Best drivers under the new rules package in 2015

The Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, where drivers will get their first taste of the reduced-downforce rules package in the 2016 season. The aero package debuted last season in July at Kentucky Speedway and made another run in September at Darlington Raceway.

Several drivers — primarily in the Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske camp — were fans of the package, their strong finishes reflecting their approval of the changes.

Carl Edwards was particularly notable, as his average finish of 2.5 at Kentucky and Darlington far surpasses his 14.0 average finish for the 2015 season. Three of the four JGR drivers (Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch) finished in the top 10 at Kentucky and Darlington, and the fourth — Matt Kenseth — recorded a fifth-place result at Kentucky. Both Team Penske drivers — Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano — ran inside the top six at both events. Half of Stewart-Haas Racing — Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch — also proved consistent with the low downforce package, finishing in the top 10 at the pair of races.

However, other powerhouses — such as Hendrick Motorsports — didn’t fare as well. While Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the Hendrick squad at Darlington with an eighth-place result, he fell short at Kentucky with a 21st-place finish. Likewise, Jimmie Johnson scored a ninth-place finish at Kentucky, but came up 19th at Darlington.

See the table below of the consistently best drivers under the low downforce rules package at Kentucky and Darlington in 2015, all of them finishing in the top 12 for both events.

Best drivers under new rules package in 2015