NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — The quiet of NASCAR winter just received a rumbling bit of offseason thaw.
A one-day organizational test provided that much-needed jolt Tuesday at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where Cup Series teams got back on track for their first unofficial laps of 2026. The sound of engines echoing through the Brushy Mountains that surround the revered 0.625-mile oval was a familiar signal of the approaching season, but also a nod toward the NASCAR-mandated horsepower bump for a majority of tracks this year.
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Fifteen teams — one from each chartered Cup Series organization — participated Tuesday as NASCAR competition officials deployed a handful of setup configurations to draw a bead on the series’ short-track balance. The day’s constant was a 750-horsepower baseline, an increase from the 670 target engine output on road courses and tracks measuring less than 1.5 miles in recent seasons. The switch was a well-received rules wrinkle, based on the earliest impressions.
“The more horsepower, the better, yes,” said Hyak Motorsports veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “I think if we can continue in that direction … Goodyear’s continuing to do a good job of bringing us tires that wear out, and they’re continuing to evolve that. I think all of us, drivers and teams, are on board with that. So you pair that with NASCAR adding horsepower, I think everybody in the garage has been on board, but I think everything’s going the right direction to get us even better racing.”
The prep session comes ahead of the Cup Series’ return to North Wilkesboro for the Window World 450 on July 19 (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The historic track has hosted the non-points All-Star Race the last three seasons, but this year’s 450-lap event will mark the circuit’s first points-paying meet since 1996, when the Cup Series’ original 48-year run here ended.
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Tuesday’s test initially was set for a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET window, but competition officials extended the on-track time by two hours into the evening after working through a list of proposed rules and configurations. NASCAR tested — both individually and in multiple combinations — different settings with the rear suspension/camber, a softer tire compound and some minor aerodynamic adjustments.
Weather conditions warmed in the afternoon sun, but were still far cooler than what’s expected when the Cup Series makes its midsummer return. The wintertime chill increased the grip level, which offset the potential finesse that drivers might need to manage the horsepower boost. A far different effect is anticipated come July.
“I don’t see the power hurting the entertainment factor of the race, and hopefully it allows us to have to pedal the cars at some point throughout a run,” Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott said. “There’s a lot of grip out there today, I feel like, but even by the end of 40 laps, there’s a good bit of fall-off, even for the temperatures that we have today. So I would have to imagine you come back here in the summer months … certainly it’ll be warmer than it is today, and kind of combine that with more cars being on the track, I do think there’ll be some wear. Then obviously the power will impact that another step as well. So I feel like the tire changes that Goodyear made last year were some really good steps in the right direction, and hopefully we just kind of keep inching up on making these long runs more of a challenge.”
The rare test day also presented an opportunity for new team, driver and crew chief pairings to get better acquainted in an at-track setting. Four of the 15 participating teams Tuesday were breaking in new combos — Kyle Busch and new crew chief Jim Pohlman at Richard Childress Racing, Erik Jones with newly appointed crew chief Justin Alexander at Legacy Motor Club, Ross Chastain and crew chief Brandon McSwain at Trackhouse, and new driver Daniel Suárez joining Spire Motorsports and incumbent crew chief Ryan Sparks.
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For Suárez — the lone new driver in a new place at Tuesday’s test — he was pleased to have a familiar voice with spotter Frankie Kimmel going with him to Spire’s No. 7 team. The rest of the “getting to know you” session, he said, was an all-new experience.
“It’s been super-productive for us, just to learn from each other, learn to communicate, learn about the car,” Suárez said. “I already have a list of items that I want to improve, because what you see in the car in the shop is one thing. When you have the opportunity to make some laps, it’s a whole new perspective. So with everything being new for me, I already have my list of items to improve once we get back to the shop, but the main thing also is the communication, just to make sure that we’re on the same page.”
