With NASCAR’s popularity on the rise in 2024 owing to a number of factors, there hasn’t been a more enticing time in recent memory for a new manufacturer to join Toyota, Chevy and Ford. And with rumours surrounding Honda’s imminent arrival in the paddock heating up, the community has been left wondering if the future of the NASCAR powertrain will continue down the V8 pushrod route. While we’ve all come to love the sound of the thunderous eight-cylinder gas guzzlers racing down the oval, those days may soon be gone, in favour of a more hybrid setup.

Will McLaren’s NASCAR ties contribute to the death of the V8s in favor of a hybrid powertrain?

As the world of automobiles slowly figures out the best alternative to the dying out combustion engines, there have been numerous areas of interest for motorsport categories like NASCAR to pursue, with the sport’s officials also recently visiting Japan to examine Toyota’s hydrogen project. With that said, however, the short-term solution to curb emissions and modernise the stock car Powertrain lies in pursuing a hybrid setup favouring electric components over combustion counterparts.

Since the introduction of the Next Gen car, the key difference between each manufacturer largely remains with the engine and the body, which are produced by the manufacturers individually, whereas the other components are the same spec throughout. Since 2012, McLaren has been in contract with the sport to manufacture the Next Gen car’s ECU, digital dashboards and other such electronic components. And now, the sport’s officials believe this partnership will be key to bringing in a hybrid alternative to the current V8 pushrod setup.

“We’ve already awarded that contract to McLaren, who is the existing electronic supplier in the Cup Series,” NASCAR chief racing development officer John Probst revealed key details about the partnership’s future on SiriusXM’s NASCAR radio. Probst was quoted by SportsNaut, “The feedback from our team partners and the OEMs as to which direction we want to go in this case with the ECU and the electronics around the Cup cars, that was McLaren and that will launch in 2025.”

So when Probst was asked if this meant the v8 pushrods would bid farewell to the sport to make way for an alternate platform, the answer was certainly optimistic for McLaren’s future in NASCAR. He stated, “Yeah, certainly. One thing that is common in our approach to just about everything now on the technical and the competition side is we leave all our options open and we try not to close any doors. That’s certainly true of the electronics. They are more capable than the electronics that we have on the car today.”

Speaking about the innovative changes McLaren will soon bring in terms of the Next Gen car’s electronics, Probst felt the development could only be beneficial in finding alternatives,“They will open up doors to allow us to explore what may potentially lie ahead with respect to power trains in the Cup Series. In general, it’s just meant to keep our cars current to the relevant technology that exists today and to keep our options as wide open as they can be into the future.”

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While it’s safe to say a more hybrid setup to the current engines is definitely in the works, it is also worth mentioning that the sport is committed to maintaining a core element of what interests the fans; the sound. So with hydrogen alternatives in the works for the long term, the community shouldn’t fear for the worst just yet. With that said, Probst also revealed news regarding the timeline of entry for the new OEM which certainly amplifies the excitement.

NASCAR reveals their estimated timeline for the fourth OEM’s arrival

For the longest time, rumors of a new manufacturer’s arrival have been discussed on various forums. But now that Probst has revealed a rather narrow timeline, it’s safe to say we may just see a fourth car sooner than we all expected. “A timeline for a new OEM coming into our sport is somewhere in the 18- to 24-month period,” Probst was quoted by Matt Weaver for SportsNaut. Since the existing manufacturers have long been in favor of a fourth manufacturer as long as it adds value, there isn’t much in the way of a new OEM to arrive other than getting up to speed with their development.

Probst also shared that they may be able to ‘expedite’ the addition of a new manufacturer now that every stakeholder is on board. He added, “Certainly, when all of our existing OEM partners are on board, which they are, you know the opportunity would exist, we may be able to expedite that, but under normal circumstances, 18 to 24 months.”

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Now that NASCAR officials have come out openly and showcased their optimism over the arrival of a fourth manufacturer, it’s only a matter of time before we know about the future of the beloved V8s too.