NASCAR: Atlanta to be First Test of New Rules Package

The much-hyped 2016 low-downforce rules package is set to hit the racetrack for the first time this season this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The package is supposed to put more of the performance in the drivers hands to promote skill and better passing.

As the series heads about 400 miles north to the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, the focus has shifted from the lore of and the fantastic finish in the Daytona 500 to the excitement for the new rules package that is set to debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 will be run Sunday afternoon on FOX and will give the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series a true test of ability.

With Atlanta already being a “driver’s track,” where the tires wear off quickly and drivers must hold on to loose handling race cars, the new rules package will combine to see some fantastic racing action. With the first practice already in the books, we have already seen drivers fighting the cars and the race track, with several drivers getting very loose. Turn 2 appears to be the toughest corner for drivers this weekend and will certainly be hard to handle on Sunday.

The rules package has been highly anticipated since its parent version debuted last season at Kentucky and Darlington. Those races were among the best races of the season with lots of passing and intense action. That action was greatly contrasted with the high-drag package we saw at Indianapolis and Michigan, where cars could hardly pass and there was long stretches of green flag parade laps.

2016-low-downforce-graphic /

It is certainly going to be the major story line throughout the weekend, and we all are hoping for the new package to succeed and produce better racing. NASCAR has provided an informative infographic to discuss the actual changes to the race car to promote higher quality racing.

Both the spoiler and the splitter are shorter on the 2016 race cars. Also, the radiator pan is less wide this season. These changes are meant to reduce downforce as the air will have a lesser effect on the cars and drivers will be forced to get up on the wheel. The drivers will have more control over the performance of their race cars and the best drivers will come to the front.

This new package will impact the drivers most at the mile-and-a-half racetracks such as Atlanta, where before those tracks were highly dependent on the crew chiefs and setups. I see the Atlanta race being revitalized with the new low-downforce rules package with lots of passing, loose race cars, and strategy to determine who will pull into Victory Lane.

With NASCAR making some certainly making some questionable moves this off-season, this new rules package for the Sprint Cup Series is one that we have to commend NASCAR for making. They are trying their best to promote better racing on all the tracks in the Sprint Cup Series, and they took the feedback from drivers, teams, and fans from their “tests” in 2015 and produced what will likely become a fantastic race package. Sunday will be the first test of this package and hopefully we will see some great racing and a return to those famous Atlanta finishes.

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