Significant updates to the rules package for this year’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race include engine restrictor plates and revised aerodynamic features in what will serve as a testing ground of sorts as officials consider the full-blown 2019 rules package.
After all, the May 19 All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is a golden opportunity to try something new, Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said Wednesday,
“I really applaud the industry, because there’s a lot of work that had to go into this from the engine builders, the mapping, the teams have a lot of work to do right now,” O’Donnell said. “I think everybody came together and realized this was a perfect opportunity to try this.
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“It’s important to look at this as, directionally, is this something that we want to pursue as a whole from an intermediate track standpoint? So, you look at the downforce levels going to roughly 3,200 pounds of downforce, you look at the engine, the spoiler with the 6-inch spoiler and the 2014 splitter; all of those things factored in, we believe we know how that will affect Indianapolis and Michigan and Pocono. But how will that affect Charlotte? What can we learn?
“It’s more, what can we learn from this and build upon it. … It’s something that we’ve obviously tested and feel good about. We wouldn’t just throw out an experiment. We feel good about it, but it’s something we want to learn from and probably apply more toward 2019.”
The package is a page torn out of the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which saw side-by-side racing, plus a record numbers of leaders, lead changes and green flag passes that culminated in a battle for the victory.
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The All-Star Race also will have an updated group of four stages, which end on Lap 30, Lap 50, Lap 70 and Lap 80. All have the potential to go to NASCAR Overtime, not just the final stage — an enhancement O’Donnell is excited to see play out in real time, and which again could shape the stage formats in the future.
“I think it’s huge for the fans,” O’Donnell said. “I think when you look at the stages and how we got to that point, one of the things left on the table at that point was the overtime for each stage. … Again, this is something that we could take a look at. We have the All-Star Race and some of the fans have asked for (overtime in all stages), so it will give us a good indication of what we can learn.”