NASCAR Exec Claims Horsepower Boost is “On the Table”
What’s Happening? Tuesday morning, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer addressed calls for an increase in horsepower during an…
In the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast, Mike Forde provided more details on NASCAR’s pursuit of more horsepower. Forde even stated that, regarding an increase in horsepower, “we’ll see if this is something that’s put into place this season.”
On the May 28 episode of Hauler Talk, Mike Forde, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Communications, followed up on comments made by NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer. Tuesday morning, Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that a horsepower increase in the Cup Series “is on the table and something that we’re discussing daily.”
On Wednesday, Forde confirmed on Hauler Talk that the Driver Advisory and Team Owner councils met this past week. During those meetings, NASCAR officials discussed increasing horsepower, which he claimed pleased the drivers.
“There was a Driver Advisory Council and a Team Owner Council meeting last Wednesday. Horsepower was a topic, I believe it was something that we [NASCAR] proactively brought up to have a further discussion of improving the short track package, and obviously, the drivers all embraced that topic and requested more and more horsepower.” — Mike Forde
Forde then claimed that, based on this feedback, NASCAR is in talks with engine builders to increase horsepower to improve the NASCAR Gen Seven short track package. Forde said, “That is something that we said, ‘You got it. We’ll look into it.’ So we are working with the engine builders now on that exact topic.”
However, during this episode, Forde was quick to remind listeners that they shouldn’t expect a major increase, such as a return to the 1000 horsepower days. “900 [horsepower], 1,000 horsepower, I guess never say never, but I would be blown away if that is a number that we look at,” Forde said.
Regardless, Forde then suggested that this increase could come into play as early as later this season.
“But as I said in the previous podcast, 750 [horsepower] is probably more what we’re looking at on that one,” Forde said. “But that is a conversation we’re having with the engine builders right now, and we’ll see if this is something that’s put into place this season.”
What’s Happening? Tuesday morning, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer addressed calls for an increase in horsepower during an…
NASCAR fans have long hoped for a boost in horsepower beyond the current 650 to 670 hp package. Though this is not a new topic of conversation in NASCAR, this debate has taken on new life due to recent comments from NASCAR’s engine builders, drivers, and officials.
The current campaign for more horsepower can be traced back to comments from Roush Yates Engines CEO Doug Yates during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on May 1.
During that interview, Yates said that a return to 900 hp is unlikely, but “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.”
Before this interview, fans and drivers had often theorized this was the case, and with these comments, Yates confirmed these theories.
The grassroots campaign, however, really gained traction during the May 7 episode of Hauler Talk, when Mike Forde claimed that he thought NASCAR would consider boosting horsepower. Forde said, “That’s something that we’re gonna look at seriously, I think.”
Now, with his latest comments combined with Sawyer’s, it looks as if NASCAR could soon be moving toward more horsepower.
What’s Happening? On the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast, NASCAR’s Mike Forde said that he thinks NASCAR will look…
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Where do all the drivers stand after the first official points race in the standings table?
After winning the opening points race of the season at Daytona by leading one lap, Tyler Reddick made it to the top of the standings. Under the new rules, he managed to pull up 58 points. He pocketed 55 for the win and added three more by finishing Stage 2 in P8. He may have squeezed out at least one more had he landed inside the top 10 in Stage 1, but after getting swept into a Lap 5 crash, Reddick limped the Stage 1 in P20, giving him no extra points.
Rounding out the top 10 are Brad Keselowski with 39 points in sixth despite a P5 finish, followed by his driver, Chris Buescher, in seventh with 39, Bubba Wallace in eighth with 37, Carson Hocevar in ninth with 36, and Ryan Blaney in 10th with 36.
Atlanta could be a springboard for Elliott, who owns an average finish of 11.4 across 14 starts there, with two wins, including one in last year’s fall race, plus three top fives and nine top 10s. The track could also pull Kyle Busch back into contention. Having already shown his speed at Daytona by winning the pole, he may potentially pull it off at the 1.54-mile track. The RCR driver sits P14 in the standings, but with an average finish of 8.8 at Atlanta since 2023 across six starts, the place might finally snap his 94-race drought.
Then again, Connor Zilisch has only one start at the track and came home P11 last year when he made his third Cup start there, making Atlanta a stage where he could stamp his mark.
Ryan Blaney will also have a better chance than anyone else to climb through a win or even points alone at Atlanta. The No. 12 Team Penske driver has one win there from 2021, but consistency has been his strong suit, with seven top fives and nine top 10s in 15 starts. And that puts him in a position to move the needle when the field rumbles into Atlanta.
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The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.
This information will be available when NASCAR releases it on Monday afternoon.
Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.
One race weekend is in the books, and a 36-week march back to Florida is underway for the three NASCAR National Series. Whether you are going to be at the track or home, what does the forecast look like for the race weekend in Hampton, Georgia?
Before the Races (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
During the Truck Race (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
During the OAP Series Race (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
After the Race (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Before the Race (11:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
During the Race (3:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
After the Race (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
NASCAR got lucky at EchoPark in 2025, and, as a matter of fact, everywhere else, but that doesn’t mean weather hasn’t affected the track’s races in the past with spot showers and major showers taking on race weekends. Take the summer of 2023, when the race took on a large rain shower that resulted in the race ending after just 185 laps, with race winner William Byron the leader at the time of caution.
Note: This article will be updated with a more accurate and detailed forecast as the race weekend nears.
