DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR has long sought to add more OEMs to the national series. This move would certainly take some wins away from Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota, but the current partners are not concerned.
In fact, they see the addition of new OEMs as something that will only help NASCAR.
"We're in racing and all the different series to compete against other OEMs, and we're delighted racing with Chevy and Toyota here in NASCAR, and we also love the future that we're going to have in Formula 1 and sports car," Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance, said at Daytona International Speedway.
"You see 14, 15 different manufacturers committed to hypercar, and that's fantastic. To see other OEMs having interest to come and race here and for NASCAR to want to engage them, it's for all of our best interest to have more manufacturers here."
Tyler Gibbs, president of TRD USA, went a step further and provided some direct examples of how new OEMs benefit NASCAR and the entire racing industry.
"We recognize that it probably means between the three of us we share a few less wins, but it's tremendous for the sport," Gibbs said. "It's good for the fan base. It's good for just the activation at the tracks.
"It's good for the advertisements on television. It just brings a whole lot more to the sport. So from our perspective, we certainly would welcome another OE or two."
The NASCAR Cup Series starting grid has only featured three OEMs since the 2013 season. Dodge departed after Brad Keselowski won the 2012 championship, which left only Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet in the top stock car racing series.
Rumors of new companies entering the fold have persisted for years. A Dodge return was rumored in 2021, and NASCAR President Steve Phelps said that things were progressing during a season-ending press conference at Phoenix Raceway. However, this return did not materialize.
Honda has been another frequently mentioned possibility since the start of the Gen 7 era in 2022. The company has continued to monitor the sport but has thus far not made a serious push into stock car racing.
What has kept an OEM from making the leap into NASCAR, particularly the Cup Series? According to the Sports Business Journal, Phelps acknowledged that not every company makes a V8 engine so there would be a significant investment required to work around the problem.
According to the existing OEMs, it would be worth the investment. It will only make the series more competitive than it already is.
"I think NASCAR is the greatest competition in racing, certainly in North America," Dr. Eric Warren, GM executive director of global motorsports competition, said. "I think it's just a highlight to the strength of the sport, the strength of what NASCAR is doing, the Next Gen car.
"I think we've supported that, and more manufacturers always kind of builds the strength in the sport and a depth of the sport. What you'll see is the quality of the teams and the level of competition will go up, so we always welcome that. So I think it would be a good thing to see it."