Denny Hamlin drops bombshell about potential future for Xfinity, Truck Series

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin. Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Denny Hamlin drops bombshell about potential future for NASCAR's Xfinity, Truck Series

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 8:54 AM ET

The NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series may soon be faced with a major fundamental change.

The Next-Gen car used in the NASCAR Cup Series competition is a spec car, meaning that all parts for Cup Series vehicles come from single-source suppliers in an effort to create parity and level the playing field.

Per Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, spec vehicles could soon be used in both Xfinity Series and Truck Series competition in the coming years. On the latest episode of "Actions Detrimental," Hamlin explained the rumor.

"From what I'm hearing, in the Truck Series, NASCAR's telling them — this is what I've been told, this is a rumor; I don't know if this is factual, but it's a rumor — that they need them to go to spec trucks by 2028," Hamlin said. "It's going to happen in the Xfinity Series as well. Those guys are running cars that are old, old, old, old, old, old."

While the potential upsides of spec cars, such as increased competition and parity, sound good on the surface, the struggles that NASCAR's Next-Gen car has faced in trying to produce good racing prove that the concept isn't a guaranteed home run. However, it may be the sensible way forward for teams in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series who are met with a high cost of running a team and relatively low purses.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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