Insider Lets-Slip Ford’s Hail-Mary Move Amidst Brad Keselowski & Co’s Surprising Cup Ascent

Ever since talks of a new OEM joining NASCAR have been heating up, various shortcomings of the Next-Gen car are revealing themselves. But perhaps the biggest qualm most drivers have revolves around the lack of horsepower. For months, drivers such as Denny Hamlin have called out the new challengers for falling short in terms of power. As many continue to believe that the solution to lackluster racing at superspeedways is more horsepower, Ford and Brad Keselowski‘s side are doing everything possible at Darlington to test that theory.

Is the Ford Mustang Darkhorse getting much-needed updates at Darlington?

The 2024 Goodyear 400 is shaping up to be 23XI Racing’s redemption run. After Tyler Reddick scored pole position in qualifying, all eyes have been on the #45 Camry XSE. However, the biggest surprise of qualifying was certainly the two Fords belonging to RFK Racing, which put in stellar lap times. With Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher set to start the Goodyear 400 from second and third respectively, Ford seems to be on its way to securing the first win of the season.

But what changed? After all, the Mustang Darkhorse failed to keep up with the Camry XSE and Camaro ZL1 for much of the 2024 season so far. Those listening to the FOX broadcast may have heard Kevin Harvick drop hints. A keen-eared fan asked Bob Pockrass on X, “Did I hear Harvick mention something about Ford bringing new engines?” With the performance of RFK Racing, fans were eager to get an answer. And Pockrass obliged.

The veteran insider shared, “Engine builders are working all the time about finding ways to generate more horsepower within the rules so sounds like Ford is bringing some new concepts/tweaks to find that (NASCAR doesn’t have a horsepower limit – they have rules on parts/pieces to keep teams within a range).” With how things stand, the Next Gen car itself isn’t restricted to less than 700hp. However, the regulation of restrictor plates, intakes, and other such parts that dictate horsepower output is what keeps OEMs from making more power.

That being said, Pockrass believes Ford has taken the route of maximizing these parts to achieve more horsepower. Whilst seemingly within the rules, we’re yet to see how things play out once the race kicks off. Ford’s last win still belongs to Ryan Blaney for Martinsville in 2023, but could these changes give the Darkhorse platform much-needed momentum toward victory this season?

Whilst many fans believe that Ford’s qualifying heroics hint at such a prospect, it isn’t the only OEM that should be expected to have a few tricks up its sleeves.

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Fans should expect to witness some “experimentation” from OEMs in the coming seasons

With all this talk of the Mustang Darkhorse gaining additional power, one thing is certain. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch’s grievances with the lack of power are not unwarranted. That being said, Ford isn’t the only team that is working around the existing rules to accommodate more power, and in turn, bring better racing to the table. In a recent article by SBJ insider Adam Stern, Toyota executives highlighted how OEMs are choosing to answer fans’ calls.

The group manager of motorsports at Toyota Motor NA, Paul Doleshal, shared insights into the OEM’s plans for NASCAR’s future. He stated,  “All of us work in conjunction with NASCAR to figure out what that future powertrain is going to be. There’s a lot of options right now and we’re probably going to do a lot of testing with different powertrain platforms to just understand what’s the best viable thing moving forward. We all want to have great competition.”

According to Doleshal, OEMs understand that fans want closer racing. To achieve this, Toyota aims to test out various setups in the coming years. Doleshal concluded, “We understand that we need to provide some very strong competitive entertainment for the race fan, and we don’t want to impact that at all. So, you’re going to probably see some experimentation by all of us with different things just as we search for what that is.”

So far, Ford is the only team that is rumored to be pushing the capabilities of the Next-Gen car. With the Camry XSE and Camaro ZL1 proving to be reliable contenders thus far, will Ford’s Darlington run challenge their secure position?