The Generation 6 body style was introduced in the 2013 Daytona 500 and was originally scheduled to be retired after 2020 in favor of the new Next Gen car.

[1] In 2013, NASCAR allowed the car manufacturers to design a brand new body style for the COT chassis so that they would better resemble the street legal versions of what the sport's fans could purchase and drive.

Another hope of the Generation 6 car was that it would give more grip and speed to the drivers and more great racing action to the fans.

[10][11] Throughout the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons, NASCAR implemented different downforce and aero packages to promote passing and give their fans more interesting racing.

The car had a low downforce package at the 2015 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway[12] and another at the 2015 Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Martin Truex Jr. told USA Today: "We could run anybody down and get to them, but it took a long time to pass cars.

[14] To improve passing on high-speed tracks, aero ducts[15] were implemented for the 2017 Indiana 250 to alleviate the drag rise on a close trailing car.

Larger roof flaps help to keep the car on the ground to prevent it from flipping whilst going backward at high speeds.

[20] With the exception of the carbon fiber rear deck lid, all body panels are produced by the manufacturer and individually stamped for verification.

[22] Ultimately, NASCAR could use the digital dash to transmit driver biometrics and provide information to the fans.

Hamlin stated: "I don't want to be the pessimist, but it did not race as good as our generation 5 or regular CoT cars did."

NASCAR spokesperson Kenny Tharp stated, "While NASCAR gives its competitors ample leeway in voicing their opinions when it comes to a wide range of aspects about the sport, the sanctioning body will not tolerate publicly made comments by its drivers that denigrate the racing product.

On average, a well-funded team produces about 50 bodies per car which could lead to a possible issue of being over the estimated budget for this particular category.

The price increase led then-team owner/driver Tony Stewart to tell reporter Marty Smith the Gen-6 car is financially "great for NASCAR, not for the owner.

In addition, the Next Gen car is meant to attract new original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to compete with Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota.