After three years in use, the Sprint Cup has said goodbye to the wings mounted on the Car of Tomorrow. After Tuesday and Wednesday test sessions in Charlotte, it was confirmed that the old-style spoiler would return at the flat 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway this weekend.
Both Red Bull drivers tried out the spoiler in the two-day test, which was the last step before bolting it on the trunks for Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 and beyond. Charlotte was the first time Vickers had tested it in traffic, and he came away happy.
“The cars turn a little bit better," he said. "There’s more side force with some of the added features that they've put on there – the plates going down the rear deck lid and the extensions on the rear quarter panels. All the way around, I think it’s a better race car.”
While he started the season a bit slowly, Vickers rebounded with solid races in Atlanta and Bristol to climb to four spots in the points standings to 14th with 584 points, just two steps away from a Chase berth. Heading to Martinsville, he’s only 17 points out of the top 12. He has four top-20 results at Martinsville in seven starts.
While teammate Scott Speed felt the spoiler made the car feel better and offered added grip when it was running alone, he’s not sure how it will react in traffic. Although he sees the car’s improvement as a positive thing, he’s not convinced the change will make the racing better.
"All the way around, I think it’s a better race car." –Brian Vickers
“Clearly it’s faster, but I think you’re going to see a little bit bigger split when you have to race right behind people in a big pack," Speed pointed out. "I think that’s going to get a little more dicey than it was with the wing. They’re snugger into the corner, so hopefully that is still the same case when you’re in traffic and that will make things easier with this type of car. I think the racing is going to be a little more difficult, honestly. But by themselves, they’re nicer to drive, I think.”
Going into the sixth race of 2010, Speed continues to ride high on the strength of a strong start to his sophomore Sprint Cup season where he has been in the top 20 in points since the opener in Daytona. A late blown tire and broken brake rotor that robbed Speed of a top-20 finish in Bristol last week saw him drop out of the top 12 in points following a 31st place finish. It was his worst result of 2010.
Despite the hard luck last week, Speed’s quick start means he’s now locked into races no matter what happens in qualifying. While his best result at the Virginia track was a 30th back in 2008, the return of the spoiler may bring a wildcard to the table that might help to change his Martinsville luck.
Speed’s crew chief, Jimmy Elledge, reported no surprises in the test, which was exactly what the team wanted.
“I look at things like this as a new challenge and a clean sheet of paper for everybody,” said Elledge. “No one really has any experience with this, this year, and the faster you adapt to it and learn, maybe you can get the jump on everyone.”
Keep up with Nos. 82 and 83 at RedBullRacingusa.com
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