Denny Hamlin Questions NASCAR’s Bizarre Silence Over Intensifying ‘More Horsepower’ Debate

When it comes to NASCAR races these days, many opine that the stock car racing competing has perhaps become more toned down compared to the past. And one of the reasons for that, according to many, is the gradual cut-down on horsepower. What used to be a stellar 900 HP vehicle before 2014 is now a 670 HP powered machine. But why the reduction? Reportedly, NASCAR wanted to even the playing field. While that in itself is a fair thought, Denny Hamlin, among others, has been always an open advocate against it, stating how the reduction has made it hard to pass other cars. Once again, reiterating this point, the driver talked about the matter in detail and even went as far as to question why NASCAR hasn’t participated in the conversation till now. 

Denny Hamlin believes there is a reason for NASCAR’s radio silence

It’s not the first time that JGR driver Denny Hamlin and NASCAR have been at loggerheads regarding the quality of racing these days. Just recently, before the Phoenix race, the driver stated how more horsepower would make the “racing better” and how such a change was just one phone call away. “It can be done with one phone call and no additional money, “ Hamlin had said. Further, when NBC’s Dustin Long had reportedly asked him why there wasn’t an increase in horsepower for the Next-Gen cars, Hamlin had sarcastically replied that he did not know and that the reporter would have to call Jim France himself to find out.

But this time, he isn’t just making demands. Speaking about the matter on his Actions Detrimental podcast, the driver got down and dirty and questioned NASCAR’s radio silence on the matter despite countless demands from several industry stakeholders. He said, “You hear Steve O’Donnell talk about it (horsepower bump) because the reporters ask him constantly. The drivers overwhelmingly want this, seems like the media or the fans want this, so why not? And they usually have a reason (to say no) but sometimes it’s ‘Hey we’re looking at all options right we’re not ruling it out we’re not saying we are’.” 

“This is the first thing when it comes to horsepower. It’s the first thing that I’ve not seen NASCAR react to the media about. Usually, they react to everything. When something is hot media-wise, they react to it. This is the one thing they’ve dug their heels into the ground and said ‘No’,” he further added. 

Read More: Denny Hamlin Hints Honda’s Arrival as He Calls Out the France Family for Lowering NASCAR’s Standard

While NASCAR has avoided speaking about the issue in public, it seems, they have also maintained quite a similar stance behind closed doors.

Hamlin reveals how every NASCAR meeting has someone asking for more horsepower

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Allen was curious to know if the drivers had minimum information on what the sanctioning body’s opinions were. So Denny Hamlin explained to his co-host, “We have competition updates with NASCAR all the time and I mean, every time we have a meeting someone says ‘Why not horsepower?'” Further revealing what the stock car racing body’s take is on the matter during these gatherings, Hamlin revealed, “I can’t even give you the answer because I don’t recall what they even said…. because… what they said wasn’t an answer… I think that we need to know what is keeping you (NASCAR) from this.” 

However, Hamlin also talked about another scenario where they were asked to race with even lesser HP, which could have dealt another big blow to the roaring V8 and its overall performance in the ‘Next-Gen’ era. The 43-year-old recalled with another rhetorical question: “Could you imagine though, we were supposed to run 550 horsepower (for intermediates)?”

That’s what NASCAR had..[..].. for us to run this Next-Gen car [in] 550 (hp), until we ran a December test at Charlotte the year before Next-Gen came out, and everyone was like, ‘This is terrible you cannot do this’,” Hamlin revealed.

It sure would have been “terrible” if we were to go by the average racing experience on display at Phoenix, where the shorter tracks run 550 horsepower due to the package change for the 2024 season. That being said, many ears and eyes are waiting to find out if NASCAR finally comes through on the horsepower debate. Only time will tell, however, as we gear up for another test at Bristol next week.

Read More: Denny Hamlin Claims NASCAR’s Short Track Package Can Be Solved With “One Phone Call”