Official: NASCAR Cars Are Getting More Powerful In 2026
NASCAR drivers are about to get what they’ve been asking for: more power. For their cars, that is.
NASCAR officials confirmed today that the sereis is updating the rules to increase the Cup Series cars power limit from 670 hp to 750 hp on road courses and the ovals shorter than 1.5 miles.
Drivers and fans have been complaining about the way the seventh generation Next Gen cars drives on these track types, due in part to its aerodynamic design making it difficult to pass. It’s not clear if it’s enough of a boost to make a big difference , but many are in agreement that it’s worth a shot.
The previous generation cars once had 900 hp, but it was reduced in part to help control the cost of running a car for a full season. The switch is being driven amid what appears to be a drop in fan interest.
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The Next Gen car has put on a better show on the 1.5-mile intermediate tracks, so there will be no change made for those yet. Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta will retain the 550 hp superspeedway package, which is a safety measure on the drafting tracks.
The change comes after the Charlotte Roval weekend, where the fastest laps for the Truck Series and Xfinity Series were both faster than the Cup Series. The third tier trucks also qualified faster at the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway oval.
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The Darlington, Nashville and World Wide Technology ovals will get the new power package along with the traditional short tracks.
NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell was on “The Dale Jr. Download” podcast to talk about the change and said 750 hp was the most feasible level it could get to without the costs increasing substantially across the industry, to the tune of $40-$50 million, due to the additional aerodynamic and tire changes that will need to go along with it. It’s also possible that the new rules will eventually be implemented on the 1.5-mile tracks.
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He suggested that if it works out well, more power could be added down the road, but that an all-new engine architecture might be launched in a few years time and they don’t want to go to far with the power and expense now without being sure of where things are going.