Denny Hamlin\u2019s start to the 2026 season was tough until he headed to Phoenix and finished fifth, a commendable result. He admitted that he felt far more comfortable driving the car, with the sport allowing increased horsepower, something Hamlin said he could feel tenfold.<\/p>\n
The Joe Gibbs Racing<\/a> driver was impressed with how the cars were able to overtake much more easily than in earlier races at the track.<\/p>\n For the 2026 season, NASCAR increased the horsepower from 670 HP to 750 HP for races on road courses and tracks less than 1.5 miles in length. Sunday\u2019s race was the first short-track event on the calendar. Hamlin spoke about the driving experience on the Actions Detrimental podcast and explained why the added horsepower made such a big difference.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt within my view that there was passing going on inside the top five,\u201d Hamlin said<\/a>. \u201cAnd that\u2019s really hard at that racetrack. Remember, the whole reason we\u2019re moving away from Phoenix is the championship races. The racing is stale there. It\u2019s not very good. I thought from what I could see, there were comers and goers.\u201d<\/p>\n The 23XI Racing<\/a> co-owner strongly believes that if a driver did his job right, had a good car, and his crew chief made the right calls, then he would most definitely race to the front. He wasn\u2019t alone in this line of thought.<\/p>\n Hamlin\u2019s teammate, Christopher Bell<\/a>, had an extraordinary outing in the desert. He led 176 laps and finished as the runner-up. He, too, was impressed with the advantage of the extra horsepower.<\/p>\n Bell praises NASCAR\u2019s decision to increase horsepower<\/p>\n Bell was asked during a media session if the race looked and felt different when compared to earlier races. He admitted that it did and said that he would love it if NASCAR kept bumping it up a bit further.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just really puts it in the driver\u2019s hands and the team\u2019s hands,\u201d\u00a0he reasoned<\/a>. \u201cYou saw [Ryan] Blaney make it back up through there after his mishap a couple of times. I ended up back in the field, and you know\u2026 The cream is able to rise to the top. So, horsepower is definitely a lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n