NASCAR was back at Phoenix Raceway this week to test some potential tweaks to its cars for the 2024 season.
A new splitter and diffuser designed to reduce the effects of dirty air at short tracks were tried out with positive results, according to 2023 Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney, who took part in the sessions.
“We unloaded exactly how we were here in the fall with this car, ran a couple hours on it and the different splitter, big difference,” Blaney told NASCAR.com.
“Massive. Like the way it drives. With that, there’s so much downforce taken off of it. Yeah, the first laps I had, I was like, man, this thing drives way different.
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Additional work on the updates will be conducted before a decision is made.
NASCAR also evaluated new cooling ducts designed to work with the mufflers it employed at the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum and Chicago Street Race this season.
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The current seventh generation cars are louder than the ones they replaced and have side exit exhausts that project the noise directly at the grandstands and infield simultaneously. They are also exceptionally loud in the garage area and permanent use of a muffler is under consideration.
You can hear the difference in this side-by-side video:
Kyle Larson is among those who believes something needs to be done about the volume.
“I definitely think our race cars are way too loud and probably are still too loud with the mufflers,” Larson told NASCAR.com.
“I think the cars could be quieter to help the fan experience.â€
NASCAR may have a different type of challenge soon. It has developed an all-electric car for a potential standalone series and the motors may not be loud enough for the fans on their own.
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