NASCAR has decided to experiment with its rules package, taking a short-track approach at intermediate ovals, and Darlington Raceway found itself on that list. The changes cut downforce and put the onus back on the driver, trimming the rear spoiler to three inches, simplifying the diffuser with fewer strakes, and dialing back underbody downforce, all while raising horsepower, all aiming to promote better racing.<\/p>\n
As a result, drivers anticipated four seconds of tire falloff before last Sunday\u2019s race. Although that was not the case during the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. still sees NASCAR\u2019s path worth following. The package didn\u2019t produce anything wild or revolutionary. But it also didn\u2019t make the racing worse. And for him, that\u2019s enough to justify continuing in this direction.<\/p>\n
He argued that stock cars aren\u2019t supposed to behave like sports cars. They shouldn\u2019t rely on fancy aerodynamic tricks and should be hard to control. Thus, he asserted, \u201cI was good with it. I\u2019m fine with it. I think they can move forward with this. It didn\u2019t do anything bad. It didn\u2019t produce anything extraordinary, but I think it\u2019s Darlington.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so, they should continue to go in that direction. I\u2019m a believer in that,\u201d he continued<\/a> on the latest episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download. With the changes to Darlington\u2019s aero package this year, drivers had to manage their tires more.<\/p>\n Some took it easy early in a run, saving their tires so they could attack later. Others pushed harder and fell off during longer stints. Over time, that split approach shuffled the order and promoted a mixed-up field, ultimately promoting overtakes.<\/p>\n Many drivers anticipated a drastic tire falloff. The drop came, just not in the way or at the extreme scale they predicted. Junior explained that as tires wear down, they lay rubber onto the track. And because there were multiple series racing that weekend, the track was rubbered in quite a bit. That extra rubber actually helps the tires grip better, reducing the extreme falloff people were hoping for and balancing out the conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I watched a traditional Darlington race that I would tune in again next year and hope to see something similar,\u201d added Junior. Several rivers echoed Junior\u2019s assessment as well. Denny Hamlin, who came home P11, noted<\/a> that the race carried a familiar tempo, with cars working their way from the back toward the front, something he saw at Las Vegas, one of the Next Gen car\u2019s best tracks.<\/p>\n