NASCAR’s NA18D package has some massive flaws, you already knew that though.
Kurt Busch’s win Sunday night in Las Vegas was only a further example of how flawed the package is. Earlier in the summer when Austin Dillon won at Texas we highlighted how flawed the package is. Regardless of what NASCAR’s brain trust says, this isn’t good for the sport.
To be clear, this is not a knock on Kurt Busch or Austin Dillon. Wins are wins, it doesn’t matter hwo you get to the finish line just as long as you’re the first to do it.
10th Place Cars Aren’t Race Winning Cars
Kurt Busch had an average running position of 13th Sunday night in Las Vegas according to loop data, yet he was the one leaving with the trophy.
When the “debris” caution flew on lap 237 in the middle of green flag stops, Matt McCaul’s gamble paid off. Running Kurt long trapped every other playoff driver a lap down allowing the #1 to pit and exit on the front row. Kurt was stake claim to the lead with some NHRA style launches on the restart to clear Matt DiBenedetto.
Kurt was the 13th best car Sunday night. Denny Hamlin and Alex Bowman, the two fastest cars most of the race pitted and over the course of nearly 30 laps they could only get back to 3rd and 5th. Hamlin even pitted fro fresher tires and could only get back to there.
Same goes for Austin Dillon at Texas.
Restarts Followed By Parades
Restarts are the only time drivers could pass. It was next to impossible for cars to pass three laps after a restart. The biggest question NASCAR needs to be asking themselves has to be “is this racing?”
An exciting restart isn’t racing, what happens in the laps after the restart is racing and folks, we’re not seeing much of it. At times Sunday night it looked like a multi-million dollar parade around the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
What’s The Fix?
YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE FIX IS!
More downforce of course. I’m talking 16″ spoiler, 5″ splitter, aero ducts the size of Chris Farley (can’t get mad at that one), and the same horsepower as a Scion TC.
But really, cut the downforce and this race is infinitely better.
