Mark Martin reveals his fix for NASCAR's Next-Gen car

NASCAR's Next-Gen car is arguably the most scrutinized race car in the sport's history, especially when it comes to aerodynamics. 

The effects of turbulent air, called "dirty air" in the racing community, have been exacerbated with the car, which does not race well at single-groove tracks where drivers are largely unable to get clean air on the nose of their car. 

That makes passing extremely difficult, especially since the way the flat underbody of the Next-Gen car produces thousands of pounds of downforce that keeps the cars glued to the racetrack. 

Mark Martin, a 40-time Cup Series winner who was a big part in helping NASCAR change points systems over the offseason, knows how he'd try to fix the car. 

Mark Martin's proposed fix for Next-Gen car

"I would work with the smart engineers from the teams to make the underbody not work at all," Martin said on the latest episode of the "Dale Jr. Download." "I know why there's an underbody, because all the money was spent before there was one was getting out of control. I get it."

"I'll just tell you: I want zero downforce in the front, or lift. You need the front to be virtually nothing. If it's nothing, it shouldn't lose anything [grip] when it gets behind a car."

In the Next-Gen car, drivers must constantly find a way to get clean air to the front of their cars. Running in the tire tracks of the driver in front of them puts them directly in that car's wake, forcing them to lose grip and get out of the throttle. 

While aerodynamics have always been a focus for NASCAR teams, the Next-Gen car is arguably the most aero-sensitive and aero-dependent car NASCAR has ever raced. 

"I can tell you, I raced cars at Atlanta and Charlotte and all those places, I raced cars that were around zero [downforce in the front] or front lift, and you never, ever heard anything about aero-tight," Martin said. "There's a lot of complications, but the unwillingness to look at no downforce is really a problem. It's ate at me since 1995. I just know that the racing was better."