NASCAR Sprint Cup teams could know within a week what aero package will be used during the Chase for the Sprint Cup and could know within about a month the 2016 schedule, NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell said Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. This weekend’s Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway marks the return of the high-drag aero package first tried last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While the package was criticized by some drivers after that race, NASCAR hopes the package will work better at Michigan. O’Donnell told “The Morning Drive” on Tuesday that Sprint Cup teams will be told what aero package will be used for the Chase “either towards the end of this week or coming right out of Michigan. Want to lock that in for the race teams. Not lost on us is how much work has been done by all our teams to prepare to even get us to Michigan and then Darlington. We’re really appreciative of the hard work, and we owe it to them to get the word out now and let them prepare for the Chase.” O’Donnell said talks continue as NASCAR looks to finalize the 2016 schedule. As for when the schedule could be ready, O’Donnell told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: “I think we’re probably three to four weeks away. We’ve got some work still with the racetracks.”(NBC Sports)(8-11-2015)
UPDATE: NASCAR is expected to meet with Sprint Cup competitors after qualifying tonight at Michigan International Speedway. Among the topics expected to be discussed is what rule package NASCAR will use for the Chase. This comes after Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that teams would be told within about a week what aero package will be used in the Chase. NASCAR has used a low-downforce package at Kentucky (and it will be used next month at Darlington) and a high-drag package at Indianapolis and this weekend at Michigan, along with the rule package used at the other races this season.(NBC Sports)(8-14-2015)
UPDATE 2: NASCAR will stick with its original 2015 rules package throughout the Chase for the Sprint Cup after switching to track-specific packages for a handful of races recently. A high-drag aerodynamic package was used at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month and will be in place again this weekend at Michigan, and it received some criticism from drivers. But a low-downforce package put in place at Kentucky was more popular, and it will be used again at Darlington next month. But when the 10-race Chase begins Sept. 20 at Chicagoland, the original rules will be used. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, announced the decision Friday after a meeting with drivers at Michigan.(Associated Press).(8-14-2015)
UPDATE 3 NASCAR will not experiment with a new aerodynamic package for intermediate tracks in the 2015 Chase, opting to keep the car specifications the same as the teams have used for most of the races. But NASCAR likely will change the restrictor-plate package at Talladega Superspeedway in response to the horrific crash in July at Daytona International Speedway, where Austin Dillon’s car went airborne and was ripped apart by the catch fence with debris entering the grandstands. The five fans injured were either treated at the track or treated and released from the hospital within hours. “There probably will be [changes]. We are still having some discussion with the industry heading into Talladega,” NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell said Friday night at Michigan International Speedway. “We have not settled on anything yet, but I think you can anticipate something.” O’Donnell would not go into specifics whether NASCAR would look to slow the cars or if it would try to keep them on the ground with additional pieces to decrease lift.(ESPN.com)(8-15-2015)
