KANSAS CITY, Kan. _ NASCAR, hoping to keep momentum gained from this season's low downforce package, has given its race teams a look at the new aerodynamic setup for 2017.
The new package includes even lower downforce, coming from reductions to the car's spoiler and splitter, in addition to a re-sizing of the rear deck fin to match the spoiler.
"Directionally, that's the way the sport is going," driver Jimmie Johnson said Friday at Kansas Speedway. "I think the smaller spoiler is going to help us. We saw a nice improvement across all matrixes with the 2016 package and 2017 is another step of that."
The less downforce on a car, the freer it handles on the track, bringing a driver's skills more into play, with an increased potential for passing and, NASCAR hopes, more exciting competition.
"We're always looking at different ways to do things," said Scott Miller, NASCAR's vice president of competition. "We hope next year's package can be a continuation of this year's, and also lead into a more stable long-term package. But, as we move forward, nothing stays the same."
Next season's package has been tested a couple of times, at May's All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and at both races at Michigan International Speedway.
The decreased downforce has made speeds in the corners slower, which is something drivers said they were looking for.
"We are all wanting slower center of corner speeds," Johnson said. "We all feel that will put on a better race. The slower the center of corner speed is the more off-throttle time we create, the more opportunities there are to pass, the more opportunities there are to make mistakes, the more opportunities you have to work on the handling of your race car."
Said driver Carl Edwards: "Anything we can do to take aerodynamic dependency away from these cars makes the racing better, makes it more fun, showcases the driver's talent and crew chief's ability to change. That's good stuff. Less aero-dependency is good. So good job, NASCAR _ sounds like it's going to be fun."
NASCAR will also allow drivers to wear biometric devices next season, letting them monitor their physical and behavioral characteristics during the race.
