NASCAR announces return of higher HP, lower downforce for 2022 Cup season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – NASCAR announced Tuesday the NextGen car will utilize a centered 4-inch rear spoiler and engines with 670 target horsepower at a majority of tracks in 2022.
The announcement was made after a meeting between officials, drivers, teams and the manufacturers after testing Dec. 15-17 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The package received majority support from all parties and was selected for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season.
The package will debut Sunday, Feb. 6 during the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (6 p.m. ET; TV: FOX; Radio: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, MRN). It will be run in 30 of the 36 NASCAR Cup Series races.
The package is a departure from the 550 target horsepower, 8-inch spoiler package the NASCAR Cup Series ran from 2019-2021 with the Gen6 car.
According to Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR wanted to create pack racing with the package. However, the target horsepower would’ve been too low for pack racing to be possible, outside of Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta, with the NextGen car.
The rules package has not been finalized for Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta. A 510-horsepower, high downforce package will be tested Jan. 5-6 at Atlanta and Jan. 11-12 at Daytona.
The NASCAR Cup Series ran a 725 target horsepower, 2.375-inch spoiler package from 2017 to 2018 and a 725 HP package with a 3.5-inch spoiler in 2016, with the Gen6 car.
SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
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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