Drivers debate challenges new rules package presents at Kentucky
As NASCAR headed to Kentucky Speedway this weekend after a long weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla., the plan was to spend most of Wednesday testing the new rules package debuting in the Sprint Cup Series.
The new package includes a splitter with 1.75 inches less of an overhang, a 25-inch wide front radiator pan and a smaller 3.5-inch rear spoiler, down from six inches. The hope is to reduce the downforce on the cars to create slower speeds in the corners, make the cars more difficult to drive and ultimately create more side-by-side racing.
Things did not go as planned this week, however. Rain dampened the 1.5-mile track for much of Wednesday and Thursday, eliminating any hopes at testing the new package prior to the weekend's scheduled practices, qualifying and feature event Saturday night.
The Sprint Cup cars were able to get on track for nearly an hour on Friday morning, but rain once again hit the speedway and put a stop to the on-track activity. With time running short, NASCAR opted to cancel qualifying and focus on getting the cars on track for practice. Unfortunately, that meant Ryan Blaney and Michael McDowell did not make the race for the second week in a row without even making a lap.
After extensive drying efforts, the field was finally able to get on the track for nearly an hour and a half. Forced to adjust to the new package and the tricky confines of Kentucky Speedway, the drivers struggled to come to grips with cars that were hard to handle. Jimmie Johnson tagged the wall lightly, while Matt Kenseth spun his car off Turn 4 into the frontstretch grass.
Debuting the new package on a unique facility, four-time champion Jeff Gordon was happy to get in some practice laps on Friday to finally put it to the test.
"I think we all recognize how important it was to do that before the race tomorrow because of this new package and the things we are trying and the unknowns," said Gordon, who is making his final start at the only track he has yet to win at. "This is a tricky racetrack. Certainly that is no secret. It is a very challenging racetrack. You take 1000 pounds of downforce off the cars, as well as the reduction in horsepower that we have had all year, but have not run here yet. We need track time."
For 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski -- who will start second in Saturday night's race after winning the XFINITY race at Kentucky on Friday night -- the new rules package puts things back in the drivers' hands. While he compared the difference between the old package to driving in perfect conditions and the new package to driving on roads covered in snow, the Team Penske driver also said he enjoys the challenge that he expects lies ahead.
"I think that's why the drivers have been fighting so hard for a package of this type because we're of the opinion that we would like to dictate the winners and losers of the race based on driver talent and perhaps not some of the peripheral items that come into play in a race," said Keselowski.
"I want to be able to look a fan in the eye after a race that I've won and tell him, 'I had a great car, but I drove a great race, too.' And to do that the driver has to play a role in it and this is an increased role for the driver," he said. "So that's very good in my opinion and I'm very happy with it. Certainly the car is a little harder to drive. It's a race car. It should be hard to drive. It shouldn't be just point and play. This isn't a video game, nor should it be."
Although many drivers had been calling for a change to the package for some time, Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch said he was initially "shocked" at NASCAR's decisions to make major changes mid-season. Much like Keselowski, however, Busch is glad to see the changes putting more in the driver's hands than before.
"This package is certainly going to bring the drivers and the better cars to the forefront," said Busch. "That's also what we've been looking for. I think you devalue the sport as well as the drivers when you get all the cars so equal and on top of each other that anybody can do it. That's not at all what this sport was built off of. It's been built off the heroes of the sport. Let's keep it that way and allow those better drivers to excel."
While drivers expect this package to perform well, most would have preferred to have more testing with the new rules in place than Mother Nature allowed this week. By getting on the track for more than two hours on Friday, the drivers and teams at least have some laps under their belts. Gordon, however, might have preferred a clean slate going into Saturday night's main event.
"I think there is a part of me that thought it would have been really cool had we not had any practice and just went cold turkey and did it and saw what it was like," he said.
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