October 10, 2002

We have been reviewing the latest fine from NASCAR issued to the Penske team and wish to give you something to think about.

Talladega is a track that has everything to do with aerodynamics. The team that rubs on the body the most seems to have the best results. To a point, drag on a car is controlled by NASCAR the sanctioning body for the Winston Cup series in the area of the rear spoiler.

The Ford Taurus of Rusty Wallace was found to have a rear spoiler that was “shaved.” What was reported in the news were some clouded facts that the rear spoiler was actually thinner than that allowed by NASCAR and had to do with a reduction in weight.

That type of journalism is very kind to Penske and crew but does not represent the bottom line. Let’s have a look at history and the real facts.

Rusty Wallace was in the news in June of this year when he lobbied the sanctioning body to reduce the height of the rear spoiler of the Ford Taurus. That attempt at adjustment was meant to reduce the down force on the Taurus and limit the effects of aero push as Rusty saw it . Wallace would go on to state that he thinks by cutting a half to three quarters of an inch off the rear spoilers would allow the Ford Taurus to over come a noted aero push concern.

NASCAR would increase the rear spoiler of the Taurus by ¼ inch for Talladega. The rear spoiler of the Ford Taurus is currently 6 inches tall and 57 inches wide for this seasons Talladega race.

With that in mind let’s look at how shaving can affect a rear spoiler.

Imagine a piece of material ½ inch thick for example. Now take that material and reduce its thickness ¼ inch. The ½ inch piece of material appears hard to bend as compared to the ¼ inch piece. Now take that reduced piece of material and place a force equal to a Winston Cup car traveling at nearly 200 MPH and you will begin to see the material start to bend at the top. This area is called the leading and trailing edge of the spoiler.

The rear spoiler of a Winston Cup car has support rods that offer stability to this system of induced drag and serves as the vehicle of adjustment in respect to angle. The very top of the spoiler (leading/trailing edge) is an area untouched by these supports and is the basis of my claim.

The thinner spoiler will bend slightly at the leading edge at speed and will actually mimic a lower spoiler. The bent spoiler will reduce the drag numbers on the car and make the car go faster. Rusty Wallace also believed that a reduction in the spoiler height would help aid in the dreaded aero push concern as stated above in his very public lobbying attempts.

This never was about a weight reduction as stated in the liberal press. This was a very methodical attempt at reducing the drag numbers on the Penske Ford Taurus.

The shaved rear spoiler appears in compliance when checked at the inspection area but, when placed on the track at a high rate of speed it bends at the top thus the drag numbers are substantially reduced on the car.

Is this cheating? There is an old saying in this business that states, “It Ain't Cheatin If You Don’t Get Caught.” Well you ole boys got caught so, I guess it was cheatin. Pay the fine and take a hit in the points that will cost you dearly.

Don’t get me wrong here folks. I like Rusty Wallace and I am also a fan of massaging the grey areas of the sport but, when you are in a fight for one of the toughest point’s battles in history do you make a move like this? Desperate people do desperate things. Rusty was all in the press stating his case for the lower spoiler and when he didn’t get it he went back to the shop and found a way to make it happen anyway.

Penalized 25 series points and fined $ 25,000 for a violation of section 12-4-A in the rule book (Actions detrimental to stock car racing) this event was nearly covered up in the press. History is usually a indicator in these types of stories and we didn’t have to look far to get to the bottom of this one.

You can contact Joe at: Insider Racing News