Kevin Harvick, a former champion of the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, has once again brought up the discussion about increasing the power of the sport. This has been an important demand from both drivers and teams since the introduction of the Next-Gen cars in 2022. The idea is that increasing power would improve races on short tracks, addressing the lack of overtaking and traffic issues. Although there have been some talks about the importance of tire wear to solve these problems, Harvick presented a compelling argument in favor of increasing power on his podcast.
Harvick suggested that NASCAR should conduct a test session with Next-Gen cars that have higher power. This would involve allowing the sport’s three engine builders to develop engines with more power. By doing this, NASCAR would be able to determine if this is the right direction to take and put an end to the ongoing debate. However, Harvick acknowledges that increasing power is not a simple task and that manufacturers would need enough time to understand the requirements for developing engines with the desired power.
According to Harvick, the debate surrounding power will continue until NASCAR takes action, whether by conducting a test or being transparent with teams about their reasons for not following this path. It is crucial that the situation be resolved soon, as races on short tracks have not been performing well in the Next-Gen era.
