NASCAR to experiment with aero package changes at All-Star race

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Freight Toyota, and Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford, wreck during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 7, 2016.
 Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Freight Toyota, and Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford, wreck during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 7, 2016.

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Freight Toyota, and Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford, wreck during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 7, 2016.

NASCAR will use Saturday night’s All-Star Race as a test session. The sanctioning body announced Monday several changes to the aero package for the Sprint Cup series cars to try and further enhance its new low downforce package. The intent is to reduce even more downforce, as well as side force and, NASCAR hopes, will produce more passing.

NASCAR introduced a new low downforce package for 2016. Most agree the new package has been overwhelmingly successful giving drivers more control than in years past. However there have been several instances where cars racing side by side have gotten loose. Near the end of the Kansas race Brad Keselowski , Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson drove into turn 3; Keselowski got loose on the bottom; Hamlin in the middle then got loose spinning up into Larson. Keselowski and Hamlin never touched each other leading to speculation that the new aero package could have been at fault.

Monday’s changes are meant in part to address the side force. Saturday night’s All-Star Race is a non-points event so while winning does pay a $1 million, there are no championship implications. Cars racing in both the Sprint Showdown (last-chance qualifier) and the All-Star Race will be used to test the alterations. The changes involve the truck trailing arm and crossmember assembly, electric fans used for cooling purposes for the brakes on the cars and rear wheel toe alignment.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.