When it comes to a race car, the importance of an engine can never be overstated. NASCAR has evolved a lot over the decades and innovation has been at the forefront of this evolution. Though NASCAR has regulated the horsepower produced by engines throughout the years, cars are still able to be fast and have overtaking power.
Before the regulations, more horsepower was able to provide drivers with more wins, a formula followed all across the grid. Until 2012, the cars used carburetion with compacted graphite iron blocks for engine fuel feed. Despite the horsepower being reduced over the years to abide by regulations for safety reasons, engines can produce higher levels of horsepower.
NASCAR Engine Horsepower
Since 2012, the current era of engine regulations has been followed. These cars are powered by EFI V8 engines. The configuration followed in the NASCAR Cup Series has a four-inch spoiler and 670 horsepower engine. This is followed in all speedways, short tracks, and road courses except for Daytona Speedway as well as Talladega Superspeedway. When it comes to these tracks, restrictor plates are used as a safety measure to reduce the speeds. This is done due to the high banks of these superspeedways.
Before this 2021 change, the NASCAR engine had a 550-horsepower configuration. This makes the current engines have higher horsepower as well as lower downforce. Though higher horsepower can lead to better timings during the races, they require much more command over the vehicle. This makes the drivers more prone to accidents.
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Do all NASCARs use the same engine?
NASCAR has established very particular specifications for the engines, and all teams and manufacturers follow and have to abide by these. This makes all the engines have the same specification, but have variations among all of them. Engines differ in profiles like valvetrains and Camshafts, steering pumps, valve lifters, and crankshafts. Despite these differences, each engine is still cylinders and has a 12:1 compression ratio. With a limited number of manufacturers in the series, the engines and cars also seem similar because of these manufacturers.
FAQ's On NASCAR engines
A. Due to the high displacement in NASCAR engines, cars can create more power. This is directly correlated to a higher intake of fuel and air.
A. NASCAR engines produce 9200-9400 rpm when running around a few oval tracks like the Coca-Cola 600.
A. The 8-cylinder engine present in NASCAR cars helps it achieve high top speeds.
A. The horsepower produced varies from track to track but cars produce 670 horsepower for most tracks.
