AVONDALE, Ariz. — The full-field debut of the 2024 short-track package was the hot topic of conversation after NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday at Phoenix Raceway.
With a simplified rear diffuser and shorter rear spoiler, each vehicle hit the 1-mile tri-oval in advance of Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Drivers were split in how effective the new changes were after 50 minutes of Friday practice.
“I would say that it was probably a little bit better in traffic,” said Denny Hamlin, who was second-fastest in the session. “Very small from what I could tell. Nothing earth-shattering. If you got caught behind somebody, you would really get caught behind someone. But that’s typical of what we had before.”
MORE: Recap Friday’s practice
Martin Truex Jr., his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, felt like the difference may have been negligible at best.
“It felt similar honestly,” Truex said. “I couldn’t really tell. I mean, the teams engineer everything to make the cars close to balanced as they can. So I felt exactly like I did here last fall.”
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, was 25th in single-lap speed but ranked 10th of 18 competitors in 20-lap averages. The spring winner at Phoenix in 2022 said he noticed some different reactions over the course of a run.
“I thought you could run a little more sideways a little bit easier on exit,” Briscoe told NASCAR.com. “And for me, I didn’t get around a lot of cars, but I thought when guys were around me, they could get a little bit closer and not pay as big of a penalty as normal. It’s hard to say until we all get out there. But definitely from where we brake at and all that, I figured that was all going to be backed up. It was the same as always. But yeah, I think it will be better than what we had.”
In addition to the new aerodynamic package, Goodyear has brought tires with thicker treads to Phoenix designed to keep more heat in the tires on short tracks in hopes to increase lap-time fall-off.
“Any time you can have your lap-time variability from good to bad from new (tires) to old, you’re going to see more passing,” Hamlin said. “So the more we can create that, the better the drivers are going to have a hand in their finish on any given weekend.”
With a new aerodynamic package and tire combination comes renewed work for the crew chiefs tasked with setting up the vehicle for their drivers. Todd Gilliland in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford was 30th-best in single-lap speed and ranked the same in 10-lap averages. Crew chief Ryan Bergenty said any obvious differences in how the fresh combo will race will show Sunday rather than during 20-lap runs in practice.
“What we fight is we’re starting to figure out where the line in the sand is for mechanical grip versus aero grip and aero platform,” Bergenty said. “I think as a group, we (Front Row) did a good job coming here with a wide range of what we got. And now we’re in position to be able to hone in to what we think’s gonna be the best for the rest of the weekend.”
Hamlin and his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, ended Friday’s session pleased with the speed in their No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Managing the thicker tire treads will be a priority for everyone come Sunday’s 312-lap feature, but there is a lingering question: How does a driver manage their tires better than the other drivers?
“Certainly, we’re always studying each other, right?” Hamlin said. “I mean, everyone right now is in their hauler studying whoever was the two fastest cars of the day, trying to figure out what they can. Where are they losing speed? Where they need to get their car better to drive like that car that is fastest? So that’s why you see the field so tight.”
“We’re all working in a tighter box and by definition, that makes it easier to converge,” Gabehart added. “And convergence means track position is key. Because physics does matter. So one car behind another, behind another, behind another — the one at the end is gonna go the slowest. Physics is always going to dictate that. So some of this is just what you have. …
“The best drivers will be the best drivers, and the best teams will be the best teams. So I do think this is looking like a step in the right direction.”
Ford and Toyota each have new bodies for the 2024 season as well, and Friday’s practice proved the Camry XSE to be undeniably quick, with six Toyotas in the top 10 in single-lap speeds and five of the seven best 10-lap averages. Joey Logano, driving the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Dark Horse Mustang, was fastest in single-lap speed and fourth-best on 10-lap averages.
But at what point Sunday will we get a true feel for what these changes have to offer? The first run will be telling, Bergenty and SHR crew chief Rodney Childers said, but Gabehart cautioned it won’t be everything.
“I think this track does tend to tighten up throughout the day, so that first run won’t tell you the whole story, but it will definitely give you an idea,” Gabehart said. “I really think by the second run in Stage 2 — 180 laps into the race, the track’s really took a lot of rubber — that’s when you’ll see the guys that have really got a good handle on this place … you’ll really see if you’ve got something for them or not.”
Ultimately, Hamlin enters Sunday optimistic for what the on-track product could look like, with hopes for even tighter racing ahead.
“It’s going to be a very, very small change,” Hamlin said, “but anything that can allow us to run closer to each other and to cross each other’s wake without the air-blocking that we’ve seen over the last few weeks, I think that that’ll be a good thing and I certainly think this package (and) this tire is heading in the right direction.”
