NASCAR Cup Series debuts new short track package at Phoenix
The NASCAR Cup Series will debut a new short track and road course aero package in race form this Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
The Cup Series cars will have a rear diffuser with fewer strakes, producing lower downforce. To compensate, the cars will also have a three-inch rear spoiler, instead of a two-inch spoiler.
Drivers tested these changes at Phoenix in December and reportedly had positive reviews. That led to NASCAR implementing the package.
Kyle Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels commented on the new package after winning at Las Vegas.
“To tip you guys off a little bit for next week, some of the aero maps of that car and things that you have to look at are different from the conventional aero map of the Next-Gen car,” Daniels said. “So it’s actually going to be exciting to get to go play that out and see how it goes. The drivers are really positive at the test that we were part of in December just of what that aero package was going to be. We’ve got to do stuff different to accommodate that.”
“To be honest with you, it’s a bit of an unknown for everyone.”
The Cup Series will use this package at all tracks 1 mile in length and under, excluding Bristol and Dover which are higher-banked tracks. The series will also use it on road courses, beginning next weekend at Circuit of the Americas.
NASCAR added 20 minutes of practice for Groups A & B. Practice will run from 9-10:30 a.m. – an hour and a half – instead of the typical allotted 50 minutes.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com