As NASCAR looks for better racing, especially on the short tracks and road courses, drivers want more horsepower.
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But NASCAR doesn’t want to add horsepower. NASCAR Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst said the sanctioning body isn’t convinced that it would help the racing, while it is convinced that it would add costs.
“If you add the horsepower, you add the cost, then you see if it is better,” Probst said. “There’s no guarantee you get there, and it would be any better. And I think there’s some evidence that shows as we add horsepower, they run further apart.
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Probst estimated it would cost millions (not necessarily eight figures) to add horsepower because of the existing pieces that engine builders would want to improve to handle the additional horsepower. Probst predicted engine builders would then develop new air boxes because of the increased airflow. With the additional power, throttle linkages and ECU calibrations would have to be redone. More horsepower means more heat, which would mean work to the exhaust system. Considering NASCAR spent the first year working on eliminating excessive heat in the Next Gen car, there would need to be research on what to do with the additional heat. The gearing would change.
Plus, NASCAR wouldn’t be able to run more horsepower at the biggest 2-mile tracks, which likely would mean three engine packages instead of two.
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Doug Yates, who heads Roush Yates Engines, said last year that he thinks if they go to 750 horsepower, which NASCAR had prior to the Next Gen car being introduced in 2022, the cost would be minimal. That’s because the engine used now is the same as the one that produced 750 horsepower — NASCAR uses a thick plate with holes in it to reduce the airflow through the engine to regulate the horsepower.
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“Could we go back to 900? That would be a pretty long runway to get there, and probably add a lot of expenses due to just that the life of the engine will be short.”
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