NASCAR is expected to double how much practice time Cup Series teams get most weeks, multiple sources within race teams told The Athletic.
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With an increasing chorus of drivers and fans calling for additional track time, NASCAR officials will change the practice format from two groups of 25 minutes each to one 50-minute session involving all cars. Under the proposed changes, teams would also be allotted two tire sets so they can then better make multiple runs during the session.
The additional practice time is expected to go into effect beginning with next month’s race weekend at New Hampshire and remain in place for every race but two: Daytona and Talladega. Those are superspeedway tracks and will continue not to have any practice. Homestead’s practice schedule will also be unchanged because it already has a 50-minute practice scheduled since it’s the site of the championship finale.
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One of the reasons behind adding additional track time, sources told The Athletic, is to help mid-sized teams find performance gains they simply didn’t have time to discover previously. Under the previous practice schedule, teams had to primarily base chassis setups off simulations — a methodology that tended to favor bigger teams closely aligned with Chevrolet, Ford or Toyota, which provide additional tools to their factory-supported teams.
— The Athletic —