Multiple drivers have taken time after the trip to Martinsville Speedway to call for more horsepower, saying that it will improve the racing. A prominent engine builder has now weighed in and explained how this could be achieved.
Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines, met with NASCAR media members ahead of the race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. He said that it would be possible to increase the horsepower from 670 to 750 with minimal costs for the teams, but he said that going up to 900 would make the life of the engine shorter.
“We have the same base engine as we had last year, so I think very easily in my opinion, we could go back to 750 horsepower pretty quickly,” Yates said on April 19. “I think that’s not too hard, and it would not really increase the cost very much. Could we add 80 horsepower back? Yes.
“Could we go back to 900? That would be a pretty long runway to get there, and probably add a lot of expenses due to just that the life of the engine will be short. So to summarize: Yes, we can add more power. Probably 50-100 horsepower with not a lot of expense, in my opinion. I think we could do that pretty quickly. To go to 900 or 1,000, that’s a whole different discussion.”
Changes Could Be Implemented for 2024 With Enough Notice
GettyChase Briscoe (front) races at Martinsville Speedway.
Can the engine builders put together a new package that will improve the racing product in 2024? It is possible, but Hendrick Motorsports President and GM Jeff Andrews noted during a post-race press conference at Martinsville Speedway that a decision would have to be made very quickly due to the lead time involved in ordering parts.
Yates agreed with this assessment. He clarified that the horsepower changes have not been on the list of topics during the meetings between NASCAR and engine builders. There are more discussions about costs for the teams, the future of the sport, and what would bring in new OEMs.
“The sooner, the better. If we were to make a power change, we’d want to know that as soon as we could,” Yates said about a potential timeline. “Mid-year is probably a great point. We have a lot of long lead items… but I don’t think it’s going to change the bottom-end necessarily, which are the longer lead components we have to order.
“We would just need to know, probably mid-year would be a good time. I heard Jeff Andrews say now, and I agree with him in the point that now would be nice to know if we were going to change something.”
NASCAR’s SVP of Competition Weighed In
There have been pushes to improve the racing at NASCAR’s short tracks in the Next Gen era. A new aero package debuted at Phoenix Raceway, and it remained at Circuit of the Americas, Richmond Raceway, and Martinsville Speedway.
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s SVP of Competition, weighed in about the short track dilemma during a weekly appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He said that fixing the problem is not a matter of adding 200 horsepower to the engine package and then just showing up at the next track on the schedule.
There are other options available with the aero package and the tire compound. This is something that Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have also mentioned after the trip to Martinsville Speedway.
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“It takes a little bit of a runway to get everybody on the same page and do that in the most efficient and economical manner,” Sawyer said. “If there are other options outside the engine it would be far easier for us to pull that lever. I’m not saying it isn’t a good option down the road, but it takes a little longer runway to get there.”
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Certain Horsepower Increases Are Possible for NASCAR