NASCAR might need to go back to the drawing board in its quest to create more competitive stock car racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR officials debuted a “high-drag” aero package in Sunday’s Brickyard 400, featuring a nine-inch spoiler and other measures intended to slow the cars down and punch a big hole in the air, which officials hoped would create drafting and pack racing. But the racing didn’t look much different from previous NASCAR races at Indy. With the exception of some wild restarts, the racing was largely single file.
#4-Kevin Harvick called it a “huge science project that probably didn’t really change that much.” “I think everybody put in a lot of effort to try to really make everything a lot better, spent a lot of money, but I don’t know that we accomplished everything that we were looking to accomplish,” Harvick said.
#2-Brad Keselowski was disappointed the changes weren’t more effective. “I think we were all expecting there to be more drafting than there was,” Keselowski said. “I don’t think the draft was much different than last year and the penalty for being behind someone in the corner was more significant.”
#5-Kasey Kahne saw a “little gain” in terms of being able to close on cars on straightaways. Added #78-Martin Truex Jr.: “I thought it was harder to pass than it’s ever been. Similar to last year with the really big spoiler, there was a little bit more of a suck-up on the straightaway. But I didn’t feel like it was enough.”
All said, Harvick wondered whether the changes were worth the time and money they cost NASCAR teams. “I know my team did a lot of extra work to come to this race after we had already come here and tested and already spent that money to come here and test for a few days,” Harvick said. “And then to come back and have to race something different was a huge undertaking for the teams for a huge science project that probably didn’t change that much.”
NASCAR is expected to use a similar package when teams run at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 16.(USA Today)(7-27-2015)
UPDATE: NASCAR officials will not rush to judge the performance of the high-drag aero package used in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 although drivers complained about its impact on the race. NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton said Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “The Morning Drive” that officials will “take time” in assessing the package. “We’re digesting the signs from it,” he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “The fans and the industry saw the race unfold as we did. There were certainly some components, the balance of competition, the opportunities that this package presented for the drivers to perform were of benefit, but we’ve heard the expressions of some of the drivers that didn’t like some of characteristics of the project. We can absorb all the of the science and the data we collect, including talking to the industry, the drivers, the crew members and the competition departments of the teams and the car owners to take all of that now and absorb it. That’s part of the reason we created this specific package for Indianapolis – to see the characteristics of it, knowing that there are a lot of personalities in the garage area that have different opinions “¦ but it’s on NASCAR to come up with the one that we put in front of the fans on each individual racetrack each weekend. So, we’ll take time.” The package is scheduled to be used again next month at Michigan International Speedway.(NBC Sports)(7-28-2015)
