NASCAR More or Less Confirms the Addition of Honda in the Manufacturers Portfolio

For a while now, NASCAR has had a triumvirate of three manufacturers: Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. However, one has to wonder if the three of them will have a stranglehold or be open to competition. After all, F1 has pretty much stone-walled Andretti’s attempts to join the party. There may come a time in the future when Andretti is finally allowed to play with the big boys. However, will NASCAR get a new manufacturer before F1 gets a new team?

Recently, NASCAR President Steve Phelps spoke to Fox Sports about the future of the sport, which ranged from the Cup Series schedule to the ongoing charter debate, to even the possibility of treading non-American soil. Then popped an interesting subject about enticing new manufacturers to join the NASCAR Cup Series. Much like any other motorsport, NASCAR wants to grow and flourish, and attracting manufacturers can help with that.

Steve Phelps teased a possible future NASCAR manufacturer

The inclusion of a fourth OEM in NASCAR has been a topic of conversation for a while now. While nothing concrete has come out as of yet, recently, Steve Phelps hinted at what could be Honda’s entry into the Cup Series.

Talking to Fox Sports journalist Chris Myers, Phelps revealed, “So we’re in talks right now, which I can’t say who it is, but we’re in talks right now. I can’t confirm or deny that [Honda may join]. It may be them, discussions are happening. Do I think we’re going to get a new OEM? I do. I don’t know what to tell you.”

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Considering that there has been a gradual shift towards electric and hybrid cars, it would be interesting to see Honda join the fray. Not new to the hybrid vehicle culture, the automobile manufacturer could do wonders does it happens to join NASCAR.

Why would Honda be a good candidate to join NASCAR?

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In a way, the Honda arrival makes sense because of its motorsport pedigree. Additionally, there were reports that Honda could leave the IndyCar Series owing to concerns about costs and the hybrid program. With Honda’s contract is expected to run until the end of the 2026 season and its desire to return to the Formula One arena, why not add NASCAR to its resume?

The best part is that Honda is no stranger to hybrid or electric technology in its cars. Last year, the Japanese giant demonstrated a CR-V Hybrid Racer which was a 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged, electrified V6 IndyCar power unit. It does prove that Honda knows this technology. So it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to expect them to tackle the challenge of NASCAR. Furthermore, it could give them some bragging rights to battle with Toyota.

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