NASCAR announces changes to superspeedway package for Daytona
CONCORD, N.C. — The NASCAR Cup Series’ superspeedway package will feature less horsepower and a smaller spoiler for the Aug. 29 race at Daytona International Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series cars will have a 465-horsepower engine and a four-inch spoiler, down from 510 horsepower and a seven-inch spoiler they have had since the start of the Next Gen era in 2022.
NASCAR reduced the drag to allow drivers to pass and maneuver through the field on their own more, instead of just saving fuel to gain positions. They estimate cars will be around 3 mph faster on their own. However, the pack speed will be about the same.
Criticism of the racing at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway has mounted across the sport. Teams’ strategies have called for drivers to save fuel for most of the race to gain track position, creating a spectacle of three-and-four-wide racing with a lustre that has since worn off. Drivers have spoken out about the fuel saving and the two-by-two “gridlock”-style of racing when drivers are racing at full speed.
To address the fuel saving, NASCAR adjusted the stage lengths of the spring Talladega race. However, drivers ran single-file for most of the first stage where the changes were supposed to improve the racing. By the end, drivers still couldn’t make moves for the win unless they were directly up front.
A vocal proponent for changes to the superspeedway package, Denny Hamlin indicated changes were coming weeks before Wednesday. One report indicated he said the changes get the series “33% in the right direction.”
NASCAR last changed the Cup Series’ superspeedway package in summer 2021 when they still ran the Gen 6 car. They landed on 510 horsepower and a seven-inch spoiler after Joey Logano flipped at Talladega in April 2021.
The package carried over to the Next Gen car until now.
The four-inch spoiler and 465 horsepower is only for the upcoming Daytona race – so far. Daytona will determine if the series will run it for the 2027 Daytona 500 and beyond.
NASCAR will likely not implement the package at EchoPark Speedway Atlanta.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com