A NASCAR International series is kicking off a new era in 2026. The NASCAR Brazil teams will move to a new car inspired by the Next Gen Cup Series cars.
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According to the announcement on Sept. 30, this new car has the name of Rise26. NASCAR Brazil says that it weighs 80 kilos (176 pounds) less than the current cars and that it delivers an additional 60 horsepower through its mid-mounted NB-26 V6 engine.
This powertrain delivers 360 horsepower while pairing with the powershift transmission with paddle shifters. It runs on 100% ethanol fuel.
The Rise26 car features a double-wishbone suspension that NASCAR Brazil says delivers greater stability in the corners. This new car sits on specially-built Pirelli PZERO 18-inch tires.
The chassis is a three-piece unit featuring a front and rear clips and a central cell. The goal is to improve safety and make maintenance easier. The body is carbon fiber to lower the vehicle's weight and add some strength during on-track incidents.
RiSE26 @NASCARBrasil 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/zLycVVuyWS
— NASCAR Brasil Series (@NASCARBrasil) October 1, 2025
"The Rise26 was born with a spirit of spectacle. It's a car that delivers more intensity for fans, more tools for teams, and more reliability for drivers. It's the step NASCAR Brazil needed to take," said Thiago Marques, director of the series and CEO of SRB, the car's manufacturer.
The updates for the 2026 season continue with new technology for the teams. Hexagon, which joined Hendrick Motorsports as the official metrology hardware and software provider, supported this project. The company brought its metrology (scientific study of measurement) technology to the teams to ensure a correlation between the simulator and the track.
Finally, NASCAR Brazil worked with Pro Tune, Ghost Dashboard, and Injepro to introduce a "state-of-the-art data and metrics package." One key highlight of this is the electronic fuel injection management.
Brothers Thiago and Tarso Marques completed more than 5,000 kilometers of testing over two-and-a-half years of development. Top drivers in the series will have opportunities to test in the future. A collective test featuring the NASCAR Brazil teams will also take place in early 2026 as they prepare for the season-opening event and the official debut of the Rise26 car.
Originally Sprint Race, the international series competed for 12 years before becoming an official partner of NASCAR. The current schedule features 21 events across nine stages, which run from March until December.
The teams take on several tracks throughout the country, including the prestigious Interlagos Circuit where F1 teams compete annually. They primarily race on road courses, but the 1.250-kilometer (0.777-mile) Circuito dos Cristais oval hosts one of the season's stages.
