Drivers are cool on high-drag aero package

NASCAR’s high-drag aerodynamic package experiment came and went Sunday at Michigan International Speedway much the same way it did in July at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

With a shrug of the shoulders by many drivers.

“It doesn’t matter what my thoughts and observations are, it is what NASCAR wants,” Brad Keselowski said after finishing ninth in the Pure Michigan 400. “Whatever they want to do.”

The desired effects of the package – more passing and more exciting racing – never came to full fruition at either the Indianapolis or Michigan races. A low-drag test at Kentucky in July produced a more desirable result (with more passing).

Although NASCAR announced Friday that it wouldn’t change its standard aero package during the Chase playoffs that begin at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 20, the low-drag package will get another try at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in September.

The high-drag setup might have worked somewhat better Sunday than it did at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis track, which is narrower than Michigan (2.0 miles) and has flatter corners.

“There was drafting and some racing going on for sure,” said Jason Ratcliff, crew chief of Matt Kenseth, Sunday’s winner at Michigan. “Cars could really – at the end of the straightaway – gain on others by two or three car lengths. But they just couldn’t do much once they got there. Whey they got down in the corner, they were kind of helpless.”

Passing was that difficult.

“It wasn’t fun,” said Keselowski. “It wasn’t the worst I have seen, but this package increasingly rewards the car over the driver and I am not a fan of that.”

The passing challenges made performing well during restarts critical.

“It’s hard to get by and hard to pass,” said Clint Bowyer, who finished 41st. “Everybody is going for it on the restarts.”

That was key for Kenseth, who was able to maintain his lead on a late restart, holding of runner-up Kevin Harvick while doing so.

“It’s hard to say how far you could have fallen back and still won,” said Kenseth, who led 146 of 200 laps. “I felt like we had the fastest car by a fair margin for today’s day and age. The restart made it the hardest.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2015 at 9:53 PM with the headline "Drivers are cool on high-drag aero package."