NASCAR chairman Brian France wants to stay away from gimmicks when it comes to improving the on-track product.
But make no mistake, France wants to figure out how to ensure NASCAR has the best auto racing in the world. He just doesn’t think that track promoter Bruton Smith’s idea of implementing mandatory cautions during races is the way to go.
“It’s a very clear line to us — what we’re not going to do are gimmicky things,” he said Friday at Daytona International Speedway. “I’ve heard we ought to throw a caution every 10 laps. That’s nonsense. We won’t do gimmicky things. But we’ll do things that incentivize performance, incentivize wins. That we are open to.”
The Associated Press obtained a letter NASCAR officials sent to teams about its research and development project. The letter explains NASCAR’s intent is “improving the racing product at the intermediate (1½- to 2-mile) race tracks,” and it would like input from the teams’ engineering departments.
“Specifically we would like to gather your thoughts and recommendations on what changes to the cars you think would have the greatest impact to increasing mechanical grip — regardless of the current rules package,” the letter read. “This can include changes to springs, shocks, sway bars, track width, cambers (front and rear) inspection heights, etc.” Any suggestions from teams were due back to NASCAR on Friday.
The Associated Press
