NASCAR has asked Cup Series teams to bring 4-inch rear spoilers to Talladega Superspeedway as a fallback in case the new 3.5-inch blade creates problems, according to FOX Sports insider Bob Pockrass.
NASCAR announced Oct. 1 that Talladega would use a 3.5-inch spoiler, a further half-inch cut from the 4-inch blade that debuted at Daytona International Speedway in August, according to RACER. The original spoiler measured 7 inches. Those were the dimensions of the spoilers used at Talladega in April when Carson Hocevar survived a 26-car wreck to claim his first-ever, and to date only, NASCAR Cup Series victory.
If Hocevar hopes to repeat, he will have to adjust to the new, shorter spoilers. But will they stand 3.5 inches, or 4?
NASCAR does not expect to use the swap, Pockrass reported, but the request arrives with no practice on the schedule for the Oct. 25 YellaWood 500.
“I am not sure they would see something in qualifying to require a change,” Pockrass wrote.
Horsepower stays at the reduced 465 level from the Daytona package, according to Sportsnaut. Stages end on Laps 98 and 143, with a scheduled finish at Lap 188. NASCAR designed the changes to give drivers more room to maneuver, build runs and pass without relying on fuel saving and track position, Sportsnaut reported.
Carson Hocevar’s Talladega Spoiler Outlook After April Win
Hocevar won the April 26 Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega for his first career Cup victory, in his 91st start, according to FOX Sports‘ Bob Pockrass. He beat Chris Buescher by 0.114 seconds, according to NASCAR.com official times.
Hocevar used pushes from Alex Bowman, who finished third, and a side-draft on Buescher to break away at the end, Pockrass recounted.
The win came under the old 7-inch spoiler package, and Hocevar avoided a 26-car crash on Lap 115, which began when Ross Chastain collided with Bubba Wallace. The wreck ended the day for Wallace, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and four other drivers.
“What do you want? Save fuel or crash? Pick one,” Logano said after the wreck.
Hocevar crashed late at Daytona and said the nose lifted more, with the car tighter on entry and looser elsewhere on the track.
“I felt like handling mattered a little bit more in dirty air,” Hocevar said. “It seemed like you could make moves there.”
The 3.5-inch spoiler applies to Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevrolet like every other car. It trims another half-inch from the package whose nose lift and dirty-air handling he described at Daytona, while Spire teammate Daniel Suarez rated that same package better. Hocevar’s April formula of pushes and a side-draft now plays out in a field NASCAR designed to spread out.
If a swap happens, the 4-inch blade is the one Hocevar already drove at Daytona.
Talladega Spoiler Request Leaves Teams Without Practice Data
The 3.5-inch blade has never run in competition, and the 4-inch version drew split reviews at Daytona.
“I couldn’t tell they changed the rules at all,” Brad Keselowski said after Daytona, according to RACER‘s Kelly Crandall.
“The cars drove the exact same,” Christopher Bell said.
“It seemed like you could do more with runs when you had them,” Chase Elliott added.
Qualifying runs one car at a time, so it produces no pack data. The session starts at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, with all 40 entries in round one and the top 10 advancing, according to Beyond the Flag. No practice session is scheduled.
That leaves teams relying on Daytona feedback, simulation work and what they see once the race starts. Any switch would rest on limited information.
NASCAR Talladega Winner Carson Hocevar Faces Spoiler Twist in Sunday Return