NASCAR: What’s wrong with NASCAR? Part 2 – The cars

Aero-dependency

Now that we’ve had a small look at the past, let’s get to my first issue with the current cars. They’re too aero-dependent.

Drivers and teams can work as hard as they want, but if they don’t have the aero figured out in 2018, you’re toast come Sunday. The current aero issue hurt nearly everyone but the leader of the race. For teams running mid-pack or lower, they don’t have the ability to compete.

For the front runners, you can’t pass a car when you get to them. We’ve seen drivers work their way through slower traffic, only to stall out when catching the leader. Clean air is king, which makes passes for the lead rare at most intermediate tracks.

Take this past weekend’s race at Chicagoland Speedway for example. In the closing laps, Kyle Larson was catching the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch. Larson utilized the high side while Busch ran the bottom. Things seemed pretty simple for the #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet until Busch moved up the track and took away his line.

Instead of Larson being able to continue his march to the lead, he stalled in second place, as the dirty air was too much for his car to pass Busch. Later, Busch got stuck in lapped traffic, which created the exciting finish we witnessed.

To sum up 2018, you either have the best car or you don’t. You can’t find a better line or change your driving style mid-race. Teams can’t “fix” their cars during the race because aero is all that matters, and that doesn’t change during an event.

Races are no longer determined by who the best driver is. They are determined by who has the best car.