NASCAR officials said mechanical devices the Hendrick Motorsports teams and other organizations in the Sprint Cup Series are using to gain a competitive advantage in the rear housing are legal ‘ today. ‘We watch it weekly because it has ramped up the last couple of months,’ series director John Darby said on Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. ‘If it stays pretty level we ‘ll probably leave it alone the rest of the year. ‘If there is a higher extreme somebody takes it to that could create issues we don ‘t want to see, then we ‘ll react to that.’ The HMS cars in May were the first this season to develop devices that allow the rear axle to turn slightly to follow the front, creating more speed particularly in the corners. ‘Where we ‘re at today, right now, there is no illegal procedures going on,’ Darby said. ‘Obviously, there was one we found Tuesday that was questionable. But the mechanical devices, the way they ‘re using them, there’s a clear understanding of what the teams are doing.’ Darby said teams are using different methods to create a ‘hook and ladder fire truck effect that allows the rear axle to turn so the rear of the car follows the front.’ He said there’s nothing in the current rulebook that doesn ‘t allow that, but he didn ‘t rule out that changing in 2013. ‘It’s just a direct everybody has gone to maximize, optimize,’ Darby said. ‘Right now it’s pretty level throughout the garage. If you take the most extreme to the least developed, it’s not a huge difference.’(ESPN)(8-24-2012)
