Drivers give new spoiler positive reviews after first test at Texas
Greg Biffle goes out with a rear spoiler instead of a wing during a Goodyear tire test Tuesday at Texas Motor Speedway. // Courtesy, Texas Motor Speedway
Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers were the first drivers to test the new spoiler on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup car Tuesday, and all of them liked what they saw and felt.
NASCAR is replacing the rear wing on the Cup car with a more traditional spoiler. It tested the new configuration for the first time Tuesday during a Goodyear tire test at Texas Motor Speedway.
Though NASCAR has not yet decided the dimensions of the aluminum spoiler, the cars at Texas had spoilers that were four inches high and 64.5 inches wide. The implementation of the spoiler also is still to be determined.
“It didn’t seem to be a big balance change, which was good,” said Stewart-Haas Racing's Stewart, the first driver to turn laps with the new spoiler. “That means you won’t have to invent the wheel necessarily. It was a balance shift, but it wasn’t a big balance shift.”
“I thought it was good,” Red Bull Racing's Vickers said. “I thought it added a little bit of front downforce, which is a good thing. I think it’s going to be more accepted to the fans. It looks cooler – a little more retro back to the older car.
“We haven’t been in a lot of traffic yet, so the big question is how it’s going to handle in traffic. Theoretically, from what I’ve been told, the difference between the two is that the spoiler is better in traffic. The spoiler is going to be more efficient in dirty air and a wing will be more efficient in clean air. Once you get in a lot of turbulence, the spoiler’s not going to lose a lot of efficiency while a wing really will.”
NASCAR officials and competitors believe the spoiler will generate more downforce and more grip than the wing, which has been used since the new car debuted in 2007.
Drivers have complained about the way the new car drives while fans have not taken to the look of the new car.
“We’ve got one of the biggest spectator sports in America and they want to keep it interesting,” Roush Fenway Racing's Biffle said. “They want to keep our fans interested and they listen to the fans. They wanted double-file restarts and they did it, and a lot of fans don’t like the wing because they say it’s not traditional NASCAR. NASCAR asked us about [the change] and we thought it would be good to put a spoiler back on the car or at least try it. I think it will be good.”
Both Biffle and Penske Racing's Busch liked the way the cars drove with the spoiler.
“It drove a little bit different on corner exit than the wing did,” Biffle said. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but it may have had a little feel like the old car in some scenarios. You can tell it has some more drag because they made it a little bit bigger and wider. I’m anxious to get side-by-side with some guys and around other cars and see how it drives.”
“With the spoiler on, the car had a looser feel to it,” Busch said. “The car was turning better and it felt like the car was sliding a bit more. … What we have to do is ultimately put together a better package for drivers to drive on the track, which would create more side-by-side excitement for our fans to enjoy.”
Biffle said the dramatic change could help slow four-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports, which has dominated the series the past four years.
“It could possibly be a disruption to Hendrick’s dominance,” Biffle said. “They may not miss a beat, but when there is a change in the rules you’re going to have to find out what works. There may be a little bit in there where we can narrow that gap.”
“I think we’re stirring up the pot [with the change], but it’s in a positive direction,” Busch said. “A lot of times NASCAR throws changes our way and the drivers and owners grumble about it. With the spoiler, it seems like a positive reaction has been made already, and just driving in it today, I don’t see any problem with it at all.”
The four drivers will test with the new spoiler again on Wednesday.
