Kyle Larson: Next Gen car has “limited us from winning” in NASCAR
The Hendrick Motorsports driver feels he would have been more successful with NASCAR’s previous car.
Kyle Larson has claimed he would have won 50 races in the NASCAR Cup Series had the championship not introduced the Next Gen car in 2022.
Larson, the driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet, made that comment after scoring his 30th career victory at Homestead-Miami last weekend.
The Californian has already won 14 races with the Next Gen car, making him the most successful driver by race wins in the latest era of the Cup Series.
While the 32-year-old feels his crew has done a fine job adapting to new machinery, he thinks he could have added another 20 wins to his tally had NASCAR continued with the Gen-6 chassis in which he won his maiden title in 2021.
“I think if we would still have the 2021 car, I would have about 50 Cup wins right now. I think switching to this car has limited us from winning,” he said in Miami.
“I don’t know. I think just being with a good team and being able to adapt to new things is something you try to pride yourself on.
“I think that’s an area where the 5 team really excels and the 24 [Alex Bowman] as well. I think we probably share or are top two in most Next Gen wins. Young, adaptable drivers and teams.
“Yeah, they’re difficult cars to drive, though. You have to run really hard, and I think that probably benefits a guy like myself.”
Larson sits second in the championship standings following his maiden success of 2025 in Miami, 36 points behind teammate and Daytona 500 winner William Byron.
Bowman sits just three points adrift in third, making it a 1-2-3 for Hendrick Motorsports, while Chase Elliott holds sixth place in the table despite failing to score a podium this year.
This means all Hendrick Motorsports drivers sit inside the top six spots in the standings following the first six of 36 points-paying races.
“It’s very impressive to have four in the top six. That’s extremely tough to do,” said Larson.
“Although it’s early in the year, I still think that’s something to be proud of at HMS.
Everybody works really hard. You’re always constantly trying to get better and evolve your race cars and evolve your team and the processes.
“I think all four teams do have a good process, and we all work really well together.
“Outside of HMS too, the key partners, they’re very helpful and getting to work with them and all that. You want to be better.
“And although I feel like we’re four of the top six, I don’t think that any of us are like the best car currently. There’s still a lot of work to do to get to where we need to be and just trying to get better each and every week.”
