New horsepower plus the same tire equaled a solid combination at Phoenix Raceway from NASCAR’s perspective.
During the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast, vice president of racing communications Mike Forde said NASCAR viewed the 2026 debut of the 750-horsepower package at the 1-mile oval as a “game-changer” because of the increased tire falloff.
“The overall speed for the full lap is not that different, but the high speeds are higher,” Forde said. “And what that means is that it’ll just eat up the tire much more, which leads to varying strategies and comers and goers and passing. And that’s exactly what we were hoping to happen. And that’s what a lot of the drivers were predicting to happen.”
MORE: Recap: Blaney wins at Phoenix | Cup standings
Forde noted several teams were using sealed engines at Phoenix that carried over from last season.
The only difference was the addition of a tapered spacer with holes an eighth of an inch wider in diameter, increasing horsepower by allowing more airflow to the engine.
“A pretty minimal update to those engines created a maximum difference in the Phoenix race,” Forde said. “You saw lots of passing, where sometimes passing was very challenging in previous iterations of the Phoenix Raceway Cup race. So we’re very happy. Thumbs up from the NASCAR side.”
Goodyear supplied the same tire as the race weekend last November at Phoenix when several teams had issues. After a caution-free first stage Sunday, there were multiple incidents involving tires in the second stage at Phoenix, but Forde said NASCAR diagnosed this “as a debris problem, not a tire problem” after brake rotor parts were scattered on the track.
“Beyond that, it seemed like everyone minded their P’s and Q’s, and it didn’t become the story that it was during last Phoenix weekend,” Forde said. “Which is great because the higher horsepower was going to be a challenge on the tires.”
Other topics covered by Forde and senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis during the 45th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:
— The status of a Chase waiver for Alex Bowman.
— Revisiting the scenario in which a driver has a lug nut secured by another team’s pit crew.
— A statistical assessment of Ryan Blaney’s winning charge.
– Takeaways from the IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader weekend.
Click on the embed below to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.