NASCAR was hoping to hit a “grand slam” with the different short-track package tested Monday at Richmond Raceway but instead acknowledged there are more ideas to be worked through.
“When we did the group runs, we wanted to see, OK, line them up like a real race, fastest to slowest and see what happens,” Dr. Eric Jacuzzi, NASCAR vice president of vehicle performance, said. “Then let’s invert them and see if those fast guys can get back to the front. So, we saw some of that, but a lot of the feedback from the drivers was it wasn’t quite enough.
“We’ve got some discussions ongoing on what we could do tomorrow based off some of their feedback. A good direction. They had a lot of feedback on tires, so tomorrow, we’ve got quite a bit going on. Hopefully that steers us in a good direction as well. Some good learnings today, for sure, but obviously, we wanted a grand slam and didn’t get that.”
NASCAR ran through three different splitter configurations with the six drivers who participated in the test. One option was not having a ride height rule, the other was a set ride height, and the third was a different front pan.
The difference in the splitter configuration run Monday versus what Cup Series teams are using this season is noticeable when placed side-by-side. It’s been called an “up/down” or “lift” splitter because of the lip on the front of it. The goal of the splitter change was for a car in traffic to create downforce.
The test version of the splitter (left) looks a lot different to the spec currently being used in races (right). But according to the drivers, the visual differences don’t translate across to how the car handles. Photo by Kelly Crandall
“I couldn’t tell much of a difference from my car yesterday to today,” Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece said. “(It was) not what we were all hoping for. Didn’t really feel much of a difference.”
Not being able to tell a difference was a sentiment shared by the other drivers. Noah Gragson from Legacy Motor Club, Harrison Burton of Wood Brothers Racing, Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing, and William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports were the other test drivers.
All six teams were given the chance to make single-car runs throughout the day in between the designated times NASCAR put all six cars on track together. As they would in a race, the drivers lined up side-by-side on a pace lap before beginning a pack run at full speed.
“It was hard to tell (the difference),” Byron said. “We were all sliding around a lot; I felt pretty loose. I was loose the whole day. I felt like initially, when we put the aero changes on, it had some similar grip to what we had yesterday and then as we got closer to noon and the track started to heat up, less grip than yesterday, similar lap time, and then in traffic, everyone was really loose.
“I don’t know. We’ll have to see. Hopefully, get some other ideas for tomorrow. … I didn’t think it was much different.”
NASCAR’s models had teams expecting to fight tight during the test, but all the drivers said they were loose. Visually, the pack runs looked no different from Sunday’s race.
Tuesday will be mostly devoted to Goodyear tire testing. However, if NASCAR decides to try additional changes, such as “to remove the diffuser completely tomorrow and offset it with some spoiler to make it balance,” that could be one direction tested.
Beyond the two-day test, Jacuzzi said NASCAR will continue to work with teams on ideas before additional tests are done in the offseason. Any potential changes to the package would not be implemented until 2024.
“Some of the feedback we got from the drivers today is if we were at Phoenix or maybe New Hampshire last week, they think it would have been better because Phoenix is a little more aero, a little faster track,” Jacuzzi said. “We had planned on if this was successful we’d go to an (organizational) test in early December, potentially to let everybody have an opportunity to try this.
“I think we will probably end up testing in the offseason with all these parts, not just aero but some of the other stuff like shifting and different things we’ve talked about. I can definitely see that. We have to keep working on this, it’s not going to fix itself. We have to keep going. But with the playoffs, we don’t want to be in that zone, so it moves it to the offseason.”
