CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Last year, NASCAR mandated post-race ride height measurements only at the superspeedways—Daytona and Talladega.
This year, cars at those two restrictor-plate tracks are also exempt, and that, says Kyle Busch, is a bonus when it comes to the well-being of the drivers.
“I think it’s going to be better for the safety aspect,” Busch said. “I think, obviously, with all of us trying to get our cars as down and as low as possible that that’s going to be really good for us for lift off speeds and things like that. When the car gets turned around, it’s not going to want to lift as fast.
“We kind of saw that a couple years ago. I think Matt (Kenseth) actually went upside down at Talladega—well, a few guys went upside down, but Matt most notably. When the car turned sideways, it automatically lifted and then it just kind of went over. Now when the car gets sideways and turned, it’s not going to lift because it doesn’t want to rebound. It doesn’t want to be pushed back up because of the soft springs and the ride height rule.”
Busch isn’t certain how the new rule will affect the handling of the cars on the plate tracks, but he hopes it makes them more difficult to drive.
“Maybe hopefully it’ll make the cars drive worse, so then there is some handling that comes into play,” he explained. “I would enjoy that. I would like that, because I think any time you have an opportunity to out setup someone or out handle someone at a racetrack, that’s what creates racing. That’s what makes passing.”
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.
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