Chase Briscoe Reflects on NASCAR’s Latest Move, and How It’ll Let Drivers Make a Bigger Difference

Neha Dwivedi | 11/10/2025
NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe walks on pit road prior to the start of The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway.

NASCAR President recently confirmed that the Next Gen car’s horsepower will climb to 750 for the 2026 season and beyond. The boost, however, applies only to short tracks and road courses, a move that makes sense on paper but leaves larger tracks stuck in neutral, with little promise of improved racing.

Still, Chase Briscoe welcomes the tweak, eager to see what even a modest power bump might bring to the table. Speaking to SpeedFreaks, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver called it a step in the right direction.

“I think it’s definitely a great decision. More power is just going to make the tires wear out quicker and all those things. So it’ll definitely put a little bit more back in the driver’s hands.”

“It’ll be interesting to see what 750 feels like versus 670, 680, whatever we’re at now. I’m sure there’ll be a little bit of a difference, but I don’t know because I haven’t ran it yet.”

The adjustment translates to roughly a 12% horsepower increase, just enough to turn a few heads, though perhaps not sufficient to make a world of difference behind the wheel. Still, it could breathe new life into short-track racing, which has struggled to deliver edge-of-the-seat action in recent years.

He added, “So yeah, it’ll definitely be interesting. I’m definitely looking forward to doing it at some of these really worn-out racetracks, like in Iowa. I saw Darlington was even on the list, which that’s exciting… It’ll be fun just to kind of get out there. It’ll really kind of reset the field, I think, a little bit… I think just having something new will certainly make it where it’s a little bit of a question mark for all the teams, and it’ll kind of re-flip the field, I think, for a little bit.”

According to Steve O’Donnell, pushing the number to 800 or 1000 horsepower would have come at a staggering cost, up to $50 million across the industry.

Moreover, all current OEMs, along with potential new entrants like Dodge and Honda, wanted a stable, sustainable platform that NASCAR could stick with for years to come, so they had to settle for 750.

Post Edited By: Nidhi
Chase Briscoe Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Playoffs Steve O'Donnell

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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