NASCAR is making a change for the 2027 season. The sanctioning body is reviving a classic event at Daytona International Speedway: Preseason Thunder.
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The news surfaced during this week's episode of the podcast Hauler Talk as NASCAR EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst talked about the fuel saving at superspeedway races.
He noted that NASCAR will alter the stage lengths for the April 26 race at Talladega Superspeedway as an immediate change. The return of Preseason Thunder will provide an opportunity to further test possible technical changes for the future.
What will this test include? According to Probst, NASCAR and the teams will look at "some different power levels and spoilers and maybe some other car-type things." He did not provide specific details. This is understandable considering that the test is roughly eight to nine months away.
"And (fuel saving) is not something that I think is ever going to go away because these guys will look for every possible advantage that they can get," Probst said.
"And that's reasonable on their end. So I think that what we can do is just take steps to mitigate that."
Probst didn't provide any details about the dates of Preseason Thunder. He noted that this test will take place before the Rolex 24 on Jan. 30-31, 2027. The IMSA test at Daytona International Speedway will take place on Jan. 22-24, 2027.
The fuel saving has been a topic of conversation throughout NASCAR, but particularly so during the Gen 7 era.
The races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway have seen drivers throughout the field running at half-throttle for the early portions of each stage. The purpose of this strategy is to limit the amount of time on pit road.
Once the drivers make their pit stops, they then go all-out for the rest of the stage. The lap times drop and the intensity increases.
NASCAR will attempt to make some changes to limit the fuel-saving at superspeedway races. Opinions are split on whether this will work. Some drivers believe that no matter what NASCAR does, the fuel-saving will continue.
"The only thing that matters is how much fuel you have in your car," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2025. "So I guess, no matter what, if you shorten the stages and you can make it all the way on fuel, you are still trying to save so that your stop between the stages is shorter.
"Because you can put four tires on it faster than you can fill it full of fuel. So, no matter what, people are still going to save fuel and try and make it through your pit stops as fast as possible."
