As talks of a fourth OEM entering the Cup Series heat up, a new dilemma has presented itself for NASCAR to solve. Elton Sawyer, the Senior VP of Competition, spoke to Dale Earnhardt Jr about the problems that the current V8 powertrain creates for a new OEM. Whilst the only solution in sight seems to be an alternative to the push-rod setup, it may not solve Kyle Busch’s biggest gripe.

For decades, NASCAR has been commended for one key factor; sound. F1, WEC, and other series opt for hybrid powertrains at the expense of the eight-cylinder symphony, but NASCAR has stayed true to its roots. However, this notion is challenged by the prospect of a fourth OEM entering the sport. As Sawyer stated, the biggest hurdle a new OEM faces is adapting to the existing NASCAR engine architecture. Not only that, they would also find it difficult to compete against teams with decades of development notes.

This unfair advantage naturally makes new OEMs reluctant to enter NASCAR. To fix this, many suggested that the sport move away from the older naturally-aspirated setups to accommodate more modern hybrid setups. But Kyle Busch fears it may not solve the issue of inadequate power. For much of the winter break, many debated over the Next-Gen car’s power band and how it didn’t seem to be enough to create thrilling racing.

Although the 2024 season has been contrary to this, Busch highlighted how the only thing that matters is an increase in usable power. He shared his opinions on NASCAR’s approach ahead of the All-Star Race,  “Just depends on what they build it to, you know, I mean there are plenty of engine opportunities that are out there.” Rowdy highlighted the use of superchargers in other sports as a means of reducing turbo-lag from an alternative hybrid setup. 

Busch also shared insight into an electric setup that would allow drivers to draw power during cautions. Still, the question of horsepower bugged the veteran. He shared; “What is the horsepower that we would utilize under green? Could it happen that overhead cam engines come to the Cup Series and they’re less than 650 horsepower? Boy, that would be a detriment.”  

According to Busch, all drivers and team owners would get behind NASCAR in their decision going forward. However, the drivers wouldn’t shy away from advocating for more. But with that being said, could a hybrid powertrain help NASCAR?

Is hybrid the future?

Whilst the dilemma of horsepower still bothers Kyle Busch, there is a bigger problem NASCAR has faced in the long term. For decades, fans have felt that the stock cars are slowly moving away from their ‘stock’ counterparts. Instead, the over-engineered V8s created a sense of disconnect with the essence of the sport. After all, the age-old saying, ‘What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday’ isn’t true anymore.

With that being said, OEM executives have highlighted how they are working in cohorts with NASCAR to come up with a solution. According to Paul Doleshal, group manager of motorsports at Toyota Motor North America, fans can expect manufacturers to do a lot of testing in the coming years. He was quoted by SportsBusinessJournal, “We all want to have great competition. 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.”

For manufacturers, the largest priority is NASCAR fans, who are also their biggest customers (or at least, were). The aim is to achieve those glory days of driving off the dealership with a car that isn’t too different from the one that wins on race days. For IndyCar, this certainly seems to be the case. Although the sport was aiming to introduce a hybrid setup in 2024, inevitable delays meant things would kick off in the middle of the year.

Fortunately for Indycar, it seems to have worked out, as the president and CEO of Penske Entertainment feels that the near future of motorsport lies in hybrid systems. He shared with SBJ, “On one hand, we were late in putting out hybrid, and for Honda, it was kind of a bridge strategy as they were moving more toward going fully electric, but now it’s looking like hybrid will be the place to land for some time from the point of view of the OEM industry.”

After taking a look at where the future of NASCAR seems to be heading, do you think Kyle Busch’s fears may come true?