With NASCAR under fire for processional short-track races in 2025, all eyes shifted to the offseason, and it is already sparking change. Now, on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer confirmed a significant move is underway: NASCAR believes a horsepower increase is warranted, but any change won’t come until 2026 at the earliest. Sawyer explained that the league is focused on defining which venues qualify as short tracks, a tricky distinction given markets like Loudon and Dover that are one mile in length but function differently. The deliberation underscored NASCAR’s caution that what they have to understand is track character, not just distance, in making performance changes.
Behind the scenes, discussions with the engine builders and team owners are heating up. Sayer revealed that NASCAR touches base daily with engine manufacturers to assess the feasibility of bumping the Next Gen car’s horsepower from its current 670 hp to a more robust 750 hp, if not higher, specifically for short-track racing. The team owner council raised the issue formally in recent league meetings, initiating talks on how such a change would impact costs, aerodynamics, and compliance with safety-engine regulations. While stadium-style tracks like Daytona wouldn’t see alterations, short tracks remain squarely in the spotlight.
As noted by a NASCAR insider, “For additional context, Sawyer notes that there are some intricacies involved in determining what qualifies as a short track. Loudon is a mile-long but races like a short track, Dover is a mile-long but has higher speeds, etc.” With engineering tests still pending and NASCAR aiming for improvements on the next short-track race late this summer, the empowered decision now rests on balancing performance gains with cost and safety imperatives.
On @SiriusXMNASCAR, Elton Sawyer was asked about a potential power increase.
Per Sawyer, #NASCAR thinks a power increase is the right move, but wouldn’t happen until 2026, at the earliest. The current challenge is deciding which tracks would get the short track increase.
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) August 5, 2025
This is a developing story.
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