NASCAR’s Next Gen car has been blasted by drivers for a lack of horsepower, but fans are also turning on the man who delayed the rule change for at least three years
NASCAR fans and drivers are keen to see more power in Cup cars(Image: Getty)
NASCAR drivers will have to wait as plans to boost horsepower in NextGen cars have been postponed until at least 2026.
Drivers have been clamoring for more horsepower, particularly on short tracks and road courses. However, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer has announced that the Next Gen era will not see more powerful cars anytime soon.
It comes after NASCAR was slammed for a controversial decision on the playoff status of a banned driver, while Kyle Larson has laid out his international vision with specific suggestions.
On SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this Tuesday, Sawyer stated that there would be no increase in horsepower for this season. Despite rumors of a horsepower hike from 670 HP to 750 HP possibly being introduced before the championship race in Phoenix on Nov. 2, Sawyer made it clear that 2026 is the earliest we can expect such changes.
The delay has left fans more than just disappointed; they’ve also taken aim at Sawyer, who has been in his role since 2023 and has over four decades of experience in NASCAR.
One fan expressed disillusionment online, saying, “I thought Elton Sawyer was going to bring something to the table when he got that position, given that he’s a former driver. But all he’s brought is an attitude of uncertainty and painfully slow decisions.”
Another lamented, “This is why talks of a new package or an increase in horsepower are useless… NASCAR and the teams won’t go back to what we had pre-2022.”
The frustration was palpable even before the announcement, with Denny Hamlin voicing confusion over why Cup cars seem to maintain identical speeds. Since 2014, the trend in NASCAR has been a gradual reduction in horsepower.
During their heyday, the Gen-6 vehicles boasted nearly 900 HP. Subsequently, power reductions were implemented to 750HP in 2015, 550HP in 2019, and then increased back to 670HP with the debut of the Next Gen car in 2022.
Elton Sawyer provided an update on potential changes to the NextGen car(Image: Getty)
Kevin Harvick criticized the NextGen’s power output after an ARCA vehicle out-qualified a Cup car at Iowa. “There’s no reason the Cup car should be the slowest thing there on race weekend,” he declared during a podcast episode.
Ryan Preece advocated for a significant horsepower boost, as disclosed on Wednesday. “I know 1000 HP seems like a big number, but in my eyes, with the car weighing 3500 pounds, you’re gonna need a big percentage increase to notice what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Numerous enthusiasts argue that NASCAR’s gradual shift toward standardization, stage racing regulations, playoff structures, revisiting identical venues, and reducing horsepower has damaged the sport that once made stock car racing thrilling.
Spanning from the 1960s through the early 2000s, the sport experienced what many consider its “Golden Age” thanks to the horsepower, iconic racers, and sponsorships that felt less commercial and more focused on competition rather than marketing.