Short Track Package Changes Take Effect at Phoenix

Since the introduction of the Next Gen car in NASCAR’s Cup Series, NASCAR has made a number of adjustments and tweaks to the rules packages to the cars in an attempt to make them safer for the drivers and a more exciting race for the fans.

The latest changes made by NASCAR were for the short track packages in regard to the aerodynamics of the cars.

The race this weekend on the one mile track at Phoenix Raceway will be the first test of the new package.

NASCAR has simplified the rear diffuser by using fewer vertical strakes.  The result will be a reduction in downforce up front.  The rear spoiler has been increased from two inches to three; with the length across the rear deck remaining the same.

NASCAR vice president of vehicle performance Dr. Eric Jacuzzi spoke on the changes and the test carried out last year saying, “one of the things going into the Phoenix test, we said, ‘let’s do a simplified diffuser.  Let’s see what it does when we put it in traffic,’ and what we actually found was it appeared to be an improvement. Then another interesting effect was that it did not lose rear downforce when it yawed, which is an issue we fight with the current car. So we felt that the car, the drivers would be able to slide around more on the short tracks and really have to be less careful about putting power down.”

He added, “we felt that would be a benefit, and that was the big takeaway from the driver feedback. At the test, they felt they could really tell that it was more forgiving. They felt they could slide the car, not crazy but certainly much more than they regularly could without having a performance penalty.”

During the testing at Phoenix, Goodyear also worked closely with NASCAR to find the best tire compounds for performance and wear during the race.

While short tracks, the package will not be used at Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway due to the speed and banking at the tracks.

Jacuzzi noted that no changes for the gearbox are planned for the short tracks; but adds, “there’s work ongoing on what can be done there and what will be beneficial to the racing.”