Last year’s Xfinity race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway brought the conversation about NASCAR’s aero package to the front of many fans minds.
The rules package used in that race contributed to 1,500 green flag lead changes throughout the field. William Byron won by .108 seconds over Paul Menard.
Parker Kligerman breaks down the rules and their impact in the video above.
That rules package provided the basis for the one used in this year’s All-Star race. As the conversation so often has since May, questions about its viability in the Cup series were addressed on Thursday’s edition of NASCAR America.
“There was pushback from teams and the engine builders,” Nate Ryan said. “Very difficult to get this package ready for some of these tracks because of the changes with the horsepower, with the (restrictor) plate.
“But, it sounds as if … it’s definitely on the drawing board for next year, potentially more than a dozen races,” Ryan added. “And I think Indianapolis would be very much at the top of the list.”
The timing of the prospective rules change is another factor that must be considered. Substantial changes in the middle of the season contribute to major cost increases.
“These team owners and NASCAR have been trying really hard to keep costs down,” Kligerman said. “And many of the Cup owners looked at adding a whole new package midseason was going to force them to build separate cars, different engine packages.”
One way or another, answers should become within a few weeks.
“I think we’ll get clarity on it probably at the end of this month,” Ryan said. “The proposed rules package went out at the end of August to teams for 2019 and we’ll probably hear in a few weeks what it will look like for 2019.”
For more, watch the video above.