NASCAR increased horsepower from 670 to 750 at all road courses and racetracks under 1.5 miles in length this offseason. While the horsepower increase debuted at Bowman Gray Stadium, Phoenix and Darlington, its biggest test so far will come on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
Martinsville is the smallest track NASCAR hosts a points-paying race at and has been on the schedule since the first Cup Series season in 1949. Thus, the track is beloved by fans of all ages and eras. Poor racing at Martinsville is not received well by fans who have fallen in love with the charm and history of the iconic Virginia short track.
That’s why Sunday’s race will be the most important event so far contested with an extra 80 horsepower under the hood of 37 NASCAR Cup Series vehicles.
Why this Martinsville race is so important
Since the inception of the Next-Gen car in 2022, the quality of racing at short tracks such as Martinsville has noticeably declined from the Gen-6 era (2013-21). Aerodynamics and an increase in shifting have been blamed for the lack of excitement at venues that used to be appointment viewing.
The 2022 spring race at Martinsville occurred on a brutally cold Saturday evening and was panned by the NASCAR fan base. And while each subsequent spring race has been slightly more exciting and the track’s fall race has delivered some thrilling moments, Martinsville hasn’t felt the same as it used to.
That has an opportunity to change on Sunday.
Darlington was hyped up by drivers and fans prior to the race weekend and ended up being a solid race that was praised by racing purists. While not a chaotic race, it did feature more passing and tire wear, the latter of which has been another factor NASCAR has tried to influence in order to provide a more exciting racing product.
The horsepower increase at Martinsville means there are some unknowns for drivers and teams going into the 155th Cup Series race ever held at The Paperclip.
“At the end of the day, it’s only 80 horsepower,” Trackhouse Racing driver Connor Zilisch told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday. “It’s enough to make a difference, but not enough to be a complete game changer. I’m curious to see if it helps make a difference and puts [the race] in the drivers’ hands.”
A poor racing product at Martinsville on Sunday afternoon could frustrate fans who were hoping the sanctioning body’s rule change could help bring one of NASCAR’s greatest tracks back to its former glory — but whatever the racing at Martinsville looks like on Sunday, it will set the expectation for races at Bristol, Richmond and North Wilkesboro later this season.