Heading into the new season, NASCAR made some slight adjustments to the Nationwide Series cars. They changed the height of the rear spoiler (eliminating the ‘ears’), changed the rear spring package, while giving them the same radiator package that is run in the Sprint Cup Series cars.
After two solid days of testing, both Nationwide Series director Wayne Auton and NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton are happy with the results. Auton said that he has recieved a thumbs up from all the drivers as they like how the cars feel under this configurations versus the old one.
“I’m really pleased with the test,” Pemberton commented. “I mean, I think everybody has done a nice job. Our conversations that we’ve had with the drivers the other morning and Wayne working through the garage area, getting good feedback, it looks like a good effort on everybody’s part to do all the right things out there. It looked really nice.”
Trevor Bayne was even said that this was the best car to the drive – comparing the Nationwide Series car to the Sprint Cup car.
The Nationwide Series teams haven’t been involved in the pre-season testing for the last couple of years simply for the reason due to budget. However, with the changes, Auton felt it was important to let them come test.
“We talked to the teams and everybody felt like it would be beneficial to get some time on the racetrack before they come back to run one of our most important races of the year,” Auton said. “Anytime you’re tied in with the Daytona 500 you want to put forth your best effort, whether you’re racing on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
“With the changes that we made to the car, we felt like this was a good opportunity for the drivers to get acclimated to it, and gives the teams a whole lot of data because they’ve all got data acquisition out there on the cars this week which they usually can’t do that they definitely couldn’t use whenever they come back for Speedweeks when we come.”
Beyond the mechanical changes, NASCAR also has outlawed tandem drafting – the act two cars continually staying hooked up together. Pemberton stated during the presser that if it comes down to it, they will adjust the results post-race if two cars try to run together on the white flag lap.
“We have the ability to just not score the lap or time penalty post-race,” Pemberton said. “That’s been there all along. I think you can remember far enough back, I believe a team penalty was imposed on maybe Ricky Rudd or somebody at Sears Point a long time ago, and so we have that ability.
” You know, the rule that — the unwritten rule that you get three laps from getting a black flag, it really doesn’t hold water. I mean, we only give them that, and that started back in the day when people a lot of times didn’t even have radios. So that’s just kind of — it’s the unwritten rule.
“But we expect teams that get the black flag to immediately obey the order from the tower, and we do have the ability to fix the scoring when it’s over with.”
There are more changes to come for the Nationwide Series this year as there will not be single-car qualifying. NASCAR is expected to announce the changes in the coming weeks.
