© Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn
For several years now, both NASCAR fans and drivers have voiced their displeasure with the current product put on by the series. Now those fans and drivers may be able to take a sigh of relief after Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer finally acknowledged perhaps the sport’s biggest problem.
Sawyer appeared on Sirius XM radio as part of his weekly segment and revealed that the series has talked with engine manufacturers about increasing horsepower in the years to come.
“It’s on the table,” Sawyer said Tuesday when asked about the change, which had previously been ruled out. “We are working closely with all the stakeholders in the industry, and as I said, the collaboration has been better than ever in our sport on all topics. This particular one, had a team owner council meeting last week, came up and we discussed that. Working closely, I know [senior vice president of innovation and racing development] John Probst had a conversation with our engine builder to see what we could do, how that would look and what changes would need to be made.”
NASCAR Drivers Have Been Crying Out For More Horsepower For Several Years
Every time the issue had come up previously, NASCAR stated that costs would be prohibitive. However, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, who also drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, said that it would be an easy and cheap fix for teams.
Now, Sawyer says increased power in the cars is a real possibility. But the discussion has moved on to how the series can make that a possibility.
“As we talked about before, there’s the efficiencies that come with our rules and regulations that we have today and if you look at engines — there’s a lot that goes into it and it’s a tall mountain to climb, but we’re willing to do that to give our race fans the best product. Again, behind the scenes, there are a lot of conversations going on. How can we do that? Where do we do it? Is it across the board? Obviously, that’s not gonna be superspeedways. It’s just a lot to digest. But what I will say is it’s on the forefront. It is on the table and something that we’re discussing daily.”
Sawyer did not state when the changes would come, if they come at all, but it’s one big step toward finally giving fans and drivers what they want.