RELATED: Indianapolis weekend schedule
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — It’s “Indy in the corners and Talladega on the straightaways,” according to Elliott Sadler. A race Saturday may bear that out.
NASCAR XFINITY Series teams hit the track here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday for two practice sessions with a new rules package that included a taller rear spoiler, restrictor plates and aero ducts (openings) on the front of the cars.
The additions, tested here last October, were expected to enhance passing on a 2.5-mile track that had previously provided relatively few lead changes and limited movement throughout the field in five previous races.
Friday was dress rehearsal. Drivers mixed it up a bit, but high track temperatures and the uncertainty of the new pieces kept most teams in check.
Saturday’s Lilly Diabetes 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) will be the ultimate test.
“The temperature was a lot cooler in October and much more pleasant,” noted Blake Koch, one of the three drivers who took part in the test. “With that said (the track) had a lot more grip. With (that package), I was confident enough coming here thinking that we could run them wide open, side-by-side.
“We get here and the track’s quite a bit slicker and there’s less grip than we had in the test and the cars are a little more unstable than I had back then.”
Sadler led the first practice with a fast lap of 166.420 mph. JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier led the final session at 166.485 mph. Koch (Kaulig Racing) was 11th in the final session.
MORE: Practice 1 results | Final practice results
Sadler said he told his crew chief “there are more unknowns coming into this weekend than probably what I’ve ever faced coming into a race event,” but seemed pleased after Friday’s workload had been completed.
“After having two practices, the diffusers (aero ducts) do a really good job,” Sadler said. “I’m really happy and impressed with (them); I think they have brought the competition closer together.
I think it’s still going to be a lot of the same Indy, where track position and clear air up front is going to make a difference but I don’t think you’ll see the leader or top two or three cars really get away. The (aero ducts) are really keeping everybody together from what I’ve seen. I think you’re still going to have to work on your handling to be able to make passes. I think you’re going to have to have a little bit of drafting help to make passes on certain cars, probably the fastest cars.”
With the package, drivers likely won’t be lifting much, if at all, when in clean air and their cars are working. But as fuel loads change and the track changes, handling will change, too.
“I was leading the pack in the first practice running wide open all the way around and my teammates were running behind me running faster times than I was,” Sadler said. “So even though I was wide open … they’re drafting, getting air off the wake I’m making and catching us. That’s what you’ll see (in the race).”
And who is leading the pack could impact what’s going on back in the field, according to Sadler, who noted that the faster the leader runs, the harder it is for others to make moves.
“How fast the front car can pull the pack (affects) how many passes I can make if I’m fourth, fifth, sixth,” he said.
“If the front car is really pulling us at a high rate of speed, it’s harder to make the passes. If the front car is not that fast and has us all in a line you can … make the passes and do things like that.”
Kyle Busch has won the last two NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Indy, and three of the last four. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was third fastest in both practices.
Allgaier admitted Friday’s speed made him a bit more receptive to the package but said that the key is for the series to put on a good race, no matter who winds up in Victory Lane.
“We need to put on the best race we can,” Allgaier said. “I do applaud NASCAR for at least trying. At the end of the day, they spent a lot of money to make this happen, as much as all the teams did. They put a lot of time and effort and research and money into this to make it would come off as best possible.
“Will it fix it, and will this be the greatest race we’ve ever had in NASCAR? I can’t tell you that’s going to be the case. But on the flip side, I feel the fans that come here tomorrow and those that watch it on TV … If nothing else, I feel this place will be exciting and hopefully at some point our fans see that we’re trying to make sure that we put on a great race.”