NASCAR Odds To Win Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500

The wing is out, and the spoiler is in.

That’s what the buzz will be around the garage at Martinsville this weekend.

The rear wing came in when NASCAR introduced its “Car of Tomorrow” in 2007, and it did not prove to be the most popular thing. The drivers went 93 races with it, and the general feeling is that it was not a sound thing from an aerodynamics perspective. In fact, even after a victory in the first race with the “COT,” Kyle Busch blasted it.

 To Win Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500

March 26 – Martinsville, VA

  • Jimmie Johnson +250
  • Denny Hamlin +500
  • Jeff Gordon +600
  • Juan Pablo Montoya +1500
  • Kevin Harvick +1500
  • Kyle Busch +1500
  • Mark Martin +1500
  • Kurt Busch +1600
  • Jeff Burton +1800
  • Carl Edwards +2000
  • Clint Bowyer +2000
  • Matt Kenseth +2000

The replacement is more of a traditional spoiler, which appears to make everybody more comfortable.

Obviously Martinsville, with speeds slower than those at Bristol, is not a bad place to break the new accessory in.

The question some people are concerned with: would it prevent a car from going airborne, like Brad Keselowski’s did a few weeks ago in Atlanta?

That’s a good question. It seems to be what some people in NASCAR think. That non-accidental accident was scary, as was the one with Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman at Talladega last year, and indication are that the new addition will reduce the speed of the cars during spins, and could add as much as 100 pounds of additional downforce.

A lot of people are expecting that there will be more side-drafting now, which will cause the cars to run more in packs.

In Wednesday’s testing session which was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, these were the top five speeds:

  • Jeff Burton – 189.215 mph
  • Kevin Harvick – 187.885 mph
  • Juan Pablo Montoya – 186.516
  • Brian Vickers – 185.829
  • AJ Allmendinger – 185.522

At last week’s test at Talladega, speeds exceeded 200 miles an hour. The top three:

  • Denny Hamlin – 202.170 mph
  • Joey Logano – 201.863 mph
  • Brian Vickers – 200.163 mph

Most of the drivers are happy that the spoiler is back. “The spoiler is preferable. It looks like a race car, a stock car, a NASCAR car,” said the wily veteran, Mark Martin. “I started looking at them in the ’70s, and they always had spoilers on them.”

The drivers weren’t the only ones who wanted to bid adieu to the wing. “NASCAR consulted us, and we thought the car might be better with the spoiler,” said Greg Biffle, “but I think it was driven from the fans and the popularity. That’s what people want to see.”

Jimmie Johnson is a guy who often talks like he doesn’t have a care in the world. So naturally he’s completely unconcerned about any new twists. He actually seems excited about the spoiler, and indeed tested pretty fast with it. “I think we’re viewing it as an opportunity,” he said. “We might not be the first team to find the magic the spoiler wants, but we’re usually pretty good at finding stuff in a hurry.”

Brad Keselowski said, in his diary for Sports Illustrated, “Well, it’s faster through the corner and slower at the end of the straightaway. It drags more. It drives with a little more balance, and it’s a little easier to control. I think those are good things, but I’m reserving judgment until we get to actually race it.”

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