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Texas Motor Speedway, TX – NASCAR has acknowledged the need for significant adjustments to its superspeedway racing package, assuring Cup Series drivers that changes are in development following widespread dissatisfaction with recent events. The commitment was communicated during a standard competition meeting held Saturday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, where discussions heavily revolved around the on-track product at tracks like Talladega Superspeedway.
The recent Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega, which concluded last weekend, has become a focal point for driver frustration. The current superspeedway configuration, characterized by high drag on the Next Gen car, has been widely criticized for creating a procession-like racing environment with limited passing opportunities. This aerodynamic dependency often forces teams into conservative fuel-saving strategies, inadvertently dictating race outcomes and leading to detrimental pack racing scenarios.
Christopher Bell, a prominent and measured voice among the drivers, expressed a sense of urgency regarding the need for immediate action. "We desperately need change," Bell stated during his post-meeting media availability. "We needed change for a long time. So hopefully that is the last time that we race that speedway package. I think a lot of us in the industry will be very excited about that."
The race at Talladega served as a stark illustration of the issues drivers have been raising. The high drag coefficient on the current Cup Series car significantly penalizes any attempt to break away from the draft and execute a pass. This inability to cleanly move forward often leads to a strategic emphasis on fuel conservation, a tactic aimed at gaining track position through pit stop timing rather than on-track performance. Last Sunday’s event saw a dramatic 27-car pile-up when drivers, attempting to race after the initial fuel-saving stages, found themselves in a precarious situation due to the compressed field. Ultimately, the race was decided by a front-row pairing of Carson Hocevar and Chris Buescher, drivers who started on the front row after the final pit stops, highlighting the diminished role of on-track passing.
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Bell further elaborated on the current predicament, describing the superspeedway races as essentially "lottery races." He criticized the predictability of the strategies employed, stating, "It’s atrocious and now the strategy is so spelled out that it becomes all about fuel saving. We try to adjust the stage lengths so we’re not fuel-saving but you can’t pass. So, it becomes all about shortening that last pit stop as short as you can get it, meaning we’re still saving fuel in the second stage, even though you can make it to the end after that last pit stop. It’s a joke. It’s a complete joke.”
Denny Hamlin, a veteran driver and car owner, conveyed optimism that NASCAR is actively pursuing solutions. "I really think NASCAR has a really good idea and direction of where to go for the next superspeedway race," Hamlin commented. "I think we are very optimistic that it’ll be hard to get it all done in one chunk. It’s going to take some time, but I certainly think, if I had to guess, that the next superspeedway race will look a little different.”
Evidence of NASCAR’s engagement with the issue emerged from an episode of NASCAR’s official Hauler Talk podcast. Communications executive Mike Forde revealed that a text message from Hamlin to Forde regarding superspeedway racing was promptly forwarded to competition executive John Probst. Forde also noted seeing Probst engaged in simulation work related to various concepts earlier in the week, indicating proactive research and development.
Hamlin, who has taken a leading role in advocating for change among his peers, believes the dialogue with NASCAR is productive. "I kind of gave them an idea of where I would like to see the direction go and then NASCAR’s going to do all the testing in the simulation world to figure out what we can do in the short term," he explained.
Hamlin also suggested that certain modifications could be implemented before the next superspeedway event at Daytona International Speedway in August, potentially without extensive testing. He pointed to specific areas of the car that could be adjusted. "I think there are knobs that can be turned pretty quickly," Hamlin remarked. "That’s easy for me to say as a car owner because I don’t build the engines or supply the parts but I feel like there are two major things — an engine and a spoiler and we can take them down a little bit to get where we want to go.”
Looking further ahead, Hamlin expressed a desire to explore more significant aerodynamic changes, such as reducing the size of the rear spoiler and decreasing horsepower to mitigate drag. This approach, he believes, would not only slow the cars down but also create a more conducive environment for passing. "It still might take some time but if we can change it to 25 percent, you still might see a little different race," Hamlin speculated. "It’s not going to be a vastly different race but I think if they could get it in for Daytona, on a hot racetrack, we could see a different looking race.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a two-time Daytona 500 winner, echoed the sentiment that NASCAR is open to making necessary adjustments and anticipates changes before the upcoming Daytona race.
Todd Gilliland, while noting his less prominent voice in these discussions due to his relative newness to the Cup Series, aligned with the consensus feedback provided to NASCAR. "There was nothing I could do last week," Gilliland stated, reflecting on the Talladega race. "I was stuck in 15th and literally couldn’t go anywhere. At that point, you leave a tiny gap so that maybe you miss the crash. Maybe you try to bait people into starting a third lane and fill the hole when they move up and try that one-by-one, but that is such a frustrating way to race.” He expressed gratitude for NASCAR’s receptiveness, adding, "We’re always working on something and these kind of conversations have been really really good for the most part. It’s just nice to get everyone in the same room, sitting down, and it’s different from when you’re trying to text everyone. I think today is where you see a lot of things get done. We’re working on a lot of things. The short tracks are still a work in progress and we talked about that too.”
Michael McDowell, the 2021 Daytona 500 champion, also sensed a palpable sense of urgency from NASCAR. "They have been working on it, and it’s not like they haven’t been working on it," McDowell said. "There are obviously steps that need to be taken and I think they are going to do it pretty quickly. There wasn’t an answer like, ‘hey, we are going to do this for Daytona,’ but I do think we’ll have changes for Daytona but there are just a lot of things to work through as you guys know.” He further commended the collaborative spirit, emphasizing, "The great thing to me is that NASCAR is still open to working on it. No one is sitting on their hands and telling us ‘it is what it is,’ right? This car does some really great things at certain racetracks and it’s not great at others. And as a group, we’re working through all of it.”
The ongoing discussions and NASCAR’s commitment to addressing driver feedback signal a potential shift in the superspeedway racing dynamic, with drivers and officials actively seeking to enhance the competitive and engaging nature of these high-speed events. The focus remains on finding a balance that prioritizes both safety and compelling on-track action.
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