If the drivers don’t notice that extra horsepower, will the fans? That is the big question coming out of that eagerly-awaited NASCAR test at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Three drivers spent two days at the Tennessee track last week looking to dial in the optimal setup for two planned races there in 2026.

There was a ton of excitement around the test, because it was not just about finding the ideal way to manage tires. We also got to find out what drivers thought about the new bump to 750 horsepower on certain tracks.

NASCAR made the move to increase from 670 horsepower to 750 on road courses and ovals measuring less than 1.5miles in 2026 in a bid to quiet the storm of protest from fans about the much-maligned Next Gen car.

One of the drivers involved in the test was Ryan Preece in the No. 60 Ford for RFK Racing, and he gave Dale Earnhardt Jr the download on his testing during the NASCAR legend’s latest podcast.

Ryan Preece on new Next Gen car package

When asked what the 750 horsepower package felt like, Preece answered: “I’ll be honest with you, 750 horsepower, that little bump, you’re not gonna feel it initially, on stickers. It’s really gonna take the combination of going softer on tires, with the bump in horsepower.

“Everything we did is gonna help for sure. I probably didn’t go long enough into the run to feel the horsepower, to where I really had to manage it so to speak.”

While the increase in power didn’t make an immediate impression on Preece, he said the test did provide some very useful tire learnings with 2026 in mind.

“I did learn that we could cord left-side tires at Bristol, even with only three cars and with it being 55 degrees. We did have different ones where we could cord right fronts - we could make them last.”

What about no diffuser?

Preece and fellow Cup Series stars Bubba Wallace (No. 23 Toyota) and Alex Bowman (No. 48 Chevrolet) also got to test without a diffuser, and Ryan gave his reaction to that.

“I don’t notice any difference. If you look at wind tunnel data, and they’ll tell you how many pounds of downforce you have less, I don’t feel that.

“What I can tell you is I went 14.7 seconds around Bristol Motor Speedway - which is hauling the mail in my opinion.

“And, depending on the tire that we had, I could go 14.70s to 15.0s for a 30-lap run. Where there was also some other tires where I’d be only able to go a 15.50 and drop off to a 16.20.

“A lot of it is just combination - I think actually you and I have had this conversation. Because initially when this car came out, a lot of drivers were saying there’s too much tire, it’s too big of a tire.

“And my opinion was, the tires were very durable, and we needed to soften them up and have them go through a transition. There is definitely a balance - we don’t want to be blowing tires like crazy, which a lot of that is on cambers, air pressures and things of that nature. Trying to get the most performance out of the tire.

“So there’s a delicate balance, but as we go down this path, it’ll be really good racing.”