Are V8s on the way out in NASCAR? If it’s serious about adding new manufacturers, the answer’s probably yes

NASCAR and its stakeholders know there is a chance the sport will have to look different in the future if new manufacturers are going to join the fold.

The change will come from one of racing’s biggest variables – under the hood. 

Tyler Gibbs, the president of Toyota Racing Development, explained as much during Race Industry Week. Gibbs acknowledged that the short answer is yes: the current manufacturers would be open to switching to something new because there is an understanding of relevance in the engine space. In fact, it’s an area that a manufacturer who is only rumored to potentially one day field an entry is already focused on.

“I think NASCAR and the existing OEMs in NASCAR all understand that in order for new OEMs to come in, no one is going to make a pushrod cast iron V8 block,” Gibbs said. “It’s just not something they are going to do. It doesn’t fit into their line-up; it doesn’t fit into their relevancy formula. So, it’s unlikely that’s going to be something that new OEMs would do. So, if we want new OEMs in the sport, we probably have to have some mechanism that allows for that to happen.”

Toyota was the most recent manufacturer to join the Cup Series garage in 2007. There has been constant speculation since about who could be next, and NASCAR has only gone so far as to acknowledge having conversations over the years with different interested parties. 

V8 engines have long been in competition. But across the motorsports landscape, a V6 turbo engine has been far more prominent.

Honda is one manufacturer that has admitted that it is evaluating joining the NASCAR fold. Kelvin Fu, the vice president of Honda Racing Corporation USA, remains tight-lipped on any potential plans. All racing series are under consideration, he says, and the decision will come down to what fits a return on value, relevancy, and tracking trends that tie into what they are selling. But Fu is also well aware of the engine situation in NASCAR.

“We do have two very well-developed V6 twin turbos, but it goes back to the relevance of the series,” Fu said during Race Industry Week. “The OEMs are always looking for what’s relevant to our story, right? What’s relevant to our products going into the future? But the series also has to look at what’s relevant to our fan base, and how does that work out? And the fans are always looking for excitement and noise and great, close racing. Those three things all have to fit together so it works. 

“So, whether our opinion of what we want to go in any series, it’s a discussion we’ll have to have with any series we go into. Honda makes one V8, and it’s for a marine engine. If NASCAR is on the table, it’s a discussion we’ll have with them on what makes the most sense.”

It is not a new conversation, but one that will continue to be had in the push for a new manufacturer. For example, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, Elton Sawyer, admitted on a 2024 episode of "The Dale Jr. Download" podcast that NASCAR is aware of what a new manufacturer is looking for. And it’s given them plenty to figure out going forward.

“We have great partners in Chevy and Ford and Toyota, and they’ve been with us forever,” Sawyer said. “But we need a platform that will invite some new OEMs to come and participate. They love the Next Gen car. The one thing they’re not going to do is they are not going to build a V8 pushrod engine. So, we have to continue to develop and look at different platforms and options that will be inviting to those OEMs.”

Earnhardt followed up by clarifying that a new manufacturer will not join the sport if a pushrod V8 engine is still being used.

“In the conversations that our folks – John Probst and [Steve O’Donnell] and that group – have had that’s a deal-breaker right there,” Sawyer said. “Where when Toyota came in, they actually didn’t have that engine and developed it and built it for the trucks. So, kudos to them; that’s just not the world we live in today.”

And then Earnhardt asked what kind of motor it would need to be. Sawyer mentioned turbocharged.

“We’ve got to be prepared from the sanctioning body, very similar to our sister company in IMSA, in how does balancing the performance work?” Sawyer said. “For 75 plus years, we’ve raced the same types of engines: naturally aspirated, carburetors, cubic inches … So from an officiating standpoint that’s been fairly easy to police. 

“When you venture into the balance of performance and torque sensors and horsepower and torque at the rear tire that’s a different way to police your sport. But we’re going to have to figure out how that looks to be able to, again, be able to get new OEMs to come in.”