NASCAR Introduces New Rules to Slow Ford Taurus, Second Change This Month

NASCAR announced new rules yesterday aimed at reducing the performance of the Ford Taurus, the second such change in a month. The latest modification involves cutting an inch off each side of the rear spoiler, a move that is expected to affect the car's rear downforce. Engineers and teams are still trying to understand the full implications of the change, which is part of a larger effort to level the playing field among manufacturers.

Key Takeaways:

• The new rule cuts an inch off each side of the rear spoiler, potentially reducing rear downforce and affecting the car's handling in the corners.
• Paul Andrews, a NASCAR engineer, estimates that the quarter-inch change made earlier would have cut rear downforce by about 40 pounds, and the new change will have a similar effect.
• The modification is part of a larger effort to address the dominance of the Ford Taurus and level the playing field among manufacturers.
• Ford teams are resigned to the change but are still trying to understand its full implications, which will not be clear until the next race at Darlington.
• The latest change will likely affect the performance of Ford cars in the corners, making them loose and difficult to handle.
• Bobby Labonte's win at Atlanta in a Pontiac was unexpected, but nothing was done to Pontiacs despite rumors of good wind-tunnel numbers.
• Kenny Irwin's performance in a Ford Taurus at Atlanta, despite losing to Labonte, highlights the need for NASCAR to address the performance disparities between manufacturers.

Statistics:

• Quarter-inch change to the top of the rear spoiler would have cut rear downforce by about 40 pounds.
• 14 1/2 square inches were removed from the rear spoiler at Atlanta, with the new change taking off 9 1/2 square inches.
• Downforce reduction from the new 9 1/2 square inch change is likely to be significant.

Sources:

• Paul Andrews, NASCAR engineer
• NASCAR officials (no specific source cited)