Following Daytona 500 qualifying on Sunday afternoon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams received technical bulletins mandating rule changes for the remainder of Daytona Speedweeks.
What To Make Of NASCAR Rules Changes For Daytona International Speedway?
The changes were tweaks to the cars geared toward breaking up the controversial two-car drafts; the adjustments basically aim to hamper teams’ ability to cool their engines. And if the motors are at risk of overheating more quickly, drivers will be less eager to use the two-car draft for lap after lap.
So while fans should still expect to see the two-car draft in use – particularly toward the end of the race – NASCAR has attempted to nix the practice.
How should we interpret this move?
NASCAR’s stated reason was to slow the cars down, since the Kyle Busch/Michael Waltrip pairing showed the cars could achieve 206 mph.
But behind the scenes, it’s likely NASCAR officials didn’t feel great about the prospect of the sport’s premier event being dominated by two-car pairings that looked like mating dragonflies.
Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but I believe NASCAR is taking these steps not just because they want the cars to slow down for safety reasons, but to put on a better show for the fans.
If that’s the case, we should applaud them. Instead of using a public relations blitz to convince skeptical fans that the two-car drafts make for great racing (only 23 percent of fans who voted in our poll said they liked the auto-spooning), NASCAR is attempting to close up the field – at least as much as it can so close to the 500.
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