Ever since NASCAR rolled out the next-gen car back in 2022, it’s been a mixed bag of cheers and jeers, especially over the horsepower cap in the rulebook. Fast forward two seasons, and you’ve got drivers banding together, pushing hard for more power under the hood. After all, horsepower is what kicks a top-notch racing machine up a bit from your average Hyundai.

NASCAR, though, hasn’t budged an inch on tweaking those horsepower figures. So, what’s the big deal with these horsepower limits that’s got drivers, who usually can’t agree on lunch, uniting in protest against NASCAR? Kyle Larson shed some light on this during a chat with Dale Earnhardt Jr, who was curious about Larson’s take on Denny Hamlin‘s continuous calls for more horsepower.

Kyle Larson’s view on Denny Hamlin’s talk about demanding more horsepower

Denny Hamlin, who’s not just a driver but also an owner, shared some pretty insightful stuff recently about cranking up the horsepower for NASCAR’s short-track races. He’s been pretty straightforward, saying that boosting horsepower could seriously improve the race dynamics without costing teams extra or messing with the cars’ durability. Hamlin pointed out, “It can be done with one phone call and no additional money…I think any horsepower you can add will make the racing better. It’s hard to pass because we’re all in the gas so much. So you have to get us out of the gas, either through the tire or the horsepower.”

When Dale Earnhardt Jr got Kyle Larson’s take on the whole horsepower debate, Larson didn’t beat around the bush. He said that a boost in horsepower could really change the game by widening the gap between the top and minimum speeds. This change would give drivers more room to play with their cornering strategies, possibly leading to more slip-ups. Larson pointed out that with more speed coming into the turns, drivers would need to start slowing down sooner than they’re used to, potentially making the braking zones longer and the racing more exciting. Plus, with that extra power, drivers could try out different racing lines and use the added oomph to speed up.

Kyle Larson brushed off the excuses NASCAR often gives about keeping horsepower low to attract new manufacturers. Straight up calling NASCAR out he said, “I feel like they’ve always use the excuse of or at least I’ve heard the excuse of well you know we’re trying to keep horsepower to where you know other manufacturers might want to come in. Well, as long as I’ve been in the sport which is longer than 10 years it’s been the same three manufacturers. So, maybe maybe somebody else is coming and and maybe they’re the ones pushing for lower horsepower. But um I’ve yet to see anybody new come in and all these you know engine builders and teams are saying it’s not going to be it’s not going to cost any different to do it.”

Echoing Denny Hamlin’s point, Larson also highlighted that boosting horsepower isn’t some pipe dream. He mentioned Scotty Maxum’s work, talking about how NASCAR could easily ramp up the horsepower by next week if they wanted to. They’re even tweaking one of Larson’s Vegas-winning engines to make it pump out a thousand horses for one of Rick Hendrick’s personal rides. According to Hamlin, the real reason NASCAR’s holding back on the horsepower isn’t about innovation or cost teams would have to face—it’s all about keeping expenses in check.

Denny Hamlin says that NASCAR’s cost-cutting measures are leading to less horsepower in the cars

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Denny Hamlin’s pushing hard for more juice under the hood because, back in the day, around 2014, NASCAR Cup cars were roaring with up to 900 horsepower. But then, the Next-Gen car came along and those numbers took a nosedive.

NASCAR says chopping the horsepower was about pinching pennies, but it’s kinda tanked the show on short tracks. Hamlin didn’t mince words when he talked to Sportsnaut in 2023, saying, “In a cost-cutting measure, we’ve continued to cut horsepower which has led to shifting and it’s led to less power and more grip on the short tracks, which has made the racing bad.”

He also pointed out that NASCAR could throw heaps of cash at aerodynamics, but without cranking up the engine power, it won’t yield significant results. Meanwhile, NASCAR bigwig Steve O’Donnell mentioned in his 2023 discussion that they’re all ears on how to spice up short-track action.

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