Waters compares NASCAR to Supercar

Cam Waters has weighed in on the similarities between the current-generation NASCAR Cup Series car and his Gen3 Supercar, saying his transition has felt like going from Gen2 to Gen3.

Waters and Supercars rival Will Brown have now spent two days in their Cup cars ahead of Monday’s (AEST) Sonoma race, which will make both drivers' Cup Series race debuts.

Supercars championship leader Brown will start 24th, while Waters will launch from 31st, with the race to start at 5:30am AEST.

Brown and Waters have faced a big learning curve at a circuit well-known to NASCAR drivers, but have shown glimpses of speed that could make the race one to remember.

Notably, Brown was third fastest in practice, with his qualifying efforts undone by a throttle issue that only allowed him to run at 75 percent.

However, they have enjoyed some creature comforts in their machinery, given NASCAR was inspired by Supercars in its development of the Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022.

Notably, NASCAR’s Next Gen car brought in a five-speed sequential transaxle and independent rear suspension, and also introduced modern features such as a single centre lock wheel nut design.

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. also claimed the previous generation NASCAR Cup car, Generation 6, also carried elements of Supercars.

“The V8 Supercar was the closest thing to NASCAR stock cars around the globe and that got even closer when the Next Gen car was built,” Earnhardt Jr. said last year.

"NASCAR and Steve O’Donnell will tell you they built the NASCAR Next Gen based off of the V8 Supercar.”

Speaking to Supercars.com in Sonoma, Waters said: “Yeah, the cars feel fairly similar in some ways to the Supercars back home.

"I think if I could compare it to anything, it'd be like how we went from Gen2 to Gen3. If you could just go in the other direction and call it ‘Gen1', that's probably what the cars would be like.

“Fairly heavy, the gearboxes are similar, the brakes are similar, a bit more power. A lot of fun to drive, you’ve gotta be up on the wheel, you know, wheelin' it to get a lap time out of it.”

Waters is proud to be part of the latest ’Supercars invasion’, with Shane van Gisbergen and Brodie Kostecki both making Cup Series cameos last year.

Van Gisbergen’s path to a NASCAR career was kickstarted by a stunning Chicago win last year, with the Kiwi now a two-time Xfinity Series winner, winning in Portland and Sonoma on Sunday (AEST).

“Yeah, it's been a lot of fun having Will over here. We hung out a little bit earlier on in the week and it's cool to have a fellow Aussie over here racing,” Waters said.

"Supercars should be pretty proud that there's a few drivers that have come over here and done well.

“It just shows how good our category is back home, to be honest, and the level that we're all operating back home. It's cool to be part of that, to come over here and represent Australia and Supercars.”

Brown and Waters will return to the track at Sonoma the race, the Toyota/Save Mart 350, which will be televised live in Australia on Foxtel and Kayo.

Pre-race coverage will commence on Monday June 10 at 5:00am AEST on Fox Sports 505, with the race itself to start at 5:30am AEST.