HAMPTON, Ga. - Drivers have found themselves slipping and sliding – and in some cases spinning – as they get used to the newest wrinkle for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
One of the biggest factors going into Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is just how the drivers and teams will adapt to the new lower downforce aero package, which makes its season debut at the Hampton, Georgia raceway.
The new package features a smaller rear spoiler, cut down two and a half inches from last year, a smaller splitter overhang on the front and a narrower radiator pan underneath.
What that adds up to, in layman’s terms, is a car that doesn’t have air pushing it down on the track as much, making it harder to drive. That puts more emphasis on the driver skill and hopefully increases the chance for more passing on the race track.
Friday’s qualifying saw cars sliding around the AMS surface, as drivers fought for control while trying to lay down a fast lap. During practice earlier in the day, Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin spun out during a run.
Despite the spin, Hamlin said he is looking forward to racing with the new package.
“We have this change in the rules package that we’ve been pushing for quite a while. Yeah, it’s going to take some time to get it figured out. We obviously struggled a little bit the first practice, but we’ll go to work and it’s so early. I hadn’t tested or anything, run any car at any point from Homestead to right now on any kind of track other than a superspeedway. Trying to knock some rust off and the team is trying to get acclimated as well, so it will take a bit of a process. Not expecting it to happen overnight, but we’ve got some direction to go to.”
In Saturday’s final practice session, it certainly appeared that Hamlin had things in hand, as he paced the field with a lap at 188.450 mph.
Defending race winner Jimmie Johnson said there is still a lot to learn, but that the test he and his Hendrick Motorsports team did a Las Vegas Motor Speedway “went really well.”
“That is our only true kind of measuring stick and how we think we will perform for the ’16 season with the new rules package,” he said. “But it’s going to be a constant evolution. The teams are going to continue to figure out how to create more downforce and more mechanical grip. It’s just kind of what we do every year. Honestly the amount of downforce that has been taken away…I assume by the time we reach Homestead we will get most of that back. It’s just the way these engineers work and the evolution of race cars.”
Roush-Fenway driver Greg Biffle said you can tell the difference in downforce on the car.
“The car is definitely a lot freer, on top of the race track a lot more,” said Biffle. “We started pretty far off. We didn’t have that much speed right off the truck, but we’re getting it dialed in slow but sure. It looked like some of the other guys’ cars drove pretty good. Every time I was leaving I could see guys loose running across the bottom, so I think it’s gonna be a great race. It’ll be a little slick on Sunday and we’ll just wait and see what we’ve got to do.”
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Carl Edwards was a long proponent of the lower downforce package. He talked on Friday about the tire that Goodyear brought to Atlanta to use with the new setup.
“I think that the lower downforce package…gives Goodyear a little more leeway. I know I had a lot of fun at Kentucky last year. Darlington was a lot of fun. This race, I think it’s going to be all over the place. Like Kyle Busch says, ‘It’s going to be nuts,’ and you’re just going to be sliding all over. I think the more downforce we take away, the more corner speed and force that’s taken away, if I understand Goodyear’s explanation, that means that they’ll be able to bring a tire that falls of more and is more dynamic.”
Dawsonville, Georgia’s Chase Elliott, who rolls off from the 24th position on Sunday, says he hopes the new package leads to better racing.
“Atlanta puts on good races anyway with the way the surface is and having multiple grooves. Hopefully it takes a race that’s always been good and makes it a little better. I’ve only raced it once at Darlington last year, and unfortunately I wasn’t part of that race for a long time either. This will be a good judge for me to see how it stacks up. Plus I don’t have a ton of experience with the old package either. For me, it’s going to be all be new and it’s still part of a learning curve where I hadn’t gotten used to the old deal yet.”
WDUN will have live PRN Radio coverage of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series QuikTrip Folds of Honor 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway beginning at 12 pm on 102.9 FM and 1 pm on 550 AM.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Atlanta Motor Speedway – Hampton, GA
Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 – Feb. 27, 2016
Sunday’s Starting Lineup
1. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 191.582 mph.
2. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 190.130 mph.
3. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 189.987 mph.
4. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 189.961 mph.
5. (17) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ford, 189.863 mph.
6. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 189.779 mph.
7. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 189.766 mph.
8. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 189.681 mph.
9. (78) Martin Truex, Jr., Toyota, 189.364 mph.
10. (44) Brian Scott #, Ford, 188.591 mph.
11. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 187.196 mph.
12. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 190.385 mph.
13. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 190.260 mph.
14. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 190.182 mph.
15. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 190.150 mph.
16. (88) Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet, 189.818 mph.
17. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 189.144 mph.
18. (14) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 189.138 mph.
19. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188.790 mph.
20. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 188.719 mph.
21. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 188.713 mph.
22. (47) A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 188.636 mph.
23. (21) Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 187.449 mph.
24. (24) Chase Elliott #, Chevrolet, 189.390 mph.
25. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 189.079 mph.
26. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 189.041 mph.
27. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 188.565 mph.
28. (15) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 188.028 mph.
29. (38) Landon Cassill, Ford, 187.837 mph.
30. (7) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 187.392 mph.
31. (34) Chris Buescher #, Ford, 187.120 mph.
32. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 185.903 mph.
33. (23) David Ragan, Toyota, 185.778 mph.
34. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 185.617 mph.
35. (83) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 185.499 mph.
36. (98) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 184.039 mph.
37. (30) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 183.820 mph.
38. (32) Jeffrey Earnhardt #, Ford, 180.769 mph.
39. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, Time Disallowed
