While both Martin Truex Jr. and Alex Bowman started from the rear of the field and worked their way to the front throughout the race, many drivers admitted the high-downforce package produced a multitude of issues racing in the pack during the Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway.
Kyle Busch was adamant and critical about the package after the race, stating “The package sucks. No fucking question about it. It’s terrible. All I can do is bitch about it and fall on deaf ears and we’ll come back with the same thing it in the fall,” – (@DustinAlbino on Twitter).
Bob Leavine, car owner for Matt DiBenedetto stated “Let me second (Kyle Busch’s) statement, this package sucks. Has nothing to do with where he finished.”
Matt DiBenedetto followed up with “I ran down the 6 and 3 by 4 tenths a lap from almost a half track back, got to them and was stuck for 20 laps. If you don’t have the dominant race winning car and can’t move around the whole track to find clean air, it’s very difficult.”
Race winner Truex Jr. agreed about the difficulty in passing other cars during Monday’s Gander RV 400, stating “It was definitely really hard to pass, there’s no question about that. I got stuck behind lap cars multiple times and if they decide to cut to the bottom in front of you and shut your air off, you about drive in the fence off the corner.”
Truex continued, “I’m not going to lie to you, it was hard as hell. On the last run the 1 car came out in front of me on new tires – and I had to follow him for 25 laps, I was just stuck. I was faster than him, I just wasn’t fast enough to pass him, so it’s difficult for sure.”
NASCAR’s effort to increase close racing and drafting in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has brought multiple side effects, one includes making track position the most important factor of any during a race. The cars have maximum grip and appears difficult for drivers to lose control of the racecar, even after being nudged from behind by another car.
While NASCAR continues to work towards optimizing the high-drag, high-downforce package, it is clear there are many frustrated drivers and fans who would prefer to see a lower-downforce package with more horsepower.
