Interesting notes from Hamlin’s podcast.
- high HP is not coming back. The manufacturers are not interested in reducing the lifespan of the engines with more horsepower.
- there is conversation of grooved slicks like we saw in F1 in the late 90s and 2000s to enhance the racing. The issue we have is too much grip and not enough power. Reduce the grip and you have cars that are tougher to drive.
Understand that this is me paraphrasing what I heard on a podcast and not from a NASCAR press release. Assume all of this as rumor from a team owner and driver until proven otherwise.
I hate that high hp isn’t going to happen, but I can understand from an expense perspective. Frankly the racing on intermediate tracks is really good, but it’s short tracks where the product suffers. I don’t know how I love the idea of grooved slicks, but if the show is good I’ll learn to like it.
I wonder though, what makes cup the peak of stock cars?
F1 is the peak of open wheels because they are the fastest cars, the biggest budgets and expansive calendar.
Cup series teams have big budgets, but they aren’t necessarily the fastest stock cars out there. There are some weeks where the xfinity cars are really close in performance on pure lap time and at short tracks, modifieds are typically quicker. If we keep slowing down the cup series, is it simply the budget that puts it at the top?
