Positive response to NASCAR rules package at Kentucky

The drivers liked the new rules package

By every measurable category – including the eye test -the debut of NASCAR's low downforce rules package Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway was a whopping success. And this wasn't even the finished product. The Quaker State 400 was one of the best 1.5-mile track races in recent years and certainly the best at Kentucky, which had produced a series of snoozers in its four previous events. There were a track-record 22 green-flag passes for the lead – including one in the final 20 laps — and overall green-flag passes more than doubled from last year's race (2,665 on Saturday vs. 1,147 in 2014). Drivers heaped praise on the package and fans on social media overflowed with positive feedback.

"I felt like a race car driver tonight," a grinning Carl Edwards said. "I could actually drive the car. I was steering and sliding — I about wrecked a few times. I felt like I was doing something, not just sitting in line."

Race winner Kyle Busch had perhaps the truest test of the new package. While chasing down Joey Logano late in the race, he got close enough to the car in front of him where it usually would have given him a big aero push – so-called dirty air. This time, though, was different. "When I got to Logano, I knew he was going to come up and block my lane and take my air," Busch said. "But when he did, it wasn't as bad as it has been with the other aero package where you just stall out and that guy can basically manipulate whatever you're going to do.

And the most exciting element of the new rules package? It was operating without a key component: A soft tire that will complement the shorter rear spoiler and wider splitter. Tire supplier Goodyear didn't have enough notice to build such a tire, but it will be ready for the next race with the low downforce package on Sept. 6 at Darlington Raceway.
NASCAR had been reluctant to alter anything and still hasn't pulled the trigger on any sweeping changes. Officials are planning a high drag package for two upcoming tracks (Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway), which is the opposite of what the drivers asked for. And beyond Darlington, there are no set plans to run the low downforce package again. Kentucky was sort of a mid-season experiment with nothing to lose based on the track's history. USA Today