Kyle Larson seems to have found a controversial subject in the NASCAR offseason. Following offseason testing at Phoenix Raceway, which saw the drivers using a muffler, Larson has raised concern that the current NASCAR Cup cars are too loud.
He wants to see the cars be quieter. The sounds of 36 car engines at full song can carry, but it isn't that bad on some of the bigger tracks.
Larson liked how the teams and drivers at the test in Phoenix experimented using a muffler, which was part of the testing of the short-track package they did last week.
The sport and drivers have been pushing for a return to the Nashville Fairgrounds racetrack, and one of the needs for them to do so will be to limit the sound the cars give off.
Larson spoke with NASCAR.com about his thoughts on the loud sounds the Next-Gen car makes, and how adding the muffler doesn't hurt the car. The only disadvantage to running the muffler is more heat is generated inside the race car, so that could be the only real issue, but Larson did see that a problem during testing.
"I haven't felt, really a heat difference. I could definitely tell a sound difference, which I like," Larson said. "I definitely think our race cars are way too loud - and probably are still too loud with the mufflers. ...I think the cars could be quieter to help the fan experience."
That might seem like a bad idea to some people, given NASCAR has a very specific racing sound, and fans don't want to think the cars are "silent or electric."
Then again, the Next-Gen's have proven to be far louder than the previous car. The superspeedways aren't a major problem but tracks like Richmond, Bristol and Martinsville are so small that the sound of the cars is compounded by reverberations off of the grandstands and there certainly needs to be some way to limit the decibel level.
Cole Cusumano from KickinTheTires.com shared a side-by-side video on social media comparing the car sounds with and without the mufflers.
For comparison, left is a new muffler and right is from yesterday. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/kDjBkmep9G
— Cole Cusumano (@Cole_Cusumano_) December 6, 2023
There is a real difference between the two sounds of the car, and Larson would appreciate this change, as would fans in the new venues the sport is looking to go to, including getting back to the fairgrounds track near downtown Nashville.
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