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NASCAR Drafting Package In Play For 2019
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NASCAR officials have made the decision not to utilize the drafting package that was tested during the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this year.
Instead, the earliest the package will now be used is 2019.
The package at the All-Star Race featured aero ducts, a higher spoiler, restrictor plates and an older model splitter. It was similar to the package that was previously tested in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and again this year in Xfinity competition at Pocono Raceway and Michigan Int’l Speedway.
The goal of the rules package was to increase passing and close quarter racing. The All-Star Race featured 11 lead changes this year with the package, up from three the previous year.
“Everyone is aligned on doing what’s best for the fans,” NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell told NASCAR.com. “As we went through that process of discussing (the drafting package) following the All-Star Race, we all realized we have something that could work.”
“We had a lot of detailed conversations, but in the end, we all felt like the best thing to do was to put some additional effort into some potential tweaks and focus on 2019 versus a race or two this season.”
NASCAR plans to continue to utilize the current rules package for the remainder of the season. Any potential package changes will be discussed during the off-season.
“We’re really happy with the racing we have on the track,” O’Donnell said. “We believe that the competition is closer than ever right now. Improving upon that is something that we always work to do, but that takes time. It takes a lot of collaboration in the industry.”
Instead, the earliest the package will now be used is 2019.
The package at the All-Star Race featured aero ducts, a higher spoiler, restrictor plates and an older model splitter. It was similar to the package that was previously tested in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and again this year in Xfinity competition at Pocono Raceway and Michigan Int’l Speedway.
The goal of the rules package was to increase passing and close quarter racing. The All-Star Race featured 11 lead changes this year with the package, up from three the previous year.
“Everyone is aligned on doing what’s best for the fans,” NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell told NASCAR.com. “As we went through that process of discussing (the drafting package) following the All-Star Race, we all realized we have something that could work.”
“We had a lot of detailed conversations, but in the end, we all felt like the best thing to do was to put some additional effort into some potential tweaks and focus on 2019 versus a race or two this season.”
NASCAR plans to continue to utilize the current rules package for the remainder of the season. Any potential package changes will be discussed during the off-season.
“We’re really happy with the racing we have on the track,” O’Donnell said. “We believe that the competition is closer than ever right now. Improving upon that is something that we always work to do, but that takes time. It takes a lot of collaboration in the industry.”
