PHOENIX: NASCAR’s new short-track package debuted to mixed reviews at Phoenix Raceway.
Some drivers found improvement. Some drivers felt it handled worse. And other drivers felt no change at all.
Joey Logano, who, along with Kyle Busch, leads current competitors with three wins at Phoenix, topped the speed chart (131.167 mph) following the 50-minute practice.
“It’s fun,” said Logano. “The car is fast—that always makes it fun—but definitely a lot of slipping and sliding. And Phoenix is definitely wearing in as the tires fall off and as the track is becoming more and more racy as it’s widening out.
“The old Phoenix from years and years and years ago is starting to come back. And this package seems to be a little bit more that direction as there’s a little less downforce, a little bit more off-throttle time.”
The new short-track package was developed using data and feedback from a test at Phoenix in December. Six drivers—Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Corey LaJoie, William Byron, Erik Jones, and Christopher Bell—participated in the test session.
NASCAR elected to raise the rear spoiler from two inches to three in an effort to increase the downforce on the top of the car. Underneath the car, the diffuser was replaced by a covering panel and small strakes to decrease the downforce on the bottom.
“The overall downforce is largely very similar,” according to Dr. Erik Jacuzzi, NASCAR Vice President of Vehicle Performance. “One of the learnings from our testing here in December was that going much lower than what we have, the drivers really didn’t feel like they could race together very well.
“So that was kind of a positive learning…we’re sort of at the bottom of where we think the downforce should be.”
On Friday, the top 20 drivers—from Logano to Kyle Larson—were separated by just 0.326 seconds. Logano found the current package racier but also felt it tightened the field.
“Let’s be honest, downforce is still king and clean air is going to be king no matter what,” Logano said. “But it may widen the track out naturally without needing PJ1 (traction compound) and all that. So that part is good and fall-off was pretty severe there. I think it helped from that standpoint.
“But, hey, all the cars are still running about the same speed. I don’t know how you’re supposed to pass cars that run the same speed every week. So track position is still going to be important.”
Denny Hamlin was second fastest with a speed of 131.081mph after 54 laps. Hamlin felt the car was “probably a little bit better in traffic” but the difference was minute.
“Nothing earth-shattering,” Hamlin said. “If you got caught behind somebody, you would really get caught behind someone. But that is typical of what we’ve had before.
“I thought my car was better than the person I was catching though, so if they are equal cars, I would say it is going to be tough to get around anyone, but it seems like package-wise, maybe a slight bit of change better.”
While Hamlin couldn’t distinguish a feel between the old diffuser and the new bottom plate, the owner side of him remarked, “It’s just a far less expensive piece.” As for the new Goodyear tire, Hamlin was pleased with the fall-off.
“It’s a good thing for Goodyear to continue to evolve on and try to get better at is trying to find a tire that is going to continue to drop off,” Hamlin said. “I think this one is showing some signs of that, so I think that it is definitely a step in the right direction on the tire.”
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