NASCAR Will “Seriously” Look at a Potential Increase in Horsepower

What’s Happening?

On the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast, one NASCAR official claims that he thinks NASCAR will look into a slight increase in horsepower.

During the May 7 edition of the Hauler Talk podcast, Mike Forde, NASCAR Managing Director Racing Communications, and his co-hosts discussed how NASCAR officials listen and respond to driver feedback.

During this discussion, Forde mentioned that he believes NASCAR officials will consider pleas for a slight increase in horsepower. Forde stated, “That’s something that we’re gonna look at seriously, I think.”

However, Forde reminds listeners that a high rise in horsepower, somewhere in the 900 to 1000 HP range, would still be highly unlikely.

“You hear some levels of 900 or 1000 horsepower,” Forde said. “It’s not on the table, just because of the cost. But there’s some conversation of, ‘Can you go up to 750?’ And that’s something that I’m sure we’ll discuss with the drivers too.”

Forde went on to reassure listeners that this is not a guarantee; however, he wants fans to know that officials on the competition side of NASCAR are listening to drivers. “I don’t want to make any promises or get anyone’s hopes up, but we seriously listened to the drivers and their feedback, and we’ll see what we can do there,” Forde said.

NASCAR’s Horsepower Debate

In the pursuit of devising better racing for the NASCAR Next Gen car, fans and industry members alike often debate the best way to improve the short track and superspeedway racing product.

One of the most common conclusions people reach is that the car should have more horsepower overall. More horsepower would make the car harder to drive, allow for heavier braking, and cause faster tire wear.

While some moderates suggest 750 to 800 HP, racing traditionalists often harken back to the days of 900 to 1000 HP engines in NASCAR. However, the wear and tear caused by the 900 to 1000 HP engines is often deemed not financially viable.

Nonetheless, that does not mean that a rise in horsepower is impossible, as recent comments have reignited this long-running campaign.

In a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Doug Yates, the CEO of Roush-Yates Engines, the provider of Ford power plants in the Cup Series, claimed that a small increase from the 650 to 670 HP package currently used to roughly 750 HP is not the challenge it seems to be.

“So if we were to increase the power from 670 horsepower to about 750 horsepower, that probably wouldn’t be much of a change for us, today, but to go back to those 900 horsepower engines, that would be quite the project and it would definitely decrease the life of the engines.” — Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines

Fans and some drivers have responded positively to these comments, though NASCAR has not directly commented beyond this episode of Hauler Talk.

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