The NASCAR Cup Series will run select races with 750 horsepower in 2026, the sanctioning body announced Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Dirty Mo Media broke the news when NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell appeared on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast The Dale Jr. Download to talk about the increase.
NASCAR followed the podcast’s release with its own announcement.
The horsepower increase will take effect at all road courses as well as any oval track under 1.5 miles in length. In all, that means 21 of the 38 Cup race weekends will feature the horsepower increase, including both exhibition races — the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and NASCAR All-Star Weekend at Dover Motor Speedway.
“Like any other change that we are considering to the cars, we listen to the fans a lot,” NASCAR evp and chief racing development officer John Probst said via NASCAR.com. “We listen to the drivers. We have stakeholders in the broadcast, OEM (manufacturers) and team competition and team business folks, so there’s always no shortage of feedback that we get.
”Our fans are very passionate, they provide very candid feedback, so that all is very important to us. We do listen to it. We are working on a lot of things in the background, we don’t often always talk about them until we’re ready to come out and announce an implementation plan for them. Their feedback is very important.”
The Cup Series currently runs 670 hp at most racetracks except Daytona International Speedway, EchoPark Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. There, cars are currently rated at 510 hp.
Yay!! I hope it helps!
How many “fans” they listen to think it will, considering the last 22 years?
Yep! Love it!
“Like any other change that we are considering to the cars, we listen to the fans a lot,”
I cannot see him saying that with a straight face!