INDYCAR has implemented the use of closure panels to the rear wheel guards of both Honda and Chevrolet superspeedway aero kits beginning this weekend with the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The panels were developed by Honda and Chevrolet and will also be utilized later this month at Auto Club Speedway and in August at Pocono Raceway — the penultimate stop on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.
“This has been a collaborative effort with both manufacturers and they have been working on these since the Indianapolis 500 qualifications,” said Will Phillips, INDYCAR vice president of technology. “These closure panels serve as a blocker so air cannot flow through the rear wheel guards. This will ultimately raise the point at which cars would experience lift when traveling backward.”
INDYCAR also confirmed that the rear wing main plane angle for all entries this weekend must be set between (-6) and (-10.5) degrees, which will still result in an increase in overall downforce compared to the 2014 event on the 1.455-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway oval.
