AVONDALE, Ariz. — The field debut of the Short-track package 2024 was the hot topic of conversation after NASCAR Cup Series practice Friday at Phoenix Raceway.
With a simplified rear diffuser and shorter rear wing, each car lapped the 1-mile tri-oval ahead of Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Drivers were split on the effectiveness of the new changes after 50 minutes of testing Friday.
“I would say it was probably a little better in traffic,” said Denny Hamlin, who was second fastest “It was very small, from what I could see. Nothing really spectacular. If you were stuck behind someone, you would be really stuck behind someone. But that’s typical of what we had before.”
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Martin Truex Jr., his teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, said the difference was perhaps negligible at best.
“Honestly, it was the same,” Truex said. “I couldn’t really tell. I mean, the teams designed everything to make the cars as balanced as possible. So it felt exactly the same as last fall.”
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, finished 25th in single-lap speed but averaged 10th out of 18 in 20-lap time. The 2022 Phoenix spring winner said he noticed different reactions during a race.
“I thought we could roll a little bit more laterally, a little bit easier on the exit,” Briscoe told NASCAR.com. “And for me, I didn’t get around a lot of cars, but I thought when guys were around me, they could get a little closer and not pay as big a penalty as they normally do. It’s hard to say until we’re all on the track. But definitely, the way we braked and everything, I thought it was going to be delayed. It was business as usual. But yeah, I think it’ll be better than what we had.”
In addition to the new aero package, Goodyear brought to Phoenix tires with thicker treads designed to retain more heat in the tires on short tracks in hopes of increasing lap time loss.
“Anytime you can have lap time variability from good to bad between new tires and used tires, you’re going to see more passing,” Hamlin said. “So the more we can create that, the more impact drivers will have on where they finish on a given weekend.”
With a new aero package and tire combination, crew chiefs have some work to do to tune the car for their drivers. Todd Gilliland, driving the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, finished 30th in single-lap speed and averaged the same through 10 laps. Crew chief Ryan Bergenty said any obvious differences in how the new duo will race will be apparent Sunday rather than in the 20-lap test.
“We’re starting to figure out where the line is between mechanical grip and aerodynamic grip and aero platform,” Bergenty said. “I think as a group we (Front Row) did a good job of coming here with a wide range of what we have. And now we’re in a position to be able to refine what we think is best for the rest of the weekend.”
Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart finished Friday’s session pleased with the speed of their No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Managing the tires’ thicker treads will be a priority for everyone in Sunday’s 312-lap race, but the question remains: How can a driver manage his tires better than the other drivers?
“Of course, we’re always studying each other, right?” Hamlin said. “I mean, everybody’s in their trucks right now studying the two fastest cars of the day, trying to figure out what they can do. Where are they losing speed? Where do they need to improve their car to drive like the fastest car? That’s why you see the field so tight.”
“We’re all working in a tighter framework and by definition that makes it easier to converge,” Gabehart added. “And convergence means that track position is critical. Because physics matters. So one car behind another, behind another, behind another – the one at the end is going to go the slowest. Physics is always going to dictate that. So part of it is just what you have. …
“The best drivers will be the best drivers and the best teams will be the best teams. So I think this seems like a step in the right direction.”
Ford and Toyota also have new bodies for the 2024 season, and Friday’s test proved the Camry XSE is undeniably fast, with six Toyotas in the top 10 in single-lap speed and five of the top seven 10-lap averages. Joey Logano, driving the No. 22 Dark Horse Ford Mustang for Team Penske, was the fastest in speed over a lap and fourth best on 10-lap averages.
But when on Sunday will we get a clear idea of what those changes have to offer? The first moto will be revealing, Bergenty and SHR crew chief Rodney Childers said, but Gabehart warned that won’t be the whole story.
“I think this track tends to get tighter as the day goes on, so that first pass won’t tell you everything, but it will definitely give you an idea,” Gabehart said. “I really think from the second pass of Stage 2 onwards – 180 laps into the race, the track really took a lot of rubber – that’s when you’ll see the guys that really have a good handle on this place… you’ll really see if you have something to offer them or not.”
Ultimately, Hamlin enters Sunday optimistic about what the on-track product could look like, with hopes of even closer racing to come.
“It’ll be a very small change,” Hamlin said, “but anything that can allow us to run closer together and pass each other without the air lock that we’ve seen the last few weeks, I think it’ll be a good thing and I certainly think this package (and) this tire is going in the right direction.”
