NASCAR makes horsepower and downforce cuts as part of 2015 rules package
Sprint Cup Series cars are going to be a little slower next season.
Mind you, you won't be able to tell with the naked eye. You'll only know through scoring monitors and posted speeds, but the spate of track records that have been set throughout 2014's qualifying sessions are going to be unattainable.
In an effort to make better racing, NASCAR announced that Cup cars will have less horsepower and downforce in 2015.
The engines in Cup cars now turn out an estimated (but not regulated) 900 HP. Next season, through the use of a tapered spacer, horsepower will be down to 725. A tapered spacer, which is used in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series engines, helps choke off the flow of air to the engine, throttling power.
Spoilers on the cars will be reduced from the current eight inches to six and radiator pans will be five inches smaller (to 38 inches). Combine that with a 50 pound decrease in minimum weight, and the cars will produce less downforce.
NASCAR vice president of innovation and racing development Gene Stefanyshyn told NASCAR.com that speeds would be reduced 3-4 MPH.
"You take the power out, but we're also taking drag off (by trimming the spoiler) to re-balance this whole thing," Stefanysyn said. "It's not going to be as dramatic as most people think. We're hoping … it will make the racing better, closer. Our goals are always that, right? To provide better entertainment for our fans."
NASCAR held a test at Michigan to try combinations of possible 2015 rules packages. Matt Kenseth said after the test that the most popular package was one where the cars had limited downforce and a lot of power.
"It was like going back 15 years in time or something like that and know you could actually pass in the corners instead of worrying about drafting in the straightaway," Kenseth said at Bristol after the test. You could get one guy on the bottom and one guy on the top, the air wasn't so turbulent that you couldn't get outside of people so the track got really wide. It was like the track aged 10 years and it was awesome. Everybody got out with a smile on their face."
NASCAR executive vice president Steve O'Donnell told USA Today that the sanctioning body wanted to open up better racing in the corners of tracks.
"We believe what will contribute to better racing is the ability to get off the gas in the corners," O'Donnell said. "If you're able to slow down the straightaway speeds a bit, but really affect the speeds in the corners, where drivers have to make decisions on how much they want to get off the throttle, it allows for more passing in the turns, and it allows for tire manufacturer to really march toward a grippier tire. That will contribute to even better racing.
"Drivers said as the racing exists today, when they go in the corners, it's very rare to make a mistake. The car handles almost too well. This gives us an opportunity to force some mistakes and to pick different lanes. We think it'll add more dynamics in each corner, particularly on intermediate tracks."
The success of the package Kenseth could have been dependent on a softer tire. And as Goodyear has adapted to the extreme downforce that Cup cars now produce, it's been a balance between finding a tire that has grip, wear and durability, especially at newly paved tracks. Less downforce could give Goodyear some more flexibility with tire combinations.
In a release, Stefanyshyn said that tweaks to the rules packages wouldn't stop with the 2015 makeover.
“We remain committed to constantly looking to improve (the racing). Our fans deserve it and our industry is pushing for it. That will not stop with the 2015 package; the development will continue over many years to come.”
Drivers will also have the option of being able to adjust the track bar themselves. Currently, only pit crew members can adjust the track bar while the car is being pitted. There will be a lower rear gear differential as well for Cup cars in 2015.
Testing is also been banned for teams in 2015, with the exception of NASCAR sanctioned open test days and Goodyear tire tests. With the current testing rules, teams are allowed to test four times at NASCAR-sanctioned tracks and as many times as they'd like on non NASCAR tracks.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
