Could Cup cars have lower downforce as soon as Kentucky?
On Thursday, we mentioned that a NASCAR executive brought up the possibility of midseason handling changes for the cars in the Sprint Cup Series. Now, we have an idea of when those changes could happen.
According to Motorsport.com, a new aerodynamic package could be introduced for the Cup Series as soon as the July 11 race at Kentucky Speedway and the sanctioning body had a teleconference with the series’ teams earlier in the week.
Several sources told motorsport.com that the revised package was tested by the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team and Jimmie Johnson during the Darlington Speedway test on Wednesday. The new configuration would likely include a 3.5-inch spoiler (down from six inches), and 25-inch radiator pan (down from 38 inches) and a shorter splitter. It’s the same package that was expected to be run during the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May but the idea was scrapped.
What would those changes produce? Lower corner speeds. By taking away downforce, drivers would be forced to slow down more in the corners. More time off the throttle and a bigger gap between corner speeds and top speed would theoretically produce more passing. Drivers have mentioned multiple times throughout the season about how hard it is to pass. The All-Star Race was a perfect example of how the leader of the race is able to sprint out ahead of the rest of the field.
With the rules introduced at the beginning of 2015, top end speed has been reduced while corner speed has increased. During Friday’s practice at Michigan, Fox’s tracker showed Brad Keselowski hit 205 MPH on the straightaways while he only slowed down to 187 MPH in the corner.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
