Driver adjustable track bar to be removed with the 2019 NASCAR rules package
Trackbar are you helping me?
It’s been several years since NASCAR opened up the rules and allowed for a new in-car chassis adjustment tool. The trackbar was designed to give drivers a way of improving their cars handling throughout a long run.
The idea was to create comers and goes in the field. It was there to help a car that needed to find a bit more grip or stability. The left side is mounted to the rear end while the right side of the bar is mounted to the frame on the right side. The trackbar changes the rear roll center.
In general, the higher the track bar, the looser it will be on exit.
Teams developed a electrical mechanism for drivers to adjust this during the race. The problem is, it doesn’t play a big enough role. In addition, it’s an expensive piece on the car.
It’s also prone to breaking. Over the years, many drivers have complained of broken trackbar buttons. Essentially, they press the button and laps later, the number on their dash is still moving.
Sometimes, the track bar adjuster doesn’t want to move. This happens frequently at tracks with high banking and high load. Places like Dover and Bristol.
In fact, that very thing happened this weekend. Kyle Busch suffered a track bar issues.
Trackbar adjuster: 2015-2018
Several drivers are under the impression that the trackbar never made for comers and goes in the race. Instead, it allowed a driver to adjust their cars and stay where they’re at instead of moving around on the race track to find what they’re looking for.
“With track bar being adjustable drivers will always move it to try and stay in preferred fastest lane, will see more comers an goers in my opinion,” Erik Jones stated via a tweet.
As a result of all of those problematic things, teams have requested that the adjustable track bar be removed.
NASCAR has listened to the teams. They have reacted by removing the adjuster for the 2019 season. This was announced on Monday but it won’t be put into place until next season.
“We’ve had the driver-adjustable trackbar for quite a while now and many of them came to us and said, ‘Hey, look. This really didn’t do what we’d hoped for and we’d rather not have it,’ ” Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition explained to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“So part of the 2019 rules is that the driver-adjustable, cockpit-adjustable trackbar is no longer in play for 2019.”
“So, he won’t have to worry about his trackbar adjuster not working next year,” Miller refers to Kyle Busch.
The NASCAR adjustable trackbar was introduced for the 2015 racing season.
Unsure of that we’re even talking about? The video below shows both a trackbar and wedge adjustment from under the car. JD Motorsports shared the video several years back.
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