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NASCAR Cup Series: Top 5 storylines heading into the 2019 season

By William Richard

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Chocolate Bar Toyota, leads during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Chocolate Bar Toyota, leads during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 19: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Ford (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 19: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Ford (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

#1: The new aero package

There is no doubt that the biggest and baddest storyline heading into the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season is the new aero package introduced by NASCAR.

Fans got a glimpse of the package in last year’s Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and they got to witness closer pack-style racing that had never been seen before on 1.5-mile race tracks.

A second glimpse of the new aero package was on display a few weeks ago in a preseason test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While the racing was much closer than usual, the test also revealed that passing may not be as smooth and common as fans had hoped.

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Obviously, we are way too early into this experiment to assess what will take place when real racing occurs, but there is a mixture of hope and disappointment surrounding the controversial package.

On one hand, this could revolutionize the sport.

Air ducts and tapered spacers could further help level the playing field, which is something that fans have begged for in recent years. The new package could elevate a mid-tier team to the point where they have the ability to compete for wins on Sundays, creating more parity inside the Cup Series garage.

On the other hand, fans view this new package as a gimmicky cop-out used to skirt past real issues that the sport faces. Instead of designing a better race car, which has been announced for the 2021 season, NASCAR defaulted to a manipulated aero package that, in some ways, sabotages the actual racing product.

Overall, I can’t tell you how to feel about the new aero package, but understand that this will, in fact, define the future of NASCAR. This could be one of the best seasons in NASCAR history, or it could completely embarrass the sport.

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Well, there you have them, the top five storylines heading into the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season! I hope you enjoyed. See you next time!

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