Mixing Texas Motor Speedway and the NASCAR Next Gen car is never an enjoyable thought for race fans. However today, it resulted in a Coke and Mentos like explosion that’s only enjoyable if you enjoy watching things blow up. 

Early in the weekend, Joey Logano said during practice that it was going to be a struggle to pass and the eventual race winner couldn’t have been more on the money. 

If you want a recap of today’s race here it is: laps on laps of single file driving with an occasional pass until someone pounds the fence and racks up the field again. 

Take the start of the race for example, pole-sitter Carson Hocevar got a good jump off the restart and led every lap until the first caution. After nine green flag laps, FOX chimed in with their first full screen ad break for eight laps and there wasn’t a pass made in the top 10 in that time.

While NASCAR fans have to be okay with an occasional race being dominated by a driver or team who nailed their set up or team, these Next Gen cars are different. These laps aren’t being led by the best car, the people behind the leaders just can’t catch and pass them.

At the end of stage one, Austin Cindric was leading after taking two tires and was able to hold back faster cars piloted Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson because Cindric had clean air and they didn’t. 

This has been a common theme with the Next Gen car, the lack of differences in the car and dependency on air leaves drivers helpless when trying to pass. Texas Motor Speedway didn’t help matters, the second lane was treacherous to even think about racing in thanks to gigantic bumps which sent many a car spinning.

Speaking of spins, the ending of this race was an embarrassment to all involved. Of the 12 cautions, six came in the last 50 laps. 

That’s not to say cautions are a bad thing, they make for exciting, heartbreaking and unpredictable races, but at this level it becomes a bore. The amount of cautions also creates more undeserving winners.

Today’s winner, Logano, started 27th and stayed out of the top 10 for the majority of the race. The only way he found himself to the front was due to the abundance of cautions taking out better cars in front of him.

NASCAR has a problem on their hands with the Next Gen car, on top of its struggles today. The car is “short track challenged” and turns superspeedways into fuel saving nothing burgers.

It’s saddening because the car is capable of producing great races, Charlotte’s oval and Kansas are consistently must-see television. Unfortunately, two to three races a year isn’t enough for a whole schedule and for the past month NASCAR has put me to sleep more times than on the edge of my seat.

I’m not a technical expert, so I don’t know how to fix it or what’s truly wrong with the car, but what I am is a fan and I’m bored. The production by FOX isn’t helping either, commercial breaks and lackluster commentary can’t elevate an uninspired product. 

It’s early in the season, but the last five races haven’t been an enjoyable way to spend my Sundays. NASCAR needs to act and try to bring some excitement back to the sport.

If there’s any track that can change my mind, it’s Kansas and the Cup Series drops the green flag next Sunday at 12:00 p.m. PST.