The series is investigating a significant adjustment for the competition’s future, according to a senior NASCAR official.
Over the past six months, a number of drivers have been advocating for a horsepower increase, and NASCAR officials appear more eager than ever to push the boundaries of their current engine regulations.
All of this comes after Elton Sawyer, senior vice president of competition for NASCAR, had alluded to the possibility of a hike in horsepower levels.
The suggested upside is that drivers would be more able to push their rivals on shot and mid-track courses, with increased speeds leading to harder breaking, and more tire wear on corners, leading to more interesting racing.
NASCAR: Tall mountain to climb
NASCAR senior director of competition communications Mike Forde had hinted at the move last month, saying: saying: “That’s something that I’m sure we’ll discuss with the drivers. I don’t want to make any promises or get anyone’s hopes up, but that is, we seriously listen to the drivers and their feedback, and we’ll see what we can do there.”
This week, senior vice president of competition Sawyer admitted on SiriusXM: ”We are working closely with all the stakeholders in the industry, and as I said, the collaboration has been better than ever in our sport on all topics.
“This particular one, had a team owner council meeting last week, came up and we discussed that. Working closely, I know [senior vice president of innovation and racing development] John Probst had a conversation with our engine builder to see what we could do, how that would look and what changes would need to be made.”
“As we talked about before, there are the efficiencies that come with our rules and regulations that we have today and if you look at engines — there’s a lot that goes into it and it’s a tall mountain to climb, but we’re willing to do that to give our race fans the best product,” he said, adding cautions, including those for superspeedways and the like.
“Once more, a lot of discussions are taking place behind the scenes. How are we going to do that? Where do we do it? Does it apply to everyone? They won’t be superspeedways, of course. It’s simply too much to process. However, I will state that it is at the forefront. It is on the table and something that we’re debating daily.”
