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…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
The Xfinity Fastest Lap award gives one point to every driver who scores the fastest lap in any points-paying race across the three NASCAR National Series. The 2026 NASCAR National Series season is a year of many firsts, but it is the second year for this award, one that proved to be a divisive development of the 2025 season.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
No. 19 – Daniel Hemric – McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | 46.479 Seconds – 193.636 MPH
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
No. 88 – Rajah Caruth – JR Motorsports | 47.082 Seconds – 191.156 MPH
NASCAR Cup Series
No. 77 – Carson Hocevar – Spire Motorsports | 45.584 Seconds – 197.437 MPH
This article will be updated race to race as the season continues.
Two massive crashes on the final lap turned the finish of the 68th running of the Daytona 500 into pure chaos, and somehow it still delivered one of the most thrilling finishes in recent memory. Tyler Reddick led one lap, the only one that mattered, and gave 23XI Racing and Michael Jordan their first Harley J. Earl Trophy. Eric breaks down the carnage, the controversy, and why this spectacular mess is exactly what makes Daytona so unforgettable. Groovy Gauge powered by Lectric eBikes.
Crown Jewel events are the most prestigious in NASCAR, and today, we will look at every single winner of these renowned races since the sport was created in 1949.
| Year | Daytona 500 | Coca-Cola 600 | Southern 500 | Brickyard 400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | ||||
| 1950 | Johnny Mantz | |||
| 1951 | Herb Thomas | |||
| 1952 | Fonty Flock | |||
| 1953 | Buck Baker | |||
| 1954 | Herb Thomas | |||
| 1955 | Herb Thomas | |||
| 1956 | Curtis Turner | |||
| 1957 | Speedy Thompson | |||
| 1958 | Fireball Roberts | |||
| 1959 | Lee Petty | Jim Reed | ||
| 1960 | Junior Johnson | Joe Lee Johnson | Buck Baker | |
| 1961 | Marvin Panch | David Pearson | Nelson Stacy | |
| 1962 | Fireball Roberts | Nelson Stacy | Larry Frank | |
| 1963 | Tiny Lund | Fred Lorenzen | Fireball Roberts | |
| 1964 | Richard Petty | Jim Paschal | Buck Baker | |
| 1965 | Fred Lorenzen | Fred Lorenzen | Ned Jarrett | |
| 1966 | Richard Petty | Marvin Panch | Darel Dieringer | |
| 1967 | Mario Andretti | Jim Paschal | Richard Petty | |
| 1968 | Cale Yarborough | Buddy Baker | Cale Yarborough | |
| 1969 | LeeRoy Yarbrough | LeeRoy Yarbrough | LeeRoy Yarbrough | |
| 1970 | Pete Hamilton | Donnie Allison | Buddy Baker | |
| 1971 | Richard Petty | Bobby Allison | Bobby Allison | |
| 1972 | A.J. Foyt | Buddy Baker | Bobby Allison | |
| 1973 | Richard Petty | Buddy Baker | Cale Yarborough | |
| 1974 | Richard Petty | David Pearson | Cale Yarborough | |
| 1975 | Benny Parsons | Richard Petty | Bobby Allison | |
| 1976 | David Pearson | David Pearson | David Pearson | |
| 1977 | Cale Yarborough | Richard Petty | David Pearson | |
| 1978 | Bobby Allison | Darrell Waltrip | Cale Yarborough | |
| 1979 | Richard Petty | Darrell Waltrip | David Pearson | |
| 1980 | Buddy Baker | Benny Parsons | Terry Labonte | |
| 1981 | Richard Petty | Bobby Allison | Neil Bonnett | |
| 1982 | Bobby Allison | Neil Bonnett | Cale Yarborough | |
| 1983 | Cale Yarborough | Neil Bonnett | Bobby Allison | |
| 1984 | Cale Yarborough | Bobby Allison | Harry Gant | |
| 1985 | Bill Elliott | Darrell Waltrip | Bill Elliott | |
| 1986 | Geoff Bodine | Dale Earnhardt | Tim Richmond | |
| 1987 | Bill Elliott | Kyle Petty | Dale Earnhardt | |
| 1988 | Bobby Allison | Darrell Waltrip | Bill Elliott | |
| 1989 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt | |
| 1990 | Derrike Cope | Rusty Wallace | Dale Earnhardt | |
| 1991 | Ernie Irvan | Davey Allison | Harry Gant | |
| 1992 | Davey Allison | Dale Earnhardt | Darrell Waltrip | |
| 1993 | Dale Jarrett | Dale Earnhardt | Mark Martin | |
| 1994 | Sterling Marlin | Jeff Gordon | Bill Elliott | Jeff Gordon |
| 1995 | Sterling Marlin | Bobby Labonte | Jeff Gordon | Dale Earnhardt |
| 1996 | Dale Jarrett | Dale Jarrett | Jeff Gordon | Dale Jarrett |
| 1997 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Ricky Rudd |
| 1998 | Dale Earnhardt | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon |
| 1999 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Burton | Jeff Burton | Dale Jarrett |
| 2000 | Dale Jarrett | Matt Kenseth | Bobby Labonte | Bobby Labonte |
| 2001 | Michael Waltrip | Jeff Burton | Ward Burton | Jeff Gordon |
| 2002 | Ward Burton | Mark Martin | Jeff Gordon | Bill Elliott |
| 2003 | Michael Waltrip | Jimmie Johnson | Terry Labonte | Kevin Harvick |
| 2004 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson | Jeff Gordon |
| 2005 | Jeff Gordon | Jimmie Johnson | Greg Biffle | Tony Stewart |
| 2006 | Jimmie Johnson | Kasey Kahne | Greg Biffle | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2007 | Kevin Harvick | Casey Mears | Jeff Gordon | Tony Stewart |
| 2008 | Ryan Newman | Kasey Kahne | Kyle Busch | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2009 | Matt Kenseth | David Reutimann | Mark Martin | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2010 | Jamie McMurray | Kurt Busch | Denny Hamlin | Jamie McMurray |
| 2011 | Trevor Bayne | Kevin Harvick | Regan Smith | Paul Menard |
| 2012 | Matt Kenseth | Kasey Kahne | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2013 | Jimmie Johnson | Kevin Harvick | Matt Kenseth | Ryan Newman |
| 2014 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Jimmie Johnson | Kevin Harvick | Jeff Gordon |
| 2015 | Joey Logano | Carl Edwards | Carl Edwards | Kyle Busch |
| 2016 | Denny Hamlin | Martin Truex Jr. | Martin Truex Jr. | Kyle Busch |
| 2017 | Kurt Busch | Austin Dillon | Denny Hamlin | Kasey Kahne |
| 2018 | Austin Dillon | Kyle Busch | Brad Keselowski | Brad Keselowski |
| 2019 | Denny Hamlin | Martin Truex Jr. | Erik Jones | Kevin Harvick |
| 2020 | Denny Hamlin | Brad Keselowski | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick |
| 2021 | Michael McDowell | Kyle Larson | Denny Hamlin | |
| 2022 | Austin Cindric | Denny Hamlin | Erik Jones | |
| 2023 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ryan Blaney | Kyle Larson | |
| 2024 | William Byron | Christopher Bell | Chase Briscoe | Kyle Larson |
| 2025 | William Byron | Ross Chastain | Chase Briscoe | Bubba Wallace |
| 2026 | Tyler Reddick |
| Active Rank | Overall Rank | Driver Name | Total Wins | Daytona 500 | Coca-Cola 600 | Southern 500 | Brickyard 400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8th | Denny Hamlin | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ❌ |
| 2nd | 15th | Kyle Busch | 4 | ❌ | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| T3rd | T17th | Kyle Larson | 3 | ❌ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| T3rd | T17th | Brad Keselowski | 3 | ❌ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| T5th | T29th | Austin Dillon | 2 | 1 | 1 | ❌ | ❌ |
| T5th | T29th | Chase Briscoe | 2 | ❌ | ❌ | 2 | ❌ |
| T5th | T29th | Erik Jones | 2 | ❌ | ❌ | 2 | ❌ |
| T5th | T29th | William Byron | 2 | 2 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Austin Cindric | 1 | 1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Bubba Wallace | 1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | 1 |
| T8th | T49th | Christopher Bell | 1 | ❌ | 1 | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Joey Logano | 1 | 1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Michael McDowell | 1 | 1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 1 | 1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Ryan Blaney | 1 | ❌ | 1 | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Ross Chastain | 1 | ❌ | 1 | ❌ | ❌ |
| T8th | T49th | Tyler Reddick | 1 | 1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
What are your thoughts on this, race fan? Let us know what you think. If you have suggestions for new lists like this, send them to us through our social media. Feel free to join our Discord or X, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more content.
