NASCAR engines are powerful because they can handle high speeds for 300 to 500 miles. NASCAR's engines are track-specific. NASCAR engines are powerful, but why?
NASCAR engines are built and tuned to be powerful. They have 5.9-liter V8 engines with up to 670 horsepower. Teams can fine-tune them within NASCAR's regulations, giving them extra power in certain portions of the track.
Who builds NASCAR engines and how are they different from road cars? We will also cover NASCAR's Next Gen engine's power and how manufacturers make NASCAR engines so powerful.
Who makes NASCAR engines?
Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota make NASCAR engines. NASCAR has engine-building rules. NASCAR teams and manufacturers want their engines to be well-known, so they only use engines from these three companies.
The Next Gen car changed NASCAR in many ways, but only the horsepower and transmission. Gen 6 used 550 horsepower engines, but they've also used 750 horsepower engines.
The horsepower packages are NASCAR manufacturers. Also, NASCAR demands a 358-cubic-inch normally aspirated engine. Changing NASCAR specifications affect all three manufacturers.
NASCAR changed the transmission. They eliminated the 4-speed transmission.A5-speed sequential transmission replaces it. This streamlined transmission allows the driver to push down one notch to shift down and draw back one notch to shift up.
NASCAR Must Approve Engine Designs.
NASCAR isn't a standardized series, so manufacturers can't just send their teams a new engine. NASCAR must approve their design. Teams can build engines once permitted.
New NASCAR manufacturers must follow the same rules. Dodge would need to submit a bespoke design to re-enter NASCAR.
How Much Power Does a NASCAR Engine Have?
Current NASCAR engines have 670 horsepower. NASCAR engines must attain and sustain a certain speed. NASCAR engine power varies greatly between longer and shorter circuits.
The Next Gen car shows this. They have higher downforce than Gen 6. When NASCAR designed the Next Gen, they realized their horsepower package from the Generation 6 car wouldn't cut it.
The Gen 6 design employed 550 horsepower engines, which were reduced to 410 horsepower at superspeedways. Earlier in Generation 6's life, NASCAR shifted between 550 at larger tracks and 750 at short tracks and road courses.
NASCAR switched to the 550 package in 2019 to provide more exciting races. NASCAR noticed that the Next Gen cars handled poorly with the 550 package.
Slower Speeds
The 550 package made the Next Gen car slower than the Gen 6 model. Late in 2021, they were 2 seconds behind.
NASCAR increased horsepower to 670 on every track except Daytona and Talladega, where they used 510 horsepower.
NASCAR is required to enhance Next Gen car horsepower due to greater downforce and aerodynamics. The Next-Gen design reportedly had 1,000 pounds of greater downforce, requiring a more powerful engine.
NASCAR drivers achieved 180 mph during testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway with 670 horsepower. They were faster than the Generation 6 cars in several circumstances.
How Do NASCAR Engines Produce So Much Power?
NASCAR engines are powerful because of their fuel composition, calibration, and construction. These three components combine to develop engines that can produce 670 horsepower for Next Gen cars.
Most NASCAR engines have more horsepower than most road cars, but not all. Plus, manufacturers must build these engines so they can maintain high speeds across 300-500 miles.
Toyota, Chevrolet, and Ford do this. NASCAR engines aren't made on assembly lines. NASCAR cars aren't stock cars because they're constructed especially for NASCAR.
Fuel Composition
NASCAR cars don't use regular cars. They utilize Sunoco Green E15 instead. 98 octane, 15% ethanol.
Most road cars use 88 octane, so they can't tolerate compression before detonation as well as NASCAR cars. A car's detonation resistance improves with its rating. High resistance makes the car explosive.
Tuning
Tuning in Tapered spacers keep cars from exceeding their horsepower target. 510 horsepower. Superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega have 510 hp.
Within NASCAR's regulations, they can adjust their engines for the track. Even though the speeds are lower on short tracks, they need more power and torque. Road courses, on the other hand, need more acceleration.
The same 670 horsepower engine is being tuned. Teams adjust it to maximize the car's power. Each cylinder may be tuned. NASCAR engineers use software for this.
construction
A NASCAR engine is very different from a road car's. These engines have thicker cylinder walls and more displacement (5.9 liters or 358 cubic inches). This huge displacement offers a NASCAR engine great power.
Thicker cylinder walls increase compression and heat dissipation, boosting engine output. The engines' construction allows them a longer lifespan at high speeds than a road car.
NASCAR engines vs. street car engines.
NASCAR engines and street car engines are different. The Camaro and Mustang engines are similar to NASCAR Next Gen engines.
Next-generation NASCAR cars resemble production vehicles more than previous generations.On the track, Chevy Camaros, Ford Mustangs, and Toyota Camrys look like factory cars.
NASCAR engines are developed expressly for NASCAR, while street-legal Camaros, Mustangs, and Camrys are built on manufacturing lines.
Chevy Camaro
The 2022 ZL1 has a V8 engine, similar to NASCAR.6.2 liters and a 6-speed manual transmission make it more than a NASCAR engine. It boasts 650 horsepower, 20 less than NASCAR's goal.
Ford Mustang
The 2022 GT 500's 5.2-liter V-8 engine is smaller than its NASCAR version. smaller, 7-speed twin clutch transmission. The engine has 760 horsepower, more than NASCAR's 670.
Toyota Camry
The 2022 TRD features a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, which is smaller and less powerful than NASCAR's Camrys. Its 301 horses are fewer than the track-racing Camrys. The transmission is 8-speed, not 5-speed sequential.
Summary
NASCAR engines are so powerful (670 hp) because they're larger than the normal production car and developed for racing. NASCAR teams build their cars in shops using these engines.