How NASCAR is targeting superspeedway fuel-saving strategies with new aero package for Daytona

NASCAR has announced an updated aero package for the Aug. 29 Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. The change comes after NASCAR had assembled a working group earlier this year to discuss possible revisions to address the issue of fuel-mileage races at superspeedway races. The revised specs will also be run at Talladega Superspeedway in October, unless NASCAR sees something unintended through the Daytona event.

The package includes:

• 4” spoiler and wide splitter stuffers (which are a part of the current intermediate package). The spoiler was previously 7”
• The tapered spacer on the engine will be reduced to 27/32” (465 hp)
• New spoiler braces
• A spoiler deflection device redesigned to accommodate a 4” spoiler

NASCAR expects that single-car speeds will be two to three mph faster than current qualifying speeds. There should also be the ability for the driver to complete a pass with a 5 mph run on another car.

“One (issue) was the fuel mileage racing that was going on and then also the inability for cars to pull out and pass,” said John Probst, NASCAR president of event management. “A lot of that feedback came from our drivers. And as we started dissecting a lot of it, started focusing more and more on the fact that they couldn’t pull out to pass and complete the pass, (we realized) maybe that was the thing to focus on, because some fuel mileage feedback we were getting was that they felt they had to have that positioning on that final restart to have the potential to win the race. So, we put that group to work and came up with different scenarios we wanted to test.”

There will not be a test before the Daytona race. Cup Series teams will not have practice that weekend with the new package, as the norm on superspeedway weekends is only to consist of qualifying.

The package is another effort by NASCAR to combat fuel-saving at superspeedway events, particularly at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway. Because of the fuel-saving strategy, the drivers are often not able to race at 100%, and the aero package has made it harder to make runs through the field.

“I don’t want to make bold claims; I think this should mitigate it, for sure,” Probst said of fuel savings. “The fuel mileage thing is a tool in their toolbox now that I don’t think you’ll ever get rid of.

"I do think that now that they should be able to get out and pass each other, that that will certainly mitigate it. It won’t eliminate it, but it should certainly take it from a hot topic in the race to something that is just a mention.”