NASCAR Cup Series star speaks out on massive rule change

NASCAR Cup Series star Ryan Blaney has backed a massive rule change after he was asked what he would change about the sport.

The 31-year-old took part in The Athletic’s 12 Questions feature where he was quizzed on all manner of topics, from his spicy radio messages to his dream track design.

At the end of the interview, Blaney was asked by Christopher Bell about his thoughts on NASCAR’s current aero and horsepower package, to which he revealed he would back an increase in horsepower.

“Oh God! What are my thoughts? Obviously, I wish it was a little bit better. You’re always going to want something better. Obviously, the horsepower thing is a no-brainer. I wish we got back up in there,” he said.

“The Xfinity [Series] cars have less horsepower than we have, and I wish we could (do what they do) — and we could do this with the old car. I wish you could get people loose on the left rear again. Kind of drive the car in front of you where if you’re close, you can get on the left rear quarterpanel and get them loose, get them off the bottom and go on.

“Getting loose underneath somebody right now, the inside guy actually has the advantage because he just uses that guy up on the top and the top guy gets tight. End of story. That’s why you see a ton of dive bombs; people use them up because the inside guy doesn’t really get loose anymore. It affects the outside guy more.”

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Should NASCAR introduce increased horsepower?

NASCAR officials have recently hinted that the series could see an increase in horsepower from 670HP to 750HP for short tracks, with a change happening as early as before the end of the 2025 season.

Multiple NASCAR stars have come out in support of increased horsepower alongside Blaney, with drivers struggling to pass at short tracks due to the lack of power in recent years.

However, some drivers have suggested that horsepower needs to increase significantly to make a difference, rather than notching it up by 100 as NASCAR have suggested.

Josh Berry added that the problem is not just about horsepower but also the whole package of the car from aerodynamics to the tires.

"The question, I think, boils down to how much more does it need to move the needle? I don’t really have an answer to that. It probably needs to be pretty significant,” he said to the media ahead of Nashville at the start of June.

“What I would hate to happen is to go up 100 horsepower and it doesn’t really look that different and everyone goes ‘oh that wasn’t it.’ It is a combination of a lot of things. It is the aero side of the car, it is horsepower, it’s the tires. Honestly, it’s technology.”

READ MORE: NASCAR confirm Hendrick Motorsports cars set for further scrutiny after Pocono inspection

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