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Joey Logano’s crew chief likes new aero rules, drop in downforce

Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts - Qualifying

SPARTA, KY - JUNE 27: Todd Gordon, crew chief for Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford, stands on the grstands on the gridduring qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on June 27, 2014 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

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The force will not be with Todd Gordon, Joey Logano or any other crew chief and driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as much this season.

Downforce, that is.

On Monday’s “The Morning Drive” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Gordon talked at length about how the new aero rules will impact racing this season in NASCAR’s premier series.

Following last month’s tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Jan. 10-11) and last week’s test at Phoenix Raceway, Gordon said Logano’s No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Fusion showed a dramatic drop in downforce.

“If you look to Las Vegas test to Las Vegas test over two years (2016 vs. 2017), at probably 200 mph, it’s probably 500 pounds of downforce that they’ve taken off the cars,” Gordon said. “It’s a substantial number, but obviously as you go slower, that becomes reduced.

“Middle of the corner, it’s probably about half that because our speeds are in the 150 (mph) range at some places. But it’s still a dramatic change in downforce, but I think it’s made better racing, less dirty air and we’ll continue on that path.”

One of the key differences is in the makeup and size of the rear spoiler. During last year’s low downforce races at Kentucky and Michigan, the rear spoiler was 2.5 inches tall, down from the 3.5-inch spoiler used in other races. This season, for all races, the rear spoiler will be 2.35 inches tall.

“It’s a little different than what we had for low downforce last year in that the spoiler we had at Kentucky and Michigan was taller and narrower than what we got this year,” Gordon said. “Similar amounts of downforce, a little more sideforce with the spoiler being wider than what it was at the low downforce races last year.”

The Phoenix test only heightened Gordon’s optimism about how the new aero rules will come into play.

“I really like it,” he said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I think NASCAR did a good job in trying to keep balance in our race cars as they’ve taken downforce away from them. The cars aren’t drastically different in the balance they’ve got.

“When Joey hopped in and drove it, it’s not like ‘Oh my goodness, we’ve got to tighten up a bunch or free up a bunch.’ The mechanical balance that we’ve got to have with the car is still the same, it just slides around more. I think NASCAR did a great job identifying what we need to do there. It’s going to make it interesting.

“I’d say the bigger piece, the ‘Oh my God moment’ was when we went to the Las Vegas test. Joey said, ‘Holy cow, these things continue accelerating down to the corner.’ It used to be when we got to the start/finish line that there’d be so much drag on the car, the car would quit accelerating with so much drag.

“Now that spoiler is smaller and it continues to accelerate all the way down into the corner, it’s a lot of speed that we make into the corner but we’ve also taken some of that corner speed out of them. I think it’ll be good for racing. It showed that last year when we ran it the few times we did and I really look forward to what we’ve got.”

MORE: Changes to NASCAR rulebook - driver biometrics, roof hatch, rear spoiler height

Erik Jones, in his rookie NASCAR Cup season, agrees with Gordon that the new aero rules make for a noticeable impact while driving his No. 77 Toyota Camry for Furniture Row Racing.

“It’s different; it’s a lot different,” Jones said at last week’s test in Phoenix. “This is the second time I’ve driven the low, down-force package. Quite a bit different in general and a little bit more challenging overall to drive than what the Xfinity cars are or the what the previous package was on the Cup cars when I drove it in 2015. Just kind of figuring it out.”

On the flipside is Kevin Harvick. After 35 career Cup wins, all in Chevrolets, the 2014 Cup champ said the biggest difference in the switch to Ford is “the way it sounds.”

MORE: Harvick begins Stewart-Haas Ford era at Phoenix test.

“The drivability of it isn’t that big of a difference,” Harvick said. “But the balance of the car is a bit different than we’ve had in the past – just not one reason for that though.

“I think that’s a little bit where we’re at right now – the balance of the car with the balance of the new aero package.”

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