NASCAR unveiled rule changes on Tuesday in preparation for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. The rule changes include changes to downforce at road course and small short tracks one mile in length or shorter. NASCAR hopes that these changes will improve the on-track product going forward.
The changes include the rear spoiler, front splitter overhang and alterations to radiator pan. The new package will be used at six oval tracks and three road courses in 2020.
“When we consider changes to the aero package, we often can look back on our playbook, if you will, from seasons past,” Probst told NASCAR.com, NASCAR Senior Vice President, Innovation and Racing Development. “And there’s obviously some trade-offs that you make between introducing something completely new that the industry has never seen versus something that we have run before where we have a playbook from our side and (teams) have setup books from their end. We felt like we were going to look at aero packages that we have run in the past, and looking back at a lot of competitive metrics that we track, we feel like the 2017 levels of downforce on those types of tracks had pretty good side-by-side racing that our fans enjoyed.
Specs: (via NASCAR.com)
- A significantly smaller rear spoiler, which shrinks from an 8-inch height to 2.75 inches.
- The front splitter’s overhang will now measure a quarter-inch (down from 2 inches), with approximately 2-inch wings (reduced from 10.5 inches).
- Alterations to the radiator pan, removing its vertical fencing in an effort to reduce front-end downforce. The dimensions of the pan remain the same.
The six tracks that will see the new changes include Bristol, Dover, Martinsville, New Hampshire, Phoenix Raceway and Richmond. The three road course events include Charlotte Roval, Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
“Our first and foremost core goal is to deliver great racing, and I think that we constantly evaluate the things that we do on the race track, however and wherever we need to, to improve that situation for them,” said John Probst, “And as part of our normal ongoing critique of ourselves and how we’re doing, we just felt like this was a good opportunity for us to improve the on-track product at the short tracks and road courses.”
About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.
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