In the NASCAR Cup Series, there has been a bit of a struggle between the drivers and the organization. The latest beef between the two parties is about the speed of the Cup cars. As the rules state, the power is restricted on a couple of tracks, and there have been demands for more horsepower in general. However, the NASCAR governing body has not been particularly receptive to those demands. In light of this, Denny Hamlin, who has been an advocate of the ‘more horsepower’ debate, recently made an appearance on the Dale Jr Download to talk about this issue.

He told Dale Earnhardt Jr, “[NASCAR talked about] Everything but horsepower. They just refuse, they will not do it. I can tell you as a team owner, our engine builds, when they were 700 or 800 horsepower, versus right now, there is no difference. So I don’t understand why going back and taking a 50-cent piece of aluminum that is a tapered spacer and opening that thing back up to 750. I can’t make sense of why we’re not doing it.”

Denny Hamlin is not satisfied with NASCAR’s reasoning for not increasing the horsepower

Currently, the NASCAR Cup Series has three manufacturers in the sport, namely Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford. This has been the case since 2013 when Dodge decided to leave the series. However, it has been difficult to attract new manufacturers or even entice old ones back to the sport. There has been some muttering about Dodge returning, but would it be feasible in the current climate?

Hamlin continued, “The engine builders Doug Yates came on, says ‘We can change it next week’. The components ain’t really going to change that much. We’re going to get the same durability out of it. There’s just something going on where they will not do it and I hate the excuse of, ‘Well, new manufacturers’. F**k that!”

“We have a new manufacturer coming, we’re going to reduce horsepower to 650. Until that day comes, make the product that you’ve got now better.”

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This is not the first time that the drivers have been ignored

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Unfortunately, this is becoming a bit of a cycle for NASCAR and the drivers. The horsepower problem is not the first thing that NASCAR and the drivers have been at odds about. According to Kevin Harvick, safety was another issue that was constantly debated between all parties. Things came to a head in 2022, especially after Kurt Busch’s concussion that effectively ended his NASCAR Cup career.

Harvick had a lot of concerns about the Gen 7 car, and he believed that it all started when they first saw the car. He declared that since then, there has not been much progression. The veteran driver noted that the NASCAR Next Gen cars are built differently from their predecessors. To the point that any crashes bring about violent impacts, and they feel a lot different from what the crash data suggests. In a sense, when a driver crashes, they feel the impact go straight through their bodies.

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Harvick even revealed that NASCAR’s primary concern is about competition. Like Hamlin, the newly retired driver also admitted that the drivers’ concerns don’t resonate well with the officials. Last year, he even went as far as to criticize the ‘crappy a** parts’, especially after experiencing frequent fiery incidents. Unfortunately, this is a struggle that is going to continue to rage for a long time until someone reaches a middle ground.