The FireKeepers Casino 400 on June 12 will feature an updated aerodynamic package in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Drivers are excited to come to Michigan International Speedway for a thrilling 400 miles of action.
The 2016 NASCAR low downforce aerodynamics package has produced non-stop action in the first 12 races of the season. It has been met with rave reviews from the drivers, media and fans. Fans can expect more of the same when the series returns to MIS in June.
This update is the next step in making the racing better everywhere. The continued development of the rules package has been an industry-wide collaboration to further enhance the racing.
In addition to rules changes that were previously put into place for the Sprint All-Star Race (welded truck trailing arms and new brake cooling rules), NASCAR made additional updates to the aerodynamic package to further reduce downforce and sideforce. They are:
- Reduce skew generated sideforce by setting rear toe to zero (same rule used in All-Star race)
- Aero package tweaks to reduce aero generated downforce and sideforce
- Spoiler shortened from 3.5 inches to 2.5 inches
- Splitter reduced to 2 inches
- Resize of deck fin to match spoiler
Here’s what the drivers are saying about how the aero package will run at Michigan International Speedway during the June 10-12 NASCAR weekend:
JOEY LOGANO, DRIVER OF THE NO. 22 FORD: “I think any time we take downforce off the cars we’ve seen, it’s a win. I talked in (the media center) the other night after we won (the All-Star Race) and, yeah, everyone wants to talk about the format, I want to talk about what was amazing that night, which was the ability to race. We were able to move up the racetrack and get to the outside of cars and to the bottom and race each other and pass each other. Michigan is going to be that times 10.
“We’re going to make the hole in the air even smaller and less aero dependent, which, in theory, should make for better racing. I think that will be something exciting to see and be able to get off the throttle at Michigan. There are times where you’re just wide-open and going so fast. From what I hear from the drivers that were up there, I wasn’t there, but from what I hear they’re out of the gas quite a bit. You’re still going really fast at the end of the straightaways. Top speeds are going to be fast, for sure, but there’s that acceleration and needing to lift and that’s going to create passing out there.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI, DRIVER OF THE NO. 2 FORD: “The collaboration between NASCAR and the other stakeholders to improve the racing has produced tremendous results this season. I look forward to a continuation of that when we get to Michigan. The racing is more in the hands of the drivers than it has been in quite some time and I think we are just scratching the surface as to what this package can become. I always want to win when I go to Michigan no matter what the package and this year is no different.”
CARL EDWARDS, DRIVER OF THE NO. 19 TOYOTA: “There are absolutely no negatives. This sport, to me, and I can speak as a fan – until I got that call from Jack Roush, this was just something I dreamed of doing and watched on television and the things that I grew up watching drivers do with these race cars. Like that picture with cars sideways and hanging it out, stock car racing, NASCAR racing is built on that. I can’t applaud NASCAR enough for going that direction. I don’t see any negatives. I think we’re just going to have better and better racing.”
AUSTIN DILLON, DRIVER OF THE NO. 3 CHEVROLET: “I think you are going to see a good race. With the new rules package it should be interesting how the cars handle around each other. I got to do the test there so I am looking forward to Michigan. It is probably one of my best tracks also. I enjoy these big speedways. I think in traffic it will be pretty wild for a little while so you will have to take it one step at a time, one lap at a time and see what it brings you.”
KYLE LARSON, DRIVER OF THE NO. 42 CHEVROLET: “I expect the racing to be really good. I think with you lifting the groove will move up some. It’s just going to be really exciting racing. I think you can see every race track we have been to this year has been much better racing. That was just a smaller step in downforce. Another step will just make it better.”
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