Menzer wrote, “The same features that should produce those positives,” like side-by-side passing, “an adjustable rear wing and front-end splitter that will allow the car to run in smoother air—have drawn criticism for taking away from what some have argued are the sleeker-looking current cars that do not have them.”
He continued with, “Bodine has always argued that once the Car of Tomorrow is completely outfitted in a paint scheme comparable to the current machines, fans won’t be able to tell the difference between the cars of today and tomorrow on the racetrack—especially when they’re moving at speeds of 190 mph or more.”
I’m willing to bet if we took a poll today that many fans would call baloney on that statement. But fans that were admittedly angry with the switch from the old style car to the COT might possibly get to see a small change this year. On Jan. 15, NASCAR Cup Series director John Darby released a memo to teams.
“To help put some of the rumor mills to rest, I am sending you the following facts as they relate to changes for 2010,” Darby wrote in the memo. “We will be transitioning from the usage of the current wing to an aluminum spoiler.”
A shot of the "old car" with the spoiler on the back
The wing was a prominent feature on NASCAR's "Car of Tomorrow" design that was introduced in 2007
An example of what the new spoiler will look like on the current NASCAR cars (AP Images)
In mid-March NASCAR will hold meetings with the teams to discuss the new spoiler plan and an open test is scheduled for March 23 and 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Last week at a Goodyear tire test in Texas Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle got to try the new configuration out.
Vickers at last week's tire test in Texas (Getty Images)
“I thought it (the spoiler) was good,” 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.” And that’s a change I know I’m going to love.
A lot of publicity and media coverage within the past week has focused on NASCAR’s new willingness to listen to the fans and its drivers who have provided feedback on how to make the sport better.
Clint Bowyer confirmed his confidence in the move to the spoiler by saying, “I think as a fan of this sport, that’s what we need—we need to create a positive change that keeps people tuned in to what we all love in this sport and make racing good, keep racing as strong as it’s been over the years.”
Busch was excited about the move as well saying that he’s looking forward to seeing how the cars will react at the larger tracks where “side drafting” occurs. “One thing I’ve always pushed for is to get the spoiler back on the car to get that side draft. That happens at mile-and-a-halfs, it happens at 2-mile tracks and it primarily happens at the restrictor-plate tracks where two cars are side by side and they have a tough time breaking away from each other because you can side draft more prominently with a spoiler on the car than you can with a wing.”
As a man who has seen a lot of changes in the sport since he began racing in the 1980s, Mark Martin offered his opinion on the switch. The 51-year-old said, “The spoiler is going to look like a traditional stock car, and I think that is huge. I think that's big for us all, everyone—fans, competitors and all. The performance of the spoiler may be a little bit different, but that configuration isn’t, I don't think, completely defined yet.”
Four-time champion Jeff Gordon is tired of teams—his team occasionally included—complaining about not getting their car to turn in the corners. “Every weekend, every team out there is complaining the car won’t turn in the middle, won’t turn in the middle, won’t turn in the middle,” he said “I’m up for anything that would get the car to turn in the middle.”
I’m not sure how the car will turn out with the spoiler or if the racing will be better, but I certainly pray that everything will become more exciting with the introduction of the spoiler. If anything else it takes NASCAR back to the past as Martin and Vickers both said. And even though it’ll be a few months before we get to see the results of the Charlotte test, NASCAR fans and media are abuzz with the news of the change to the spoiler.
If anything else, we’ve learned that NASCAR is ready to accept ideas to change its product, and change it for the better.
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