Will the new superspeedway package work as intended?
I pride myself on being a pretty smart guy. With two degrees and a third (and hopefully final) degree on the way, there are few problems I can’t solve or that I know a specific person who can. That level of discernment also comes in handy when a truly unsolvable problem comes across my plate, and the current NASCAR Cup Series car is exactly that — a problem with little to no solutions.
With that being said, I am hopeful regarding the changes to the superspeedway racing package that NASCAR announced on Wednesday (July 15) of this week. To give the cliff notes, spoilers are being lowered from seven inches to four inches, and to account for the decrease in downforce, the cars are getting a slight horsepower cut, which NASCAR says won’t be noticeable on track.
The hope here is that the reduced downforce will create more passing opportunities and allow drivers to link up for better pack runs, rather than relying on fuel-saving for late-race or finishing positions under extreme circumstances.
All of that is fine and dandy, but will it dramatically change the superspeedway racing that Sundays? I do not believe so. These cars simply do not like to pass one another and are still so aero-dependent that even with a little less downforce, the horsepower decrease could offset the change.
One of the most trusted voices in the garage, Denny Hamlin, spoke at length about the changes this week, as he was deeply involved in the conversations that led to them. According to the future Hall of Famer, NASCAR is trying to recreate its great racing at EchoPark Speedway on a much larger surface at Daytona International Speedway later this year.
Maybe I’m a glass-half-empty kind of guy on this issue, but after seeing how little ground the last few significant changes of this nature actually made up, I’m erring on the side of caution in getting excited about this new package completely changing superspeedway racing in its current state.
Has the 2026 schedule gone too long without a short track race?
It feels like forever since we’ve raced at a short track, doesn’t it?
The last true short track race came at Bristol Motor Speedway in April, when Ty Gibbs snagged his first Cup Series win. Most of the short-track races are backloaded in the schedule, while the road courses are all loaded into the front portion. Let this be your friendly reminder that we don’t have a single road course race left on the calendar.
While I’m all for catering to the sport’s roots during the most important part of the year, and I do still like the 2026 schedule, perhaps it would have been a smart move to slot in at least one short-track race during this long drought.
North Wilkesboro is going to be a weekend chock-full of nostalgia, and we haven’t seen a full field on the surface yet, which is already exciting. None of this should take away from what is sure to be an awesome weekend for NASCAR, but perhaps NASCAR looks at this period on its calendar for 2027, looks at Amazon Prime, and says, “hey, would it be alright if we threw a short track race into your package this year?”
Was Carson Hocevar’s T-shirt stunt a genius or childish move?
I’ll answer this one quickly — this guy knows marketing, and that was a genius move to play off of his apparently one-sided, ongoing feud with Zane Smith.
For those unfamiliar with the situation, Hocevar said that the first 77 fans who showed up at his merch trailer wearing another driver’s t-shirt could trade it in for a brand-new one from his own line. He released the totals earlier this week, and the numbers were interesting.
By sheer numbers, it’s understandable that Chase Elliott at his home track led the total, as Hocevar is quickly climbing the ranks of the most popular drivers in the sport, but a whopping seven Smith fans appear to have swapped favorite drivers after the incident.
One thing is certain, though: Hocevar is playing the social media game better than any driver in the sport right now, and he’s being rewarded for it in terms of social capital. Before it’s all said and done, Hocevar could be the one leading the charge for drivers to rise back into a level of superstardom that we haven’t seen since the mid-2000s.
What does another stint at JRM mean for Justin Allgaier?
JR Motorsports announced yesterday that Justin Allgaier, the reigning O’Reilly Series champion, will return for 2027 “and beyond” in the No. 7 Chevrolet. The 40-year-old veteran who contemplated retirement is now, statistically speaking, the best he’s ever been.
So what does that mean for JRM? For starters, continuity. Allgaier has anchored a driver lineup that has shifted just as much, if not more, than any other in the series over the last few years, and has done so with a veteran presence that’s hard to find, all while remaining ultra-competitive.
It also means that Allgaier, who is the odds-on favorite to win the series championship this year, will have the chance to vie for at least two more. If he continues on the same trajectory he’s on right now, he could end up with three titles.
Would that make him more of a Hall of Fame prospect than he is now? Absolutely. Would it silence many doubters of that fact? Again, absolutely. Make no mistake about it, while it most certainly isn’t the entire reason, proving his legitimacy as one of the series’ greatest statistical drivers is a big reason for Allgaier’s return to JRM for the next few years.
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for multiple automotive news outlets, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host, and a PhD. student at a premier college of media and mass communication. Tanner began working with Frontstretch in 2022, covering the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
So as I’m reading this new rule change at superspeedways , lowering the spoiler n slight speed change , Let’s get into this matter
As a tuner n engine builder
This is gonna be a disaster
Let’s dig into this “””
Ur lowering the spoiler from 7” to 4”
Which is gonna cause alot more drag n drag is gonna cause a lot more friction , which is gonna slow the speeds , also the more drag h put on these cars even at these speeds ur causing a negative geometry with these tires n front balance , not a good choice , ur not only going to have tire failure but your gonna have valve issues esp going into the corners esp at Daytona n Talladega
3” on the spoilers is way way to much
Ur looking at a lot of wrecks because from to much drag by slowing them down just a few mph ,its gonna cause to much drag which will cause the geometry of these cars to loose there over all balance esp in the corners straightaway speeds will be interesting till they reach coning into the corners again esp at Daytona n even dega. Mark my word n I be the first to admit im wrong but u will thank me later.
I think lowering the spoiler reduces drag. That why tech is so careful to measure spoiler angle and rear ride height, two ways to get less drag.
So um,
Lowering the spoiler most definitely reduces drag, not increases it. Along with lower deck height, rear ride height, etc.
Phil, I think we can become engine builders and tuners.
Thanks for your support, but I have no interest in becoming an engine builder.
I am looking forward to Daytona to see if the fuel milage, part throttle racing goes away.
Will less drag combined with less HP do the trick? Let’s hope so!