NASCAR plans to replace rear wings with spoilers on Sprint Cup cars, relax superspeedway rules

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

NASCAR said today it plans to replace the rear wings of its Sprint Cup Series cars with spoilers later this season while also relaxing some driving rules at its two superspeedways, Daytona and Talladega.

The moves confirmed weeks of speculation that NASCAR was mulling the changes to counter widespread suggestions that the Cup series’ races weren’t competitive enough, contributing to a general drop-off in attendance and television ratings in 2009 for the nation’s most popular form of motor racing.

When NASCAR introduced the so-called Car of Tomorrow in 2007 -- a chassis designed mainly to enhance driver safety but one that drivers often complained was ill-handling -- one of the most obvious differences was its adjustable rear wing.

‘The switch from wing to spoiler will return to a more traditional stock-car look,’ NASCAR said in making the announcement during the annual media tour of its research and development center in Concord, N.C.

NASCAR will conduct a full-field test of the spoiler at Charlotte Motor Speedway on March 23-24 and then ‘a decision on when to implement the spoiler will be made based on teams’ input,’ NASCAR said.

NASCAR Chairman Brian France also announced that some on-track rules would be loosened at Daytona and Talladega, the only two tracks where Cup cars must use carburetor-restrictor plates that cap their speed in the interest of safety but also keep the cars bunched in packs as they race around the high-banked speedways.

Starting with the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 14, drivers such as reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewartwill be permitted to ‘bump draft’ -- or touch the car in front of them -- all the way around the track. NASCAR previously had banned bump drafting in the corners.

Teams also will be allowed to use a larger restrictor plate at Daytona, allowing for more horsepower.

‘NASCAR is a contact sport -- our history is based on banging fenders,’ France said. ‘Over the past 10 years we’ve dramatically increased safety and that mission continues. However, it’s time for us to allow the drivers to drive.

‘We don’t want the rules and regulations to get in the way of great racing and fantastic finishes,’ he said.

-- Jim Peltz