Drivers comment on the new rules package following the first NASCAR test of the 2019 NASCAR season
The first test session of the 2019 NASCAR season is complete. Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the two day test on January 31-February 1, 2019.
View 2019 NASCAR testing speeds below.
Jimmie Johnson took his new crew chief and his new Camaro to the top of the board in the first of two practice sessions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Johnson ran an average lap at 178.885 mph.
Brad Keselowski was quickest on Friday. He turned a 29.482 at an average speed of 178.436.
For comparison, Kurt Busch is the current owner of the LVMS track record. He circled the speedway at an average of 196.328 mph in 2006.
2019 NASCAR rules
They’re going slower?
Yes, they are. That’s exactly what NASCAR’s goal is for the new aero and rules package.
A taller spoiler, tapered engine spacer, aero ducts and a standard radiator pan are all designed to slow the cars down.
The 1990 era is the goal. The speeds back then are similar to the speeds brought by this new package.
The faster the cars go, the bigger hole they punch in the air. At the same time, the faster they go, the more air is pushing down on the car to hold it into the race track.
By slowing the cars down to speeds of a previous era, downforce is less important. When a car gets on the bumper of another car, he’s not at such a disadvantage in the dirty air.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
“The new race package is a NASCAR game changer,” LVMS President Chris Powell said. “The maneuvers we saw today blew everyone away. Drivers were racing, at times, four-wide into the turns.”
“It was racing like we’ve never seen on a mile-and-a-half and truly was awe-inspiring. Having a full field of 40 cars racing like this will make for a newfound excitement. Race day can’t get here quickly enough.”
“We really appreciate NASCAR and (Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer) Steve O’Donnell for choosing Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the site for a test of this magnitude.”
“Their efforts are indicative of the industry’s dedication to making the sport better, and we can’t wait to see this new racing package on display in Las Vegas for our March 3 Pennzoil 400.”
Clint Bowyer on the new rules package
“There’s really only one voice that matters, it’s the fans,” said Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
“That’s the voice we’re all working for, and that’s no different than it’s ever been. It doesn’t matter what sport it is, it’s about the fans showing up and enjoying what they see.”
“The entertainment value of our sport has always been great, and this is a step to try and make it even better.”
Kyle Busch on new NASCAR rules
“I think the competition is going to be closer together than what we’ve seen in years past, and I don’t know if you’ll see a lead guy be able to stretch it out five, six or seven seconds,” said Busch, the 2015 MENSCS champion.
“It’s going to be a lot more of a mental game and will be more of a chess match, thinking how you’re going to make moves, how daring you’re going to be in making some of those moves and how hard of a time the guy you’re trying to pass is going to give you back.”
“We’ll see how it’s all going to play out, but overall, it’s going to be interesting.”
Kurt Busch on the 2019 aero package
“We’ve got a big hybrid group from Ganassi Racing here trying to collect data and work on this new package,” said Kurt Busch, who won his Cup title in 2004.
“We’re just getting up to speed, as far as our communication and the little checklist items. Matt McCall’s a great crew chief, and we’ve got everybody here from our engineering team, even from Kyle Larson’s team and his crew chief, Chad Johnston.”
“This new package is as radically different as when we switched to the ‘Car of Tomorrow’ back in 2008. That’s how much of a dramatic adjustment it is.”
Austin Dillon comments following the NASCAR test at Las Vegas
“It really reminded me of my truck (series) days, and I always felt like the trucks always raced really well,” Dillon said.
“Restarts are going to be really aggressive, and I thought we stayed together pretty good. We’ve still got a lot to learn and still haven’t hit the balance we’d like in a race car, but it showed some pretty good speed.
“I’m pleased with it and am having fun,” Dillon concluded.
John Probst: NASCAR
“I feel pretty good so far with what we saw out there,” Probst said.
“We feel like things went pretty well today, but by no means are we high-fiving and declaring any kind of victory. We know we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ll continue to do that in a cooperative manner with the rest of the industry.”
“I would just encourage fans who might be on the fence or don’t think they’re going to like (the new package) to give it a try, because I think they’re going to be pleasantly surprised by what they see on the race track.”
This package made it’s debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That was for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It then made it’s Cup Series debut in 2018 during the NASCAR All-Star event.
“This has been a process we started years ago in the Xfinity Series, and we’ve had a lot of folks involved in this process from the beginning,” Probst said.
“We feel pretty confident because we did have so much engagement from the teams and had the engineers involved from the beginning. Our industry has a lot of smart people, and we have utilized all of them, and so I feel confident in the collective skill set in what we’ve put forth.”
“We are trying to set ourselves up for down the road and have a longer-term vision in play here that’s moving us to the next generation of race car.”
View 2019 NASCAR testing speeds below.
2019 NASCAR Testing Results
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
January 31, 2019
Time: 8am
Pos | Driver | Time | Average Speed
1. Jimmie Johnson
30.187 | 178.885
2. Ryan Preece
30.392 | 177.678
3. Austin Dillon
30.413 | 177.556
4. Darrell Wallace Jr
30.443 | 177.381
5. Clint Bowyer
30.490 | 177.107
6. Brad Keselowski
30.636 | 176.263
7. Matt DiBenedetto
30.647 | 176.200
8. Ty Dillon
30.659 | 176.131
9. Kurt Busch
30.673 | 176.051
10. Paul Menard
30.689 | 175.959
11. Drew Herring
30.715 | 175.810
12. Ryan Newman
30.752 | 175.598
13. Kyle Busch
30.765 | 175.524
14. Landon Cassill
31.214 | 172.999
15. Cody Ware
31.294 | 172.557
16. David Ragan
31.326 | 172.381
2019 NASCAR Testing Results
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
February 1, 2019
Time: Afternoon
Pos | Driver | Time | Average Speed
1. Brad Keselowski
30.263 | 178.436
2. Austin Dillon
30.340 | 177.983
3. Clint Bowyer
30.346 | 177.948
4. Jimmie Johnson
30.346 | 177.948
5. Ryan Newman
30.355 | 177.895
6. Paul Menard
30.371 | 177.801
7. Kurt Busch
30.377 | 177.766
8. Kyle Busch
30.451 | 177.334
9. Ryan Preece
30.464 | 177.258
10. Darrell Wallace Jr
30.468 | 177.235
11. Matt DiBenedetto
30.493 | 177.090
12. Drew Herring
30.597 | 176.488
13. Ty Dillon
30.609 | 176.419
14. Landon Cassill
30.812 | 175.256
15. Ross Chastain
31.088 | 173.700
16. David Ragan
31.492 | 171.472
Links
Clint Bowyer | Kyle Busch | Kurt Busch | Austin Dillon | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | NASCAR
