, securing three consecutive championships. Joey Logano claimed the 2022 title, followed by Ryan Blaney in 2023. Most recently, Team Penske added another championship trophy to their collection.

Since 2022, when the NextGen platform debuted, big-pocketed teams like Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing, to name a few, have showcased dominance. Beginning the 2022 season, Team Penske has aced 15 races, HMS has collected 34 wins, while JGR has bagged 19 victories.

Steve Phelps acknowledged that wealthy teams often find ways to outperform their rivals year after year. A significant factor contributing to this advantage is their ability to invest heavily in R&D, which is crucial for achieving superior performance.

"Year three, you have the bigger budget teams figure something out and really drive. I'd say to some degree that has happened, with two multiple winners like with Larson with six and Joey with four. Those are big budget teams that have come to the top and if you look at our final eight, it was four different organizations, and Final 4 you had three different organizations," Phelps said via EPARTRADE (33:00).

It's worth mentioning that Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin's 23XI Racing was among the title contenders this season, becoming NASCAR's most recently formed organization to fight for a title.

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23XI Racing outperformed veteran NASCAR teams to emerge as a title contender

23XI Racing debuted in NASCAR at the 2021 Daytona 500 with Bubba Wallace behind the #23 Toyota Camry's wheel. In 2022, they expanded to a two-car team and tapped Kurt Busch, Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek, and Daniel Hemric for select races in the #23 and #45 Toyotas.

Tyler Reddick entered the Huntersville-based outfit last year and made the playoff in his maiden season with the team, settling his #45 ride in sixth place. While his teammate Wallace struggled this season and failed to advance for the title fight, Reddick clinched the regular season title and punched his Championship 4 ticket after triumphing in the Homestead-Miami playoff race.

This marked 23XI Racing's first Championship Race entry as Tyler Reddick's three wins, 12 top-5s, and 21 top-10s propelled him further for the ultimate glory.

However, the big-pocketed Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports claimed the podium in the penultimate race with Logano, Blaney, and Byron posting 1-2-3 finishes.

Another newly formed NASCAR Cup Series team is Legacy Motor Club, co-owned by seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. However, compared to 23XI, LMC's John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones had a poor season. The former settled his season in P34 while the latter in P28.