Photo Credit: Mike Mercurio
Fans and teams alike have asked for it, and now they’re getting it – NASCAR announced today that a different aerodynamic package will be in affect for this weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race.
Drivers can expect a reduction in downforce and side force for the race this weekend, which should result in the cars being harder to handle.
With the All-Star race being a non-points event, it gives NASCAR the opportunity to toy around with new ideas to test the teams with new rules packages.
NASCAR’s Gene Stefanyshyn, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Racing Development for the sanctioning body, said three areas will be updated. The updates include a mandatory mounted truck trailing arm and crossmember assembly, an idea that was talked about at Kansas Speedway earlier this month. The mounted trailing arm prevents movement, and will be in place for the remainder of the year.
NASCAR will also reduce the number of cooling fans allowed in the cars. Stefanyshyn said the cooling fans have been increasing downforce in the cars, which is something NASCAR’s been trying to stop.
In addition to the mounted trailing arm and fewer cooling fans, NASCAR will mandate a rear toe adjustment for the All-Star Race. The changes will decrease the amount of skew, or slant in a car’s setup. The rear toe adjustment is expected to do something else that teams and fans have been asking for – it will slow the cars down by approximately three MPH at a track like Charlotte Motor Speedway, which should act as more of a competition equalizer.
“We currently allow them to set up the car with some skew that provides not only a turning advantage but also a side force advantage,” Stefanyshyn said. “Usually the way a team would set that up is on the right side they take 0.6 degrees of toe out and on the left side they do about 0.3 degrees of toe in. We’re going to change the specifications so it’s going to be neutral; it will be zero setup. That will take some of the skew out of the car, which will take some of the side force off the car.”
The changes NASCAR is making is another experiment at the attempt to lower downforce, and put more of the control in the driver’s hands.
“We want to see what the effect of it is,” Stefanyshyn said. “The fans … we know directionally (that’s) downforce off. And we know the (teams) made some back, so taking it off puts us in a good spot. Plus, it’s a good cost (savings). So everybody feels comfortable.”
