NASCAR has revealed that for the 2026 season, Cup Series cars will get a horsepower hike at certain tracks under 1.5 miles from 670 to 750. Though this is official, reports are saying it is part of a move towards an increase in horsepower on all the tracks on the schedule.After listening to drivers and fans, the decision has been made to inject more power, mainly for shorter tracks and road courses, to heighten the quality of racing. The extra horsepower will reach 17 circuits on the 2026 calendar. Some of the venues are Bristol Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, Martinsville Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Phoenix Raceway, and Darlington Raceway.A report shared on Reddit showcased a quote by NASCAR executive vice president John Probst, hinting at the move for more horsepower on other tracks as well if the races at the above-mentioned tracks are successful."That gives us an opportunity to sample some of the short tracks, road courses early in the season, get a look at the engines after we've raced them at the new power level," Probst said. "If that all looks good, I would not rule out looking at increasing that horsepower at the mile and a halfs and above." "It's just something that we kind of want to crawl, walk, run with this, and so this is the start, looking at the increased power at the short tracks. If that looks well, and I'm not committing to this today, but we will consider expanding the use of that as we go forward," he added.This initial phase will allow NASCAR to monitor how the cars handle the increased power and gather data before considering a broader implementation. Probst emphasized a cautious, step-by-step approach of "crawl, walk, run" to ensure the changes improve racing quality without unintended consequences.NASCAR’s high official explains what drove the decision to increase horsepower in 2026 NASCAR's decision to increase horsepower for the 2026 Cup Series season at select tracks was largely driven by fan feedback, according to NASCAR EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst. After extensive discussions with engine builders, drivers, and stakeholders, NASCAR decided to increase horsepower from the current baseline of 670 to 750 on road courses and ovals less than 1.5 miles in length. He said (via SiriusXm NASCAR Radio's X):“Certainly something that started with the fans and obviously a lot of our stakeholders within the industry from the engine builders...you know...you've had some of them on your show talking about it." (00:38)“Obviously, we meet with the drivers regularly as well, so it's been something that we've been considering for quite a while, and now we feel like we've done enough of the research to go ahead and pull the trigger, if you will, to implement this into the 2026 season," he added.The governing body plans to test the increased horsepower in early December at North Wilkesboro Speedway, providing important data before the full rollout.