No Changes at Talladega? UPDATE 4 Ford Spoiler change?: NASCAR officials are telling some teams that there will be no rules changes for next month’s Talladega 500, but Ford teams and Pontiac teams say they haven’t been told a thing yet(Winston Salem Journal)(9-22-2001) UPDATE: The Winston Cup series will make no “significant” changes to its current aerodynamic package for the season’s final restrictor-plate race, the Oct. 21 race at Talladega. NASCAR sources said Sunday if any changes are made at all, they wouild be minor spoiler or air-dam alterations to the Ford Taurus to make the car more in line in performance with the Pontiacs, Chevrolets and Dodges.(That’s Racin’)(9-24-2001) UPDATE 2: NASCAR officials announced that they will be giving Pontiacs a slight aerodynamics break for the Talladega 500 and that they will be “tweaking” the Fords, probably pruning the rear spoiler on both makes. GM’s Doug Duchardt says that it’s time for NASCAR to take all the makes back to the wind tunnel to get some new baseline numbers before ordering any changes. NASCAR hasn’t done a wind tunnel test since March.(Winston Salem Journal)(9-26-2001) UPDATE 3: FSN’s Totally NASCAR reports that Ford’s spoiler size will be decreased and that the change would help the Pontiacs (??)(9-27-2001) UPDATE 4: NASCAR officials do not plan to make a change to the aerodynamic package used at Talladega Superspeedway prior to the Oct. 21 race, but they are giving a break to the Ford teams. The Fords are getting an allowance on the rear spoiler, cutting three-quarters of an inch from each side. This change is designed to help the manufacturer remain competitive with other makes. “[There’s] a possibility of one other small tweak to another make of the same thing,” Nelson said. “We’re waiting on one other piece of data to make that decision.”(Richmond Times Dispatch)(10-8-2001)
