NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — NASCAR Cup Series teams headed to North Wilkesboro Speedway on Tuesday for a rare offseason test, marking an unofficial end to one of the shortest offseasons in professional sports.
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This provided an opportunity for select drivers to test out increased horsepower and an updated digital dash. It also served as the first chance for media members to ask them about pressing offseason topics. Here are some of the answers they provided.
Maximizing the testing time after offseason changes
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Multiple drivers and teams underwent changes ahead of the 2026 season. Kyle Busch landed a new crew chief in Jim Pohlman. Ross Chastain had a new crew chief, Brandon McSwain, take over as crew chief. The No. 1 team also brought in multiple new members, including two engineers.
Haas Factory Team and Rick Ware Racing both switched manufacturers. They went from Ford Racing to Chevrolet while signing technical alliances with larger teams.
Daniel Suarez had the biggest change of all. He went to Spire Motorsports and joined an entirely new group, which includes crew chief Ryan Sparks. Essentially, the only consistent member of his team is his spotter. Everything else is new.
So how do these drivers and teams maximize their time during a rare offseason test at the historic NASCAR track?
"Learn from each other, learn to communicate," Suarez told FanBuzz. "Learn about the car. I already have a list of items that I want to improve. Because when you sit in the car, in the shop is one thing, but when you have the opportunity to make some laps, it's all different perspective.
"So with everything being new for me, I already have my list of items to improve when we get back to a shop, but the main thing also is the communication, you know, just to make sure that we're on the same page."
A new look and team for @Daniel_SuarezG. He says that testing with @SpireMotorsport is going really well so far.
He and the team are fine-tuning some things inside the car. The location of pedals, dials. They are tweaking the digital dash layout so he's not thinking about it in… pic.twitter.com/IqSboMyS2a— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) January 13, 2026
This list of items to improve is more focused on the interior of the car. Suarez needs to have his switches, pedals, and radio in the correct position. He and the team have to adjust the new digital dash before the season starts so that they are not thinking about it in the heat of the race.
"Just small things that sometimes you take it for granted when you've been in one place for a long time, but when everything is new, you have to pay attention to all these little details," Suarez added. "Because when you're driving, it has to come out automatic. You can't be thinking about it."
Suarez has to majorly adapt to a new environment, so the process could take longer. His former teammate faces a different situation.
For Chastain, he and his team need to focus on consistency, especially as the return of The Chase puts greater emphasis on the overall body of work instead of winning one or two races. The driver of the No. 1 won a crown jewel race last season but struggled to stay in contention for top-10 finishes.
The best way for him and the No. 1 team to get more consistent ahead of the 2026 season is just keep getting time behind the wheel.
"Selfishly, we're competitors, and we just want to do good, and the best way to get better at racing is to go drive the car," Chastain said in response to a question from FanBuzz. "The best way to get better at running is to run. The best way to get better at typing is to type.
"I think that just repeating something as human beings — if we just keep doing it and holding it with intention, not just out cruising around in the wrong gear. I think that if you're intentional about it, it's super valuable.
"So Justin (Marks) was here this morning, and just wanted to — first real test of the year — and wanted to be here, smell it, hear it, see it, hear all this stuff. So, yeah, really can't put a dollar amount on (test time). I don't pay the bills, but I don't think Justin could either."
Processing the loss of "Win and You're In"
Photo credit: HHP/Harold Hinson Photography
Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney weighed in about the return of The Chase during the announcement on Monday. More drivers had the opportunity to express their opinions during breaks in the North Wilkesboro Speedway test.
Specifically, they addressed how the loss of the automatic playoff berth with a win will affect the drivers throughout the Cup Series field.
"The strategy of how you race and prepare and all those things is different," Joey Logano, a vocal supporter of the elimination format, said. "There's no doubt it's very different. You just have to kind of go back to the drawing board and do something else. That's fine. I don't really care.
"Personally, I was one of the rare people that liked the old one just from a fan perspective. I enjoyed it, but if the majority doesn't like that, then, sure, we'll change it and we'll go race another way and that's OK with me, too. That's kind of where I'm at with it."
Logano races for a team that many expect to be in contention for numerous wins next season, especially with it being an even year. He will likely have more opportunities to stockpile crucial points throughout the year while running at the front of the pack.
The same goes for Chase Briscoe, who reached the Championship 4 last season with Joe Gibbs Racing. He believes The Chase will not necessarily change how he and the No. 19 team approach the season. If anything, the updated format takes away some of the pressure he will face early. He can simply focus on consistency.
What about the smaller teams that aren't necessarily in regular contention for wins? Does losing "win and you're in" create concerns about their ability to contend for a championship?
"I think the changes are great," Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith said. "I think it's gonna obviously reward consistency, which is great. I think this year we weren't great in points and it was a pretty inconsistent year, especially the back half, but the front half was pretty good for us.
"With the format that we've had, I think we missed out by like three or four spots, so I think it'll be great for us and I feel confident that we'll have a fighting chance to get into the Chase and fight for that."
Erik Jones expressed a similar sentiment. He recognizes that Legacy Motor Club may not necessarily be a championship contender as of Jan. 13, but he knows the team made considerable strides last season. He expects this to continue into 2026 and beyond as he starts working with new crew chief Justin Alexander.
"For us at Legacy, I'm excited about it," Jones said. "I think we have an opportunity to become a top-16 team, hopefully, in the really near future. Last year, we started building towards that way, ended the season strong. And just hope that this year we're going to have a shot to do it."
Said Suarez, "With the previous format, really consistency wasn't really that big of the deal. It was everything always. I think that that's one of the reasons why many times we were very reckless on resources and taking chances and things like that, because we knew that all it takes is one week to be able to get into a playoff.
"So now I think it's going to be a little bit different. I think we're going to continue to be a little reckless, because that's who we are, but I think we're going to have to pick and choose a little bit better."
More horsepower is always a good thing
Cup Series teams had many reasons for heading to North Wilkesboro Speedway for a test session lasting nearly 12 hours. One of the biggest is the increased horsepower for oval tracks under 1.5 miles and all road courses.
Did the drivers notice this change as they completed laps around the North Carolina short track? In short, they did not while completing laps in colder temperatures. That doesn't mean they won't see some big differences in the future, especially with all 36 cars on the track.
Tyler Reddick, in particular, explained that he thinks the increased horsepower will truly be noticeable during the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
"I think, talking about the place you'll notice it, I feel like (Bowman Gray will) be the place you'll notice it the most, given the smallest track that we have on the schedule and just not going too fast down the straightaway," Reddick said.
"I wouldn't say it's gonna be night and day different, but directionally, I think it'll be easier to make mistakes, it'll be easier to burn your stuff up, and it just gives the drivers one more thing they have to worry about."
Bowman Gray Stadium will be the first track to highlight the increased horsepower, but it will not be the last. The drivers will have 750 horsepower at Darlington Raceway, Richmond Raceway, Phoenix Raceway, and numerous other tracks.
So which track will benefit the most from the increased power?
"Everywhere," Chris Buescher said. "More horsepower is not gonna hurt us anywhere. Like I said, we have a lot going on today and we're getting ready to throw a lot more at it. They're working on big changes right now for some potential packages that could make the racing better. It should help anywhere.
"I think about the days in my racing career. The most power I ever had in a race car was an ARCA car. About the time I got into the Xfinity Series and Cup was still up there in the 900s. It got knocked back right when I was able to find my way in the door, so it's exciting to me to have it come on back up and be close to as much power as we've run in this series."
Hall of Fame questions
Chase Briscoe had an odd experience last week. He had to field numerous racing questions from a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame — Tony Stewart.
This could come as a surprise to many racing fans, but Smoke had a reason. He announced that he will return to NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway in February. He will race a Ram 1500 for Kaulig Racing in the season-opening Craftsman Truck Series event.
"So I went hunting with Tony last week, and he told me that he was gonna do it, and it was weird," Briscoe said in response to a question from FanBuzz. "He was asking me questions, for like, advice, and it was me, Noah (Gragson), and Tony. I was like, 'Man, whatever you do, don't do what I did. I've wrecked the whole field Lap 1 of my first truck start at Daytona.
"So, yeah, I'm just excited to see what Tony does. It was so odd to me talking to him last week, like, how many questions he was asking. I'm like, 'Dude, you're a Hall of Famer. Like, why are you asking me these questions?'
"But yeah, I'm excited just to see what he could do, and even that truck, it seems like they got a lot of really cool ideas for that thing. So yeah, I told Tony, he's in for a rude awakening, but it should be a lot of fun to watch."
Stewart has no shortage of racing experience. He has won races and championships across numerous disciplines. However, he hasn't raced in the Truck Series since 2005, and he hasn't raced at Daytona in the third-tier series.
Briscoe, for comparison, last raced in the Truck Series in 2023. He has seen up close the various drivers and how they treat each other while battling for position.
