NASCAR Cup Series drivers demand more horsepower among other things to improve current racing

In recent seasons, NASCAR has witnessed conflict about the amount of horsepower Cup Series cars can possess.

According to FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass, the sport is hesitant to go over 670 horsepower with the tapered spacer since it would necessitate more research and development on performance equipment and components.

This is significant since they must compete in two races. The costs involved are something that NASCAR, the organizations and the manufacturers want to avoid for the time being.

For decades, the sheer power of a NASCAR engine captivated spectators both young and old. However, since the 2022 Cup Series, the engine has been limited to generating 670 horsepower in all but two road and oval races, Daytona and Talladega.

Some drivers have once again asked for additional horsepower to make passing easier. The Cup race at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday (April 16) raised concerns about what NASCAR may do to alter racing and how soon those changes could be implemented. Nonetheless, there were indications of how difficult it was to pass.

Joey Logano finished second despite having the lowest average running position for a runner-up finisher in a Cup race since at least 2008.

.@joeylogano started dead last.

Passed every car, but one. His eighth consecutive top-10 finish at @MartinsvilleSwy. https://t.co/rbo7szX8tJ

Logano, the defending series champion, was lapped in the opening stages and regained his lap during the stage break. He raised his concerns regarding the speed and difference in the race cars.

Logano told NBC Sports:

"I was racing cars that I didn’t think I’d be racing, cars that in the past you would pass with ease. I couldn’t do that, there’s just not enough speed difference in the cars. They’re almost the same. There’s not much fall-off. We need more fall-off, and we need a lot more horsepower."

Denny Hamlin, who finished fourth, also demanded extra horsepower. Hamlin said after the race:

“We’re in a box with these engines, and NASCAR’s leadership wants us (with these) engines, they keep lowering horsepower, which makes us have to shift.”

The short-track package is terrible, and the races at Martinsville Speedway proved that. It was hard to pass in the first race, and the second race was still not up to the venue's standards.

While horsepower will always be a matter of discussion, it should be of little concern for the time being because NASCAR is unlikely to.

Chase Elliott finishes 10th in his NASCAR comeback

Chase Elliott made his comeback at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday after missing the previous six races. Elliott suffered a broken tibia in his left leg, which he sustained in an early March snowboarding accident. His rehabilitation period lasted six weeks, and his comeback at Martinsville did not go very well.

👍 for @chaseelliott being back. https://t.co/Xfipni4cee

The 2020 NASCAR Cup champion qualified 24th and ran in the top 20 for much of the race. He drove all the way up to tenth position in the last stint, while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson grabbed the checkered flag. With his top-ten finish on Sunday, Elliott moved up from 34th to 31st in points.