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While the NASCAR Next Gen platform has improved Cup Series racing on intermediate ovals, the usually reliable short track and road course racing has been less eventful with the new car. In Friday’s annual State of the Series address, executives Steve O’Donnell and Steve Phelps shared some ideas the series has been tossing around to increase passing and action at these slower tracks.
The most obvious answer is the one drivers have so often asked for, a significant increase in horsepower to bring the cars back up to the level of the massive horsepower the series used in the early and mid-2010s. repeatedly adjusted as part of multiple changes in aerodynamic philosophy to improve racing on intermediate tracks, leaving drivers like Denny Hamlin hoping for a power increase to make the cars harder to drive on shorter tracks in return. O’Donnell noted during the press conference that “everything is to be considered” to resolve the problem, including an increase in power.
“I think it’s all something to consider. We proved it,” O’Donnell said. “You also have to consider the costs involved, right? It’s not as simple as just increasing the power. You’d better be prepared to integrate all your original equipment. This makes more sense for any new OEM and potential new technology. It’s not just a short-term answer.”
Short-term solutions, including changing gear ratios to reduce the frequency of gear changes on short tracks and underbody designs to decrease downforce, were also mentioned as possibilities for the near future.
If these still do not produce the desired results, the series is “open to everything”. Since the engines in the NASCAR Cup Series produced approximately 900 horsepower as recently as the 2014 seasona return to high performance would be a welcome choice for drivers and fans.
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