NASCAR is considering expanding the number of tracks featuring the 750-horsepower package. Although this move is unlikely to happen in 2026.
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The revelation came during the latest episode of the podcast Hauler Talk, which recapped Darlington's first race with the higher horsepower, low-downforce package.
Intermediate tracks currently feature the 670-horsepower package also featuring a higher downforce aero package. Tracks under 1.5 miles in length and road courses have 750 horsepower and a lower downforce aero package.
"We just felt that you look at the mile-and-a-half races, and I think everyone's in agreement that it's the best racing we have, and so let's not fix what's not broken," explained Mike Forde, NASCAR vice president of race communications. "We don't want to hurt something that we all feel is pretty good."
While the possibility of increased horsepower will create some excitement among racing fans, it is not a guarantee. This is not a move that NASCAR will make before the Coca-Cola 600 in May. This move is even unlikely to happen before a driver captures the championship this fall.
"I think this is more of a 2027 situation, so what we have for the remainder of the year, we're going to stick with that," Forde added.
"At the end of the season, we'll look at Darlington, Nashville, Gateway and the short tracks and see how they raced, and how the mile-and-a-half (tracks) raced, too. Because every single year, the teams catch up to the car and fine-tune it, and that affects the racing."
Teams have used the 750-horsepower package at Bowman Gray Stadium, Circuit of the Americas, Phoenix Raceway, and Darlington Raceway. It has seemed to put more control in the hands of the drivers as they have focused more on managing tires.
#NASCAR - Ryan Blaney provided his thoughts on the first Darlington race with this package and how he was able to work through the field.
After @KellyCrandall and @MattWeaverRA kicked it off, I asked about how higher horsepower will affect Martinsville. pic.twitter.com/6ZtaMdh60Y— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) March 22, 2026
The drivers have mostly made positive comments about this package after the early tests. Christopher Bell said multiple times that it's time for a change and that this package should also be in play at the intermediate tracks.
Ryan Blaney said after the race at Darlington that this marked the first time in his career that he could let another driver pass him on a restart before ultimately chasing him down again in 20 laps. He said he remained excited to run the package at more tracks.
Michael McDowell made positive comments about the package overall, but he also cautioned against altering the intermediate package just for the sake of making a change. He did not want to damage the current product that many enjoy.
"The racing has been good, the dirty air has been good, right," McDowell said at Darlington. "Could it be better? Yeah, it could always be better. But we just have to be careful that we don't ruin a good thing by chasing something that we all feel like would be more fun. Like I said, it is more fun. The best driver will win with higher horsepower, less downforce.
"It will separate the drivers. There's no doubt about that. It's going to separate the field, though too. It will separate the field. You'll have people win by 10, 15 seconds. You'll have blowouts, and you'll have big gaps between cars.
"And I'm OK with that. As a driver, I'm OK with that because the best car is going to win, the best team is going to win, the guy that earned his money that day is going to win. I'm just not sure it's going to be as well received as we're painting this picture. And so we just have to be careful who we ask and how we ask it right? Because it's easy to go the wrong direction, which we've done before."
