Secret rules/template change? NASCAR officials have [supposedly] quietly made a secret rules change to help Pontiacs, and the secrecy is bothersome to several rival teams that insisted that NASCAR should be following a more open policy by announcing any rules changes. That raises the question of what other rules NASCAR might be adding to the rule book from behind closed doors. The new rule is an alteration to the “long” template, which stretches the silhouette of the car from the nose to the tail; the alteration is a new hump in the middle of the hood, which allows Pontiac engine men to run a taller intake manifold. The change, Pontiac team members say, is worth seven to eight horsepower, which some rivals confirmed yesterday.(Winston Salem Journal) AND Earlier this week NASCAR announced that the Pontiac Grand Prix was the recipient of a concession on the nose and tail. The changes that NASCAR announced included an additional half-inch of kickout to the nose and an extra quarter-inch on the rear spoiler. But there was another change to the Pontiac that was not announced by NASCAR. This undocumented change allows the Pontiac teams to raise the rear point of the hood by three-quarters-of-an-inch. The modification is in place here at Michigan. The change allows the Pontiac teams more flexibility on how they mount their motors in the Grand Prix with the increase in clearance above the motor. Until this change the Pontiac teams were juggling the motor low in the car to accommodate a larger air filter/spacer /intake setup. Or, if they decided that the motor needed to be raised for some chassis or suspension consideration, a low profile air cleaner and intake arrangement needed to be used. NASCAR officials were not available for comment, but the Pontiac teams seemed excited to have the added headroom.(Ford Racing – sorry, their direct links don’t work)(6-17-2002)
