Denny Hamlin explains why NASCAR’s Daytona power cut helps drivers escape the pack

Denny Hamlin on the new Daytona package: “We’re not stuck in traffic anymore”

Denny Hamlin says the 45-hp drop at Daytona on 29 August will let drivers actually race instead of idling in the pack. The Ford Mustang Dark Horse-branded Cup cars will run just 465 hp with a 4-inch rear spoiler-down from 7 inches-after Hamlin’s working group pushed the change.

What happened?

NASCAR trimmed horsepower and downforce for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The cars now make 465 hp, 45 hp less than the superspeedway package used before, and 35 hp below a stock Mustang GT. Rear spoilers shrink from 7 inches to 4 inches to lift single-car speeds by up to 3 mph and ease overtakes.

Why it matters for Denny Hamlin

Hamlin, a driver-owner who helped craft the tweaks, told NASCAR’s *Inside the Race* this week that the old rules forced teams to gamble on pit strategy instead of racing. “We basically know you have to be in the top four inside that last fuel window, unless there’s a big wreck,” he said. “If you come out 10th, you’re log-jammed; you’re not going anywhere.”

He reckons the shorter spoiler will let drivers “get out of the pack when they get a run” and create gaps to dive back in without fear of getting boxed in. Hamlin pointed to the recent EchoPark Speedway race-formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway-as proof the idea works. Early numbers suggest a “roughly 33% gain in the right direction,” he added.

What comes next?

The revised package debuts at the final regular-season race on 29 August. A postseason superspeedway event at Talladega on 25 October will follow, giving teams one more shot to test the rules before the playoffs. This season’s postseason also brings back the Chase branding last used from 2004 to 2016, though drivers now clinch spots by points rather than race wins.