Even earlier than the NASCAR Cup Collection started using the one supply equipped NextGen automotive, Chase Elliott was waving a pink flag urging the group to contemplate the perils of spec racing.
He mentioned that passing within the earlier era automotive turned an more and more tougher proposition as a result of the tighter rule ebook stored groups in a tighter field. In brief, the extra vehicles are the identical, the nearer in pace they turn out to be, and the extra procedural the races are.
That’s very true for tracks with only a single groove.
So now, 4 years into the NextGen period, that’s the largest competitors aspect that NASCAR is having to deal with as a rule — particularly as parity has given approach to a hierarchy however with much less passing general.
“We’ve talked about this earlier than, however for certain, the extra we’re the identical, the tougher it’s to be completely different,” Elliott not too long ago informed Motorsport.com. “Everybody at this degree is actually good at driving these vehicles. Many of the tracks we go to, there’s a most popular lane, and when the monitor will get rubbered in over the second half of those races, it turns into actually tough to do one thing completely different than the man forward of you since he’s within the optimum line.
“And a few of it, that is simply motorsports generally, folks getting smarter over time, proper, by way of aerodynamics and learn how to tune these vehicles. Return 20 years in the past, and the game was nonetheless discovering out how a few of these knobs and levers labored, and now now we have.”
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: Michael Bush – Icon Sportswire through Getty Photographs
Whereas Elliott laments the sameness within the Cup Collection, he additionally doesn’t shrink back from the problem as a result of it’s what’s, and Hendrick Motorsports pays everybody on the No. 9 staff to determine learn how to get monitor place.
“So now, we’ve by no means had an even bigger emphasis on qualifying and your pit stall, how briskly that final pit cease is, and all these issues,” Elliott mentioned. “It’s for certain a special time in motorsports, regardless.
“So, for my part, it’s a must to be taught to understand the challenges that now we have at present, as a result of I simply suppose they’re most likely going to be slightly bit completely different and, and possibly going to be completely different eternally.”
With that mentioned, NASCAR is entertaining the thought of focusing on sure areas of the automotive to permit for competitors. League president Steve O’Donnell mentioned as a lot throughout a dialog on the Dale Jr Obtain in October.
Learn Additionally:
“We’re all the time open to modifications,” O’Donnell mentioned. “The one piece I actually take a look at, and I feel our group does, now we have this automotive and a few issues contained from a price standpoint however what does everybody actually like?
“The power to tweak on the automotive and discover a bonus to do one thing cool. What’s the following iteration of that? Now that now we have the components and items long run, possibly we take a look at race groups are making some components once more, some issues we are able to open up.
“We give it a price cap the place we are able to open it up. However we’ve no less than stopped the wasteful spending and now we wish to get it again to the place an engineer can are available in and tweak on a automotive or an OEM can say ‘that is our IP and we wish to attempt one thing’ from a brand new know-how standpoint. We’re open to tweaking on it. We had the mindset of needing to cease the bleeding so now what can we do to maintain making the racing higher?”
Does that curiosity Elliott?
“It’s simply arduous to invest as a result of I don’t know what particularly he’s speaking about,” Elliott mentioned. “Like, tremendous casually, yeah however I simply don’t know what he means.”
Brad Keselowski had the identical reply when requested.
“It’s arduous to offer a solution with out figuring out what precisely they’d wish to do,” he mentioned.
Austin Cindric, Crew Penske Ford, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Josh Berry, Wooden Brothers Racing Ford
Picture by: Christian Petersen / Getty Photographs
Adam Stevens, crew chief for Christopher Bell and the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20, was no less than enthusiastic concerning the thought of opening issues up as a result of he misses the times the place his engineers might innovate.
“I imply, that’s attention-grabbing and I hadn’t heard that OD mentioned that in any respect,” Stevens mentioned. “I would definitely be in favor of it. Even when I take away myself from the crew chief chair, and take the 30,000 foot view, when you’ve got the power to work on the automotive past the shocks, and comes, and set-up parameters, it creates competitors, proper?
“All through the historical past of the game, no less than in my time, anyone has a sizzling hand and somebody doesn’t. You will be on the forefront of the event curve and everybody catches up and it’s a must to get again to work. It creates comers and goers, and quick vehicles and sluggish vehicles, folks on the best way up and down, with extra areas through which to compete.”
The problem is that Stevens doesn’t instantly know what NASCAR ought to open up.
“I would definitely be in favor of it however so far as areas the place, I don’t know, however I might love competing in any space of the automotive with the tools that I might be allowed to,” Stevens mentioned. “Selfishly, that’s a part of the game that I loved immensely that’s type of gone. I do know a whole lot of gifted engineers, racers and fabricators are the identical approach. I really feel like we’re lacking that. If they’d sprinkle a few of that again in, I would definitely get pleasure from that.”
His teammate, Chris Gayle, crew chief for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 staff shared in Stevens’ basic enthusiasm.
“We have to take a look at a few of our underbody stuff,” Gayle mentioned. “Do we have to sit on the shocks. There are some areas they might open up that wouldn’t value something, that may would create alternatives, however it’s so arduous to say proper now with out having a whole lot of time to consider it.”
Ryan Fugle, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro and William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Liberty College Patriotic Chevrolet Camaro
Picture by: Rusty Jarrett / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 additionally doesn’t like having this automotive sit on the shocks the best way it does.
“Completely, sure, one hundred pc in favor of opening some issues up,” Fugle mentioned. “There are a lot areas of the automotive that you would say, ‘no matter you wish to do however do not do that’ and ‘do not change that’ to make issues far more open. Proper now, the automotive and the setup has been developed across the shock limiters, actually. That’s how we hold the vehicles off the monitor and that’s created your complete setup round that.
“There are some issues I feel we might try this wouldn’t be very costly, in my view, it could simply take some improvement. It could be working sim and tinkering — extra time than the rest. And that might encourage among the teams at these race groups too. We’ve some burnout, going by way of the yr, and we’re so restricted on what we are able to change, and with just a bit however extra opening of the rule ebook, that might get us excited and it could be enjoyable.”
Like the remainder of his friends, Paul Wolfe for the Crew Penske No. 22 staff hadn’t heard O’Donnell’s quote but in addition says he misses the times of innovation.
“Effectively, I hadn’t heard about that or thought of that it could ever be on the radar to open some issues again up so I have to put some extra ideas into it to provide you higher reply,” Wolfe mentioned. “However typically, I get pleasure from change and I feel it is wholesome for competitors.
“When the rule ebook modifications and evolves, it creates alternative, and creates some separation with groups discovering that pace early after which others catching up and surpassing them. I assist something that permits for that type of competitors.
“We’ve gone fairly some time now with this era automotive with issues being fairly stagnant. These of us who’ve been within the sport a very long time benefit from the competitors and creativity and I feel the racing would undoubtedly profit from giving groups an opportunity to make some issues occur or discover benefits, even when it’s only for a brief time period.”
We wish your opinion!
What would you wish to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Crew
