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Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers Test New “Old” Spoiler In Texas

Jan 20, 2010, 5:19 AM UTC

Today's tire test in Texas was the first time that drivers were able to provide feedback on the new 'old' spoiler. The drivers from all car manufacturers were represented; Tony Stewart for Chevy, Greg Biffle for Ford, Brian Vickers for Toyota, and Kurt Busch for Dodge.

The old spoiler was tossed when the CoT was introduced with it's new wing on the rear. NASCAR is looking at going back to the old-style spoiler in hopes of pleasing fans who were not happy with the euro-look rear wing on the CoTs as well as to increase the passing ability of the cars on the track - more passing generates more interest!

I personally never had an issue with the CoT's wing but I've got to admit after seeing a picture of Tony Stewart's car with the retro spoiler on it the cars look good with the new 'old' spoiler on them. Real good.

Although NASCAR has not set the specific dimensions for the new 'old' spoiler they used one today that was 64.5 inches wide and 4 inches high with no contour in the design. These measurements are not set in stone and are merely a starting point to provide baseline data for future on track and wind tunnel tests.

NASCAR also changed the side body panels behind the rear wheels by extending them 4 inches toward the ground.

Quickly here is what each driver had to say after they ran with the new "old" spoiler on their cars:

Tony Stewart:

"It (the spoiler) was on a bunch. It didn’t seem to be a big balance change which was good," Stewart said. "That means you won’t have to invent the wheel necessarily. It was a balance shift, but it wasn’t a big balance shift. You’ve got two kinds of grip – you’ve got aero grip and you’ve got mechanical grip. The spoiler is the aero grip and the tires are mechanical. The mechanical grip is real important because it doesn’t know if you are running first in line or 10^th in line. I’m more of a mechanical guy."

Brian Vickers:

"I thought it (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.

"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."

Greg Biffle:

"I liked the way the car drove," Biffle said. "It drove a little bit different on corner exit than the wing did. 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."

Kurt Busch:

"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. When you ‘A-B’ the sets of tires – like last year’s tires that we won on with the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge – and the tire that Goodyear wants to head in the general direction of, it tightened the car back up for a nice comfortable feel. And that’s what we have to do is ultimately, but together a better package for drivers to drive on the track which would create more side-by-side excitement for our fans to enjoy."

Once I find a picture that can legally use I’ll post it up for you to see.

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