When it comes to the rumored possibility that NASCAR is considering increasing horsepower in motors on short tracks — perhaps as soon as later this season — it appears almost all Cup drivers are in favor of it. But there are a few caveats.
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First, the current horsepower limit of engines used on short tracks is 670 HP. The anticipated increase is reportedly in the 720-750 HP range, which should help with cars having more passing power. But some drivers have called for increasing the power to 800 HP, and some even dream wildly about 1,000 HP.
Chase Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup champion, says there’s another factor that will likely weigh heavily on whether engine power is increased: uniformity and acceptance by all three manufacturers — Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. That, Elliott says, could be easier said than done.
“I think it’d be worth a shot if the engine manufacturers are willing to do it,” Elliott said this weekend in Nashville. “They’re going to dictate how much power we can give the current packages that we have and still have the longevity and the reliability we expect to have.
He believed the engine manufacturers are going to have to get on the same page and agree to a number, which is always difficult. “Throughout my career, it’s like Chevrolet might want one thing, Toyota might want something else, and Ford might want something different. And everybody kind of plays to their strengths as to what they think they have their leg up on. That’s just a game,” he said.
“So you’re going to have to get all of them to agree, which in my view, is going to be a difficult thing to do. But hopefully they can, and everybody’s willing to give it a shot somewhere just to see if it makes a difference. It might not do anything, but it might really help. And until you try, I don’t know that you really have an answer,” Elliott concluded.
A number of drivers have also chimed in with their thoughts about increased horsepower and are unanimous in their hope that more power will be coming soon, including Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry and AJ Allmendinger.
