CUP: Spoilers To Be Tested At Texas On Tuesday

Sprint Cup

CUP: Spoilers To Be Tested At Texas On Tuesday

NASCAR's much heralded return to the spoiler will get its first test next week...

John Sturbin | Posted January 19, 2010 Fort Worth, TX

When NASCAR first tested the next generation racecar, Petty Racing built a Dodge that sported a traditional spoiler. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Blade running will go lap-after-lap with tire testing beginning Tuesday at Texas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR’s new rear spoiler blade package for the Sprint Cup Series’ Car of Tomorrow will get its first on-track test Tuesday and Wednesday on TMS’ 1.5-mile quadoval, track president Eddie Gossage confirmed Monday afternoon.

Gossage said he was informed of NASCAR’s decision to test the spoiler – which eventually will replace the COT’s current rear wing – during an email exchange Sunday night with Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition.

“I was notified by NASCAR they were going to use the spoiler in the test, and I understand it will be exclusively using the spoiler in the test,” said Gossage, suggesting the session could be a harbinger for the Samsung Mobile 500 Cup weekend here April 15-18. “I don’t know when they’re going to implement the spoiler in a race…but we might be one of the first to run with the spoiler.”

Former Cup champions Tony Stewart (Chevrolet) and Kurt Busch (Dodge) will be joined by Greg Biffle (Ford) and Brian Vickers (Toyota) for the session, which will feature each of NASCAR’s manufacturers. In addition to providing information to Goodyear Racing engineers on tire compounds, the drivers also will get to sort out a spoiler NASCAR officials hope will allow for more passing and improve the overall quality of racing.

Cup cars have been utilizing a wing on the rear deck lid since the COT’s debut at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway in March 2007. Reacting to offseason input from its teams, NASCAR announced last week it planned to test a spoiler configuration common on its stock cars prior to implementation of the COT project. NASCAR announced last week it has scheduled an open Cup test with spoilers for March 23-24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a sister 1.5-mile oval to TMS.

Goodyear engineers conducted a similar two-day tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway, another sister 1.5-mile facility to TMS, last week. “I know at the test at Atlanta they used the wing exclusively,” Gossage said. “So they may be planning to use the wing at Atlanta. But I think by the time they get here, they may go with the spoiler. We may be first with the spoiler.

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John Sturbin

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