The Conversation surrounding the Next-Gen short track package usually includes one compound word that everyone recognizes, horsepower. Fans ears may be perked by Kyle Larson saying teams could increase horsepower to around 1000, but the flames of optimism may be extinguished by what Chris Rice had to say. Today, we analyze comments from both drivers.
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Kyle Larson joined the Dale Jr. Download this week and Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked Larson his thoughts on adding horsepower. Here is what Larson had to say.
Engine builders and teams are saying it’s not going to cost any different to do it. I’ve heard Scotty Maxim [Hendrick Motorsports’ Director ofPowertrain] say the same thing. He’s like, ‘Dude, we could we could bring 1000 horsepower next week, and it would not cost anymore.’ They’re literally taking the engine that I won with at Vegas and making it a 1000 horsepower engine to put in one of Rick’s [Hendrick] personal cars. They’re building it right now, so, they can do it.
Kyle Larson
This is a major development because, up to this point, when people have been discussing horsepower increases, they’ve been talking about a small bump. Denny Hamlin and others have referred to removing the tapered spacer from the engine to bump horsepower up from 670 to 750, but, Larson is suggesting a bump to 1000. Tyler Reddick suggested over What Chris Rice Had to Say
Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing, joined Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday for his weekly call-in. He gave his thoughts on the costs of changing the horsepower level. NASCAR has to control [costs] some way. If we don’t turn a lot of RPMs, that means we can run engines more times than just once. If we can run engines more times than once, it can bring the costs of the engnes down. They don’t have to replace parts. They don’t have to tune it as much. They don’t have to go to the dyno as much. It’s just so many little different things engine builders don’t have to do. This directly contradicts what Larson, Maxim, and Hamlin have been suggesting, so, who’s right? It makes logical sense that more horsepower leads to more wear and tear on an engine, which means replacing more parts and pieces which means higher costs. Is the line where the horsepower factor becomes detrimental to that at 670, or is it higher than that? We don’t know, but, Chris Rice also had some strong words for how increased horsepower would impact the racing product. If we give them more horsepower, the field is going to be spread out because the handling is going to be so much worse. The field of handling is going to be spread becuase you’re going to run through the corner, the car may not handle as well, or [other cars] may handle better. Is a more spread-out field a bad thing or a good thing? On one hand, the field being more spread out means the racing is not as close, but, it also creates variable lap times between drivers, which creates passing opportunities. Some may argue that NASCAR Cup Series cars are too close together, which makes it harder to pass. It’s also important to note what race team Rice is coming from. While Kaulig Racing is not a small operation by any means, they are not on the level of big teams like Hendrick Motorsports, so, Kaulig needs certain things to remain competitive. Things like keeping costs reasonable and narrowing the field help a team like Kaulig achieve better results. Once the costs rise, the teams with bigger budgets will inevitably gain a big advantage. Rice’s perspective on the sport from a mid-tier Cup Series team level, and Larson’s perspective from a top-tier team vary drastically. What matters to a team like Rice and Kaulig may not be as big of a deal to a team like Hendrick. That’s what makes someone like Rice so passionate about his perspective on something like this. Larson wants to add horsepower, but, Rice is uncertain if it would help the sport. Which side is right?
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.
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.
