Statistically, the 2019 aero package in the Cup Series has been a rousing success but just as importantly, according to NASCAR, it has made the on-track product more entertaining.
Through 13 races – half the regular-season in the Cup series – the 2019 aero package has been used in just about every form in which it exists.
The statistical difference is striking:
- Through the first 13 races, there have been 513 green-flag passes for the lead compared to 330 at this point last season (an increase of 55.5 percent).
- Three of the 13 races have produced record-setting green-flag passes for the lead – Las Vegas, Bristol, Tenn., and Kansas.
- Nine of the 13 races have seen an increase in green-flag passes throughout the field.
- The average number of “official” lead changes (made at the start/finish line) per race is 19.92, compared to an average of 16.5 last season.
“We are halfway through our regular season. We’ve had a chance now to see the package on just about every type of track that we race on with the exception of road courses and that’s coming up soon,” John Probst, NASCAR’s senior vice president for innovation and racing development, told Motorsport.com on Wednesday. “All of the key stats that we track are up and some of them are up pretty substantially.”