Drivers discuss upcoming rules changes for 2010

CONCORD, N.C. -- The surprises pretty much appear to already have been spoiled, so to speak.

By the time the Cup preseason media tour comes to a close Thursday afternoon at the NASCAR Research and Development Center, the expected announcements about upcoming rules changes and the reassignment of Cup Series director John Darby to a management/oversight position will be mostly old news. Darby's replacement is not expected to be named just yet, leaving the rules changes and teams' reactions to them about all that will be need to be reported.

The major changes that will be coming seem to be already revealed, however, leading team owners, drivers and crew chiefs to offer reaction to them even before they've been officially announced.

Gordon's car after bump drafting during practice at Talladega last season.

Another rule change may permit bump-drafting again at Daytona and Talladega.

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It's already common knowledge, for instance, that after approximately five races into the 2010 season, NASCAR intends to have teams trade in their rear wings for spoilers similar to the ones that were in place on cars prior to the switch to the new car, which was introduced part-time in 2007 and became the full-time car in 2008.

The question that remains unanswerable is what the switch from the wing to a rear spoiler will mean, exactly.

"NASCAR has done a lot of testing, and I think that's why they're making some changes in respect to the spoiler vs. the wing," driver Ryan Newman said.

The new spoiler will make its debut en masse at a Charlotte Motor Speedway test March 23-24. If all goes well, it could be used for the first time in a race at Martinsville just four days after that.

"What NASCAR is going to spend a lot of time doing -- whether it's in the Charlotte test or a Goodyear tire test -- is figuring out what balance is good for our cars in clean air," Newman added. "This car has been a challenge at times because of the frontal surface area and the fact that it's got a taller roof and is a little bit more square, so it punches a bigger hole in the air.

"It's become a little more challenging running 15th in this car than with the older-style-car. It's going to open up a whole new can of worms in respect to a spoiler on this type of race car." (Continued)