January 13, 2010
By Chuck Abrams
NASCAR is considering making changes to the new sprint Cup car, specifically replacing the wing with a spoiler. While that may make many fans happy, as the car will resemble a more “stock” car, I wonder if it will really improve the racing at all.
I am no engineer but with the advent of the controversial wing, the new car seems to be more stable than its predecessor. Outside of those freaky flying car incidents at Talladega of course. While NASCAR denies that the wing is responsible for that, I have my beliefs. Sure, cars have gotten airborne before, but the roof flaps tended to minimize the effect. Note I said minimize, not erase, copyright Tony Stewart’s car flipping on top of Bobby Labonte’s car at Daytona in 2001. But the wing sure seems to me to have an adverse affect on the wing flaps ability to keep the cars on the track at high speed tracks.
And you can consider the source, but Darrell Waltrip has always attributed the side to side stability of the current car to the wing.
But didn’t NASCAR try this back in the days they were testing the new car design? If someone tells me they never tried this car with a spoiler and only a wing, I would probably fall off my chair. I have to believe that they already tested this car with both and opted for the wing because it performed better. If not, the organization is more screwed up than I have ever imagined.
At the end of the day, NASCAR is trying to find the optimum downforce combined with the best racing and keeping the cars on the track instead of flying through the air.
Carl Edwards is all for a tiny spoiler in order to loosen the cars up to the point where they are slipping and sliding and driving like dirt cars. While that is all fine and dandy, I am not sure all the fans want to pay to see a 43 car dirt track style race for 36 straight weeks. Add a couple of those to the schedule maybe, but not all the races. And have you been to a caution-filled dirt race? Geez, they are long and boring. NASCAR will have to shorten the races then too.
But basically, Carl is all for removing downforce so that following another car around the track would have fewer consequences. Right now, if a car is in traffic, the aero issues are as bad as the old style car. These factors allow the front running car to check out on the rest of the field way too often.
On that point, I agree with Carl and would love to see NASCAR do something to improve the overall racing picture. That includes removing the bump stops as well.
In addition to the possible new spoiler, there is talk of doing away with no bump zones and the yellow line rule at Talladega and Daytona.
Holy crashing cars Batman!
The no bump zones have been hard to implement and police due to a lack of forethought by NASCAR and drivers ignoring the rule or not understanding the rule. What is one man’s bumping is another man’s drafting. Poor definition of the “corner” has resulted in mass confusion. But not banging on a guy’s bumper in the middle of a 200 mph turn seems to make a lot of sense to me, especially if the driver is not expecting it. Some drivers are more capable than others when it comes to getting bumped or doing the bumping. If a car is not handling very well, a simple bump can send them spinning and wrecking the field, not to mention changing the outcome of a race.
While I am all for racing as hard as you can, the way some drivers brains seem to get left at the gate I am all for limiting the exposure to corner slam drafting. If we leave the drivers to police it, we’ll have Smoke wrecking the less experienced bump drafters early in the race to eliminate them from wrecking his chances later on.
Either NASCAR needs to define the no bumping areas of the track better, or do way with the rule altogether as far as I am concerned. Or expect long, boring, single file races as we saw in 2009.
As far as the yellow line goes, I am torn. Again, it is all about safety. But NASCAR has been inconsistent on enforcing the rule, especially on drivers who force another to go below the line to avoid a wreck. The driver has to yield to the block (which is also supposed to be limited but isn’t) by diving below the line or dropping back. A sudden drop back can cause a wreck just as easily. The driver on the yellow line has no choice but to maintain his position (the rule says you may not improve your position) on a difficult part of the track or yield and drop back. For some drivers, that is asking a lot of their ability.
Matt Kenseth said keep the rule except on the last lap. Oh great, so we’ll have an even bigger wreck at the end than we already do? It seems that every restrictor plate race ends in some final lap calamity as of late.
That is not good racing according to this fan.
Another driver said it best, and I paraphrase, “If you let us, we’ll wind up racing in the grass.”
Now how is that for honesty?
Is that what we as fans want? Think about it. Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.
Let me know your thoughts.
Drive fast, turn left and keep the shiny side up.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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