INDIANAPOLIS — A new rules package for Indianapolis Motor Speedway provided visibility issues for drivers. More troubling for NASCAR, though, is that after nearly five hours of practice Friday, there was little indication the changes will produce better racing.
NASCAR, in its effort to improve the on-track product, is using four track-specific aerodynamic packages to see what could be a better fit for the heavy stock cars. The package used two weeks ago at Kentucky was well-received by the drivers, but NASCAR switched to a high-drag setup for Indianapolis, where passing has always been difficult.
“Hey man, this is a big event for us, it’s crucial that this event goes down as a good race every time we are here,” Clint Bowyer said. “Settling for second-best is not an option. I’m proud that NASCAR realizes that and pushes hard to try to figure out something that is better than what we’ve had in the past when we come to such an important venue.”
There were mixed opinions after three long practice sessions Friday, and many drivers said anytime they got too close to another car, the turbulence was so rough, they had to back off to avoid crashing.
“Passing will be tough to say the least, but we’re trying something new,” Denny Hamlin said. “I can’t fault (NASCAR) for trying — they tried what we wanted to try (at Kentucky) and I thought we had a pretty successful race. Now we’re trying something different. We’ll see if it’s better or not.”