What made NASCAR Xfinity Series cars better than the Cup machines? Here's what we know

NASCAR Xfinity Series cars are better than the NextGen cars when it comes to the pure stock car racing experience. Prominent drivers like Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed believe the same and shared the technical specifications they feel are better in the Xfinity Series than the Cup Series cars.

Austin Hill highlighted that the NASCAR Xfinity Series cars "are so much fun to drive." They are slightly dependent on aerodynamics, reducing the downforce and side force, allowing you to slip and slide, making it challenging to steer the car.

He added:

"I’ll probably get in trouble for saying this, but the Xfinity Series cars are the best series out there right now. It’s what the Cup guys should be running because they put on a great show no matter what race track you put them on." (via Sportsnaut.com)

Xfinity Series cars relinquish much of the control and depend on the driver's skill set. The race outcome is highly influenced by the drivers, not by the cars compared to the Cup Series. The Joe Gibbs Racing team driver finds Cup Series cars "hard to drive" and "sketchy."

The main attraction point is that, unlike the Cup Series cars, the NASCAR Xfinity Series cars stayed consistent over the years. They have minimal changes and give pure old-school vibes to the drivers and fans. Chandler Smith also shared the same thoughts and said:

"These Xfinity cars drive like the old ARCA cars, and coming from Super Late Models, that was an easier adjustment."

The difference between NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series cars

The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series cars are vaguely different starting with their horsepower. Cup Series cars can pump out 670 horsepower. The difference in HP is not that drastic as the Xfinity Series can put out 650 horsepower, as stated in FloRacing's report.

The major difference between these two cars is present in the gearbox. Cup Series cars have the 5-speed sequential gearbox installed to deliver all the power from the engine to the wheels. On the other hand, the Xfinity Series car has a traditional H-pattern four-speed gearbox, making the car more fun to drive. Until the NextGen era, the Cup Series also had the four-speed H-pattern gearbox.

Both cars' wheels marks one more key difference between them. The NextGen era car uses wide tiers with a single lug nut, making it easier for the crew to change the tires when the driver is in the pit. However, the Xfinity Series still depends on the older NASCAR formula and uses the five-lug nuts tires.

To make the race more dependent on the drivers, the Xfinity Series car made a huge change in the underbody. They are not equipped with rear diffusers to decrease the downforce. That being said, the Cup Series car highly depends on the diffuser to increase downforce and grip on the track.