No big surprise news at NASCAR’s R& D Center in Concord, North Carolina as cars have already been on the track testing a return to spoilers (or blades) from the hated rear wing.
As part of NASCAR’s annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour 200 print and broadcast journalists showed up at the facility to listen to NASCAR’s plans for the coming year.
The return of the spoiler, replacing the hated wing, has been confirmed coupled with the news that four teams had tested the spoiler (or blade) at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this week. While the data is still being processed our best estimate is that it will be four inches tall and 65 inches wide. Since it’s still in testing there was no discussion as to the angle of deflection (or laydown in stock car terms).
The first race with the spoiler could be as early as Texas Motor Speedway in April.
Another point that NASCAR officials made was that the move to the spoiler had nothing to do with Ryan Newman’s wild airborne ride at Talladega last fall.
Addressing flying stock cars NASCAR’s president, Mike Helton said Robin (Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition and John Darby, the Sprint Cup Series director) can speak more to the shark fin that will be added in Daytona that is an aero piece that helps the lift‑off speed, which helps the cars to stay on the ground even at a further radius; and at a higher speed than we have got today that they have been able to figure out from a lot of research and everything. The NASCAR racing from day one has always been highly competitive, and there's an age‑old saying that NASCAR, if you ain't rubbing, you ain't racing. And I think that's what the NASCAR fan, the NASCAR stakeholders all bought into, and all expect.
Because of gradual changes to the Cup car, NASCAR will use a larger restrictor plate at Daytona and Talladega, increasing the size of each of the four openings to 63/64ths of an inch, the largest since 1989.
Drivers will be allowed to bump-draft anywhere on the race track at Daytona and Talladega, and allowed more freedom on the race track.
Mike Helton explained that the series would not be so quick to impose penalties against drivers when he said “so it doesn't mean that you get a free pass out of jail card or anything from some of the characters we have got in the sport, but it certainly means that what we are encouraging the competitors to do as we have for the past couple of years is for their character and their personality within reason to be unfolded.”
The yellow-line rule, which stated a car could not overtake under the yellow line will continue to be enforced at the driver’s request.
Robin Pemberton explained “we work closely with the drivers and the teams. But we respect their opinion, and I would say it was not 50/50. Probably wasn't even 70/30. But most of the drivers said, look, we have got enough changes, let's move forward the way we are, and we can continue to look at it.”
Lastly, Pemberton confirmed that they are investigating fuel injection to replace carburetors and testing them for six months to eight months. “So our goal is to shoot for 2011. I think that's pretty aggressive. I'm sure John will nod his head to that. But you know, we are, you know, we are pushing hard and that is what we are shooting for,” he said.
"We will put it back in the hands of the hands of the drivers and we will say, 'Boys, have at it and have a good time,'" said Robin Pemberton.
As part of NASCAR’s annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour 200 print and broadcast journalists showed up at the facility to listen to NASCAR’s plans for the coming year.
The return of the spoiler, replacing the hated wing, has been confirmed coupled with the news that four teams had tested the spoiler (or blade) at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this week. While the data is still being processed our best estimate is that it will be four inches tall and 65 inches wide. Since it’s still in testing there was no discussion as to the angle of deflection (or laydown in stock car terms).
The first race with the spoiler could be as early as Texas Motor Speedway in April.
Another point that NASCAR officials made was that the move to the spoiler had nothing to do with Ryan Newman’s wild airborne ride at Talladega last fall.
Addressing flying stock cars NASCAR’s president, Mike Helton said Robin (Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition and John Darby, the Sprint Cup Series director) can speak more to the shark fin that will be added in Daytona that is an aero piece that helps the lift‑off speed, which helps the cars to stay on the ground even at a further radius; and at a higher speed than we have got today that they have been able to figure out from a lot of research and everything. The NASCAR racing from day one has always been highly competitive, and there's an age‑old saying that NASCAR, if you ain't rubbing, you ain't racing. And I think that's what the NASCAR fan, the NASCAR stakeholders all bought into, and all expect.
Because of gradual changes to the Cup car, NASCAR will use a larger restrictor plate at Daytona and Talladega, increasing the size of each of the four openings to 63/64ths of an inch, the largest since 1989.
Drivers will be allowed to bump-draft anywhere on the race track at Daytona and Talladega, and allowed more freedom on the race track.
Mike Helton explained that the series would not be so quick to impose penalties against drivers when he said “so it doesn't mean that you get a free pass out of jail card or anything from some of the characters we have got in the sport, but it certainly means that what we are encouraging the competitors to do as we have for the past couple of years is for their character and their personality within reason to be unfolded.”
The yellow-line rule, which stated a car could not overtake under the yellow line will continue to be enforced at the driver’s request.
Robin Pemberton explained “we work closely with the drivers and the teams. But we respect their opinion, and I would say it was not 50/50. Probably wasn't even 70/30. But most of the drivers said, look, we have got enough changes, let's move forward the way we are, and we can continue to look at it.”
Lastly, Pemberton confirmed that they are investigating fuel injection to replace carburetors and testing them for six months to eight months. “So our goal is to shoot for 2011. I think that's pretty aggressive. I'm sure John will nod his head to that. But you know, we are, you know, we are pushing hard and that is what we are shooting for,” he said.
"We will put it back in the hands of the hands of the drivers and we will say, 'Boys, have at it and have a good time,'" said Robin Pemberton.