Before a Horsepower Increase, NASCAR Wants to Determine What Tracks are Eligible
What’s Happening? Though there is growing optimism that NASCAR will increase horsepower for its short track package, the sport still has…
Despite NASCAR fans’ hopes that an increase in horsepower could be on the way this season, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer recently claimed that the sport is looking to 2026 to make the change.
The NASCAR Next Gen, or Generation Seven, car’s tenure as NASCAR’s premier stock car has been unstable to say the least.
While fans love the car’s performance on intermediate tracks, its showings on short tracks, road courses, and superspeedways have been hit or miss with the fanbase. Road courses and superspeedways have had their moments, but short-track racing, once the hottest ticket in NASCAR, has taken a major hit since 2022.
Every time NASCAR heads to a short track, the same back-and-forth seemingly ensues. Drivers fail to pass one another on Sunday, and come Monday, fans and drivers hand out their suggestions to save short track racing in the Cup Series.
While several severe changes, ranging into the realm of overhauls, are often suggested, one change that many agree on is an increase in horsepower beyond the current 650 to 670 HP package. This grassroots campaign has pushed from social media and into the NASCAR offices, with an increase looking ever more likely.
In May, Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines, claimed that a slight increase “wouldn’t be much of a change,” adding fuel to the fire of a hopeful fanbase. Shortly thereafter, NASCAR’s Mike Forde even suggested that this change could happen before years end.
But with just four traditional short tracks left on the calendar, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer, has clarified that a horsepower increase would be for the 2026 season.
Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday morning, “I feel like we’re having positive conversations. There’s still a lot that goes into that. Obviously, it’s a 2026 initiative to get that across the line.”
Sawyer said that the sports stakeholders are trying to determine which tracks will receive an increase based on what they deem to be eligible short tracks.
What’s Happening? Though there is growing optimism that NASCAR will increase horsepower for its short track package, the sport still has…
NASCAR has tried several methods to fix the Gen Seven car’s short track racing issues. As part of these conversations with the sports stakeholders, NASCAR wants to make sure that they agree that an increase is the right change. While horsepower may not increase in 2025, Sawyer ensures that NASCAR is on the side of an increase, saying that they believe it is the right call.
“We still have to make sure that, first and foremost, that it is the right thing, which we believe it is,” Sawyer said.
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Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 team were suspended following the race at Circuit of the Americas
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On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
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Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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