Cup Series machines are dipping below actual stock car output to test out potential improvements to pack racing. The Coyote V-8 in the current Ford Mustang GT produces around 480 horsepower in bone-stock form. Next month, Mustang-branded cars racing in the NASCAR Cup Series will run at Daytona with a target output of just 465 horsepower.
The reduction in power, created by further restricting the standard engines the series uses, is meant to balance out a massive reduction in spoiler size, dropping from seven to four inches. Combined, the changes should mean similar racing speeds with a significant change in the amount of both downforce and drag produced by cars.
View Price on AmazonIn theory, that means getting away from the effortless multi-lane pack racing and extensive fuel saving that have defined races at Daytona and Talladega since NASCAR introduced the Next Gen car in 2022. By taking away both aero grip from additional downforce and impact on cars further behind created by additional drag, cars will be closer to grip-limited in the manner that they have been at the reconfigured Atlanta track the series ran this past weekend.
It should mean more aggressive racing, more movement within the pack, and less time spent saving fuel over long green flag stints. All of that should make pack racing more interesting, although it is unlikely to completely copy the IRL-style racing seen on the narrow 1.5-mile high-banked track at Atlanta.
Source: roadandtrack.com
