In a move it hopes will improve the quality of racing, NASCAR announced Wednesday a low-downforce aerodynamic package at all but two of its tracks for the 2016 season. Will fans care? The real question is, why wouldn’t they? And drivers expressed approval for the modifications that increase action on the track. “This will result in an intense winter coming up at Roush Yates Engines, preparing to defend the 2015 Daytona 500 win with Team Penske and Joey Logano”. “We’re not the overall favorites and we’re not underdogs”.
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Do it again … and again … and again.
Something had to be done, as the status quo has struggled to impress, as most passing opportunities have occurred on restarts and on pit road.
“This is where we want to go”, O’Donnell said. “That’s what the fans want”.
The series tried various different rules tweaks during the summer as part of an ongoing investigation into how to spice up its on-track product following a spate of disappointing races. This generates more passing zones over the entire track, and allows for multiple tire combinations to be levered. The driver who won the race at Charlotte last week won here in the spring and is among the favorites this week.
But I doubt that they are going to be able to get the upper hand in what NASCAR is putting in place. “This is what it’s about”. “But sitting down with [tire manufacturer] Goodyear and the industry, I think we’ve really hit on the ability to match that tire with the configuration we have now”. Aero is always going to be important, but now the chassis setup is going to play a bigger role plus the way the driver drives the auto. That made those races fun and exciting. Imagine how much better it will be in 2016.
While it might be hyperbole to call the announcement a godsend, the reality is any decision otherwise would have been against the betterment of the sport and deemed a colossal failure that undermined the very foundation of what stock auto racing is supposed to represent at its highest level. While the leader benefits from running without airflow disturbance, cars behind are subject to “dirty air” and its impact that prevents passing. However when the night race was rained out and moved to Sunday, Logano was the class of the field leading a race high 227 laps. We have started by using our analytical tools to design a new cam profile for this configuration, followed by valve train dynamic testing which will ensure proper valve control to avoid any premature failures. But once he got there, nobody could catch Harvick.
Better late than never, NASCAR will switch to a low-downforce rules package beginning next season. He was suspended for the first three races as authorities in Delaware investigated an assault complaint filed by an ex-girlfriend in November 2014.
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NASCAR wisely decided not to use the low-downforce rules in the 2015 Chase. The change will be dramatic.
