How many gears are in a NASCAR car?
Emily Schmidt
Updated on May 08, 2026
Reports indicate that NASCAR's next-generation stock car features a six-speed gearbox, as opposed to the four-speed gearboxes currently used. NASCAR has relied on the four-speed H-pattern gearbox since the sport's inception in 1949, so the upgrade to a sequential six-speed transmission in 2021 is significant.
Why do NASCAR's have 4 gears?
A four-speed is also far more reliable than a transmission with more speeds. The introduction of six speed transmissions in NASCAR could change this, as they require more shifting and will require practice for driver's who have known nothing but the H-design of the four-speed transmission in their racing cars.Do NASCAR cars have gears?
Drivers push the lever forward to downshift and pull it back to shift up a gear. These new shift levers technically have a third position: drivers can pull the lever straight upwards to engage reverse. While the 2021 NASCAR transmissions only had four speeds, the new sequential manual transmissions offer five speeds.What kind of transmission do Nascars have?
NASCAR Next Gen transmissions will be packaged in a transaxle. Transmission placement will be a significant change for the Next Gen NASCAR Cup racers. All six previous generations of the Cup cars had a manual transmission attached to the rear of the engine, a steel driveshaft, and a solid rear axle.Are NASCARs automatic or manual?
In NASCAR, all of the race cars have manual transmissions.They use a four-speed manual transmission called the Andrews A431 Transmission.
Know Your NASCAR: Starting & Shifting
Do the new NASCAR's have a clutch?
Even though NASCAR Next Gen cars do have a clutch pedal, most drivers simply match engine RPMs to the car's speed to shift during a race.Do NASCAR engines have turbos?
The engines in today's NASCAR race cars produce upward of 750 horsepower, and they do it without turbochargers, superchargers or particularly exotic components.How many miles per gallon does a NASCAR get?
The NASCAR stock cars of the XFINITY and Monster Energy series average in the neighborhood of 4.15 miles per gallon, according to one of the company's calculations.Do NASCAR's have brakes?
NASCAR drivers do use brakes, but they don't really use them that often. After all, the object of NASCAR is to cross the finish line first. The first thing you have to do is to be ahead of the other racers, but the way to do that is to be the fastest.How much is a Nascar engine?
Engine CostOn average, a typical NASCAR engine costs around $100,000. However, during some racing events, teams use more than one engine. For example, a car competing in the Daytona 500 may use up to three engines throughout the event.