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NASCAR Cup Series Cars To Boast Horsepower Boost At Select Tracks in 2026

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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North Wilkesboro

Since practically the first day the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Generation race car rolled out onto a racetrack, fans have been clamoring for a horsepower increase in the oft-maligned machine.

Well, they’re finally getting it. But it won’t happen immediately.

NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell announced Wednesday that, beginning in 2026, Cup Series cars will boast additional horsepower. However, the change will only be in effect at certain tracks.

And it will be part of a bigger plan to improve the overall quality of the racing, which has suffered at some tracks while improving at others since the debut of the Next Generation car in 2022.

Which NASCAR Cup Series Tracks Will The Horsepower Increase Impact?

Speaking during a guest appearance on the Dale Jr. Download podcast with host Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve O’Donnell said the horsepower level for Cup Series cars will increase to 750 horsepower at two categories of tracks next season.

One category is ovals under a mile-and-a-half in length. The other category is all road courses.

Horsepower levels aren’t set to go up at mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks. That’s because, unlike at the short tracks and road courses — where the quality of the racing has largely suffered since the inception of the Next Generation car — the on-track product at these higher-speed venues has actually improved. Specifically, the car has produced more passing and closer finishes than had been customary with its predecessor race car, known as the Generation 6.

Here are the tracks where the horsepower in the cars will be 750: Bowman Gray Stadium, Circuit of the Americas, Phoenix Raceway, Darlington Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Dover Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, San Diego Street Course, Sonoma Raceway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Richmond Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

The idea is that having extra horsepower at these tracks will make throttle control all the more critical and cause the tires to wear out faster. Then, together, they could create more passing opportunities.

Keep in mind that not all of these tracks will host a points-paying event for the NASCAR Cup Series. Bowman Gray (Cook Out Clash) and Dover (All-Star Race) are scheduled to each serve as the site of a non-points-paying exhibition race.

What Are NASCAR Execs Saying About The Horsepower Changes?

In announcing the rules change pertaining to horsepower, Steve O’Donnell made it clear that horsepower isn’t the only area of the race car that NASCAR could alter ahead of the 2026 season.

“Whatever you do, you want to make sure that if you’re going to change horsepower within the car, you’ve got to match it up with the aero,” O’Donnell said on the Dale Jr. Download. “You’ve got to match it up with your braking. All these different things come into play.

“We hear the fans. We hear the industry. Yes, we want to try and see what will work here.”

John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, offered a similar sentiment.

“Like any other change that we are considering to the cars, we listen to the fans a lot,” Probst said in a statement. “We listen to the drivers. We have stakeholders in the broadcast, OEM (manufacturers) and team competition and team business folks. So, there’s always no shortage of feedback that we get.

“Our fans are very passionate. They provide very candid feedback. So, that all is very important to us. We do listen to it. Their feedback is very important.”

Along with increased horsepower and potential changes in the rules concerning aero packages, tires are also a point of discussion. O’Donnell revealed that NASCAR will conduct an off-season test at North Wilkesboro — a short track — to experiment with different tire combinations and how they marry up with different aero packages and more horsepower.

“I think some of the drivers are happy about that,” O’Donnell said of the test. “Just looking at what can we do with the tires now. Goodyear is stepping up. Not perfect. But we’re putting some ideas together and going and trying it at North Wilkesboro. And we’ll see what happens.”

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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