April 12, 2010
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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That ugly thing on the back of the Cup cars, commonly referred to as a wing, is finally gone now that NASCAR has reverted back to the spoiler. Both drivers and fans alike say the spoiler makes the cars look better. But so far, no real test has occurred.
NASCAR introduced the spoiler at Martinsville, a short track where no great aerodynamic effects could be felt as the cars don't reach very high speeds as compared to some of the other tracks on the circuit. For now, the new spoiler is just aesthetically pleasing.
The first real test of the spoiler and the effects it will have on the Car of Tomorrow under race conditions will come next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, where cars will reach much higher speeds due to the high banking than they do at Martinsville and Phoenix.
Officials originally designed the car so that it could be fitted with either a wing or a spoiler, so nothing else on the cars has to be redesigned.
The COT should have debuted with the spoiler. A wing belongs on an open wheel car and has no place on what is supposed to be a "stock" car, which is one of the many reasons that fans have been complaining about the wing.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, have differing opinions regarding the spoiler.
Johnson is more concerned about the effects the spoiler will have on the racing. However, there have been complaints about the COT's drivability ever since the car debuted in 2007. So, there is just as much of a chance that the spoiler will serve to improve the racing.
"What I kind of predict is that the car is going to be more difficult to drive in traffic," Johnson was quoted as saying in an Associated Press article on espn.com. "I've heard a lot of people mention that that's going to make for better racing, and I'm just not buying that as of now."
Gordon, on the other hand, felt the spoiler made the cars look good.
"One thing we've learned, and NASCAR has learned, is that perception means a lot to the fans and the media," Gordon was quoted as saying in the same AP article. "We've had some great racing over the years with the rear wing, but I've never been crazy about the way it looks. I will say the spoiler looks really good."
Perhaps the best effect of the spoiler is that it should keep the cars from becoming airborne when spun around. NASCAR is very fortunate that no one has been killed due to some of the spectacular crashes that the wing has caused, although several fans were injured last year at Talladega.
Driver and fan safety is much more important than whether or not the cars are going to be a little more difficult to drive in traffic. So, that tradeoff would make switching to the spoiler well worth it. And if the spoiler makes the COT look better, then that’s just an added benefit.
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