NASCAR teams are set to test the new 750-horsepower cars on Tuesday, January 13, at North Wilkesboro Speedway. One of each chartered team is slated to participate in the session.
North Wilkesboro Speedway has been renewed for a regular-season race this year, and is among the select tracks slated for the horsepower bump. The sanctioning body introduced the new rule on October 8, 2025, in an effort to improve the racing product on road courses and oval tracks less than 1.5 miles in length.
On Sunday, January 11, NASCAR released the list of drivers scheduled for the Tuesday test session, which includes Ross Chastain, Daniel Suárez, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Joey Logano, Zane Smith, Cole Custer, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Cody Ware.
The 750-hp boost rewards drivers with more power and, in effect, more throttle control. Tire management also plays a part in creating more passing opportunities, as Goodyear is looking to bring softer tire compounds for short tracks.
Reflecting upon the same, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had this to say,
“I’m looking forward to the horsepower….We’re starting to see Goodyear get us more tire fall-off at places. At a Richmond, you throw some more horsepower in there, the tire wear is going to be more, I think the racing’s going to be better.”
The test session is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, and will be open to fans from 12 noon onwards.
Jeff Gordon details challenges of NASCAR’s horsepower bump
Jeff Gordon believes that NASCAR’s horsepower bump is not a fix-all solution. He also noted that the priority is not a softer tire, but a tire that has grip and then falls apart.
“Adding as much power as I think maybe it takes would do two things,” Gordon said, “number one, cost, I hate bringing up cost but we’re talking about components that won’t last. Not just in the engine. So that’s one.”
“And then the other is,” he added, “it might make the cars harder to drive and the drivers like it more but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a better race.”
NASCAR witnessed a chaotic run when Goodyear brought softer right-side tires for the playoff race at Bristol last year. Tires began cording as soon as 30 laps, and the polesitter, AJ Allmendinger, was one of the first to pit. The race saw multiple lead changes among 14 drivers. Race winner Christopher Bell shared that he was ‘nervous’ while managing the rapid tire falloff, as he experienced a nail-biting finish with a 0.343-second margin.
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