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NASCAR America: explaining the low downforce package

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NASCAR America walks through the lower downforce package that will return for Michigan, describing the mechanics of it and how it will make for better racing.

NASCAR announced Thursday morning the Sprint Cup Series will again use the lower downforce rules package at Michigan International Speedway on August 28.

It is a package that is likely to be used for the 2017 NASCAR season and has already been run this year at Michigan on June 12 as well as at Kentucky Speedway on July 9 and the Sprint All-Star Race in May.

What exactly is lower downforce? Jeff Burton and Kyle Petty explain on NASCAR America using animation from the new “NASCAR Heat Evolution” video game.

“Well hopefully we think it adds better racing, and the intention is to get more mechanical grip or make mechanical grip more important in the racecars,” said Parker Kligerman. “That’s been the entire emphasis behind taking away downforce; not being so aero-dependent, which hopefully then when a car gets behind another car it isn’t depending so much on the aero to be able to pass that car, it’s more mechanical grip.”