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Jay Cutler Live Show Ahead of Nashville Race: Kurt Busch Discusses NASCAR’s Next Gen Cars Being Too Hot Inside, Calls For Better Airflow

After finishing runner-up to Chase Elliott on Sunday in the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, Kurt Busch gave his honest opinion on NASCAR’s new Next Gen cars. Most notably, it is hotter than hell inside.

“It was like a greenhouse,” Busch said following the race, which took forever to run because of multiple weather delays. “I’ve never been that hot when I got in a car.”

At the beginning of Sunday’s race, it was in the mid-90’s in Lebanon, Tennessee. That means it was at least 30 degrees hotter for Busch and the other drivers in their cars. The rain in the area – which caused the delays – did cool the temperature to around 80 degrees by the end of the race at 11 p.m. CT. Still, when Busch and others stepped out of their cars post-race, the heat had gotten to them.

Busch cited a lack of ventilation and air circulation inside the car. He actually had similar heat concerns last year while test-driving the Next Gen car before it was instituted into NASCAR.

“It’s now a split exhaust system. It comes out of the left and the right, which means the exhaust goes right underneath the driver on the left side. We need better insulation, more venting and a cooler situation inside,” Busch said at the time. “I have only driven the car in November and in January, and I would say it was already on the hot side after a 25-lap run. I’m sure we can get that fixed and have more venting and airflow within the car.”

Kurt Busch Talks Next Gen Car with Jay Cutler

In an interview with Outsider’s Jay Cutler and Charissa Thompson last Thursday, Kurt Busch talked more about his thoughts on the Next Gen car. And, yet again, he did not hold back.

“The new car is challenging because it’s so equal. We can applaud the new car and say everything that’s cool about it, it’s just everybody’s got the same s— now,” Busch said. “There’s a hornets’ nest of guys who are running the same speed from like fifth-to-25th, and it’s mean. You can pass [other drivers] but it’s tough. You gotta move them or find something in your little bag of tricks.”

He continued: “The car is fun to drive. It’s tougher and it’s meaner, but it’s s—ier in most situations because of the aerodynamics of it.”

The hottest months of the year are coming up as the summer schedule rolls on. NASCAR surely should take heed to Kurt Busch’s concerns.

“There’s some work to do,” he said. “NASCAR needs to listen to the drivers.”