Kevin Harvick urges NASCAR to fix “absolutely ridiculous” issue with Next-Gen cars
2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick has shared his feelings about the issues regarding horsepower of the Next-Gen cars.
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Kevin Harvick (Via IMAGO)
One of the biggest points of discussion from the start of the Next-Gen era has been the challenges racers faces while passing each other on the track. The reduced horsepower, combined with the aerodynamic character of the car during wide racing has been the major reason behind it. This has dropped the entertainment value of the sport concerningly.
NASCAR has tried to fix the issues with the sue of soft tiers, and other minor changes, but noting has made any significant changes. Many veterans of the sport have highlighted increasing the horsepower of the car perfect fix, but NASCAR has refused to do. This has frustrated 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick, and he has urged the sanctioning body to increase HP via his podcast.
It’s absolutely ridiculous that we went to an unrestricted mile-and-a-half, and they qualified wide-open. What in the world do we need to do to get more horsepower? This screams horsepower to me.
Kevin Harvick said via Happy Hour podcast.
Further talking about the point, Kevin Harvick pointed out that NASCAR is not in a good scenario, and highlighted how the reasons for the need to not increase horse power such as new OEM coming in seems to remain just an idea. He told NASCAR that it is dump to have wide-open qualifying at an unrestricted mile-and-a-half racetrack.
This is not a good scenario. I’ve heard all the things about different manufacturers and different this and different that, but I haven’t seen it. Put some damn power in the cars. Wide-open qualifying at an unrestricted mile-and-a-half racetrack is dumb.
Kevin Harvick added.
Denny Hamlin has already urged NASCAR to do the same
Joe Gibbs Racing Denny Hamlin has been one of the advocates of the increasing the horsepower since the start of the Next-Gen era. He has supported NASCAR in their multiple attempts such as tier choices and design tweaks, but hasn’t stopped calling for the most obvious fix, increasing HP.
He pointed out that having more horsepower will help racers to get more out of the gas and gives more opportunity to overtake the cars, making races entertaining. Hamlin asserted that just a 50 HP increase is needed to gain an advantage for passing.
The more you can get us out of the gas, which means if we have more horsepower, we have to let off sooner, that gives us the opportunity to overtake for the cars behind. Fifty horsepower, while it may not be a game changer, any horsepower gain will be an advantage for passing.
Denny Hamlin said.
Why NASCAR is hesitant to take the horsepower gamble?
Recently NASCAR Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst has explained why they not willing to increase the horsepower. He pointed out that increasing the HP is going to be a massive gamble as it takes more investment from everyone in the team and if failed will affect the whole industry.
If you add the horsepower, you add the cost, then you see if it is better. There’s no guarantee you get there, and it would be any better. And I think there’s some evidence that shows as we add horsepower, they run further apart. There’s some that shows it’s better … and there’s some other shows no, might not be. So that’s a heck of a gamble to take with the entire industry.
John Probst said.
This comment proves NASCAR has some valid reasons to hold back on the crucial decision, but at the same time they shouldn’t wait to much before making a final decision it. It would be interesting to see how the whole horsepower drama is going to playout.
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