Kyle Larson offered a bit of advice Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway regarding NASCAR’s recent announcement about a horsepower increase for next season.
“I would encourage you all, and fans, to not over-promote it like it’s going to fix everything,” Larson said. “I would encourage everybody to temper their expectations. It’s not way different. I did a test recently at Kershaw, and nobody told me that I had higher horsepower, and I never really realized it, so I wouldn’t say it’s going to feel different or look crazy different.”
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“I’m super excited about it, and I’m glad that NASCAR and the engine builders have taken a step in the right direction,” Christopher Bell said. “It’s definitely going to play a role in the races, especially with the tires that Goodyear has been bringing. A couple of years ago, we were talking about the road courses [and how] the cars were just locked down. I can promise you, last weekend at the Charlotte road course, those things were anything but locked down, and you give us more horsepower to what we had last week, it’s going to be a big deal. I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
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John Hunter Nemechek isn’t sure how much of a difference the horsepower will make, but he’s hopeful.
“I definitely hope that it helps on some of the short tracks from tire degradation, tire wear, being able to manage your stuff, and be able to show out,” Nemechek said. “Who knows how that’s going to work? Time will tell, but I’m excited for more horsepower. I think everyone is from the driver’s standpoint.”
Erik Jones admitted that he goes back and forth on how he feels about the horsepower issue. Jones has driven everything from the 900-horsepower car in his first Cup Series race to later driving 750-horsepower cars, 500-horsepower cars, and now 670-horsepower cars.
— Racer —