Slower traffic increases passing opportunities with the 550 package

Restarts, such as the one here at Atlanta Motor Speedway, provide one of the few opportunities for drivers to pass with the 550 package(Photo: Getty Images)

Looking back at the Coca-Cola 600 this past weekend, it seems like there wasn’t a lot of on-track passing that occurred during the course of the race. The 550 horsepower/high downforce package used in the NASCAR Cup Series at tracks such as the Charlotte Motor Speedway and those with similar layouts lends itself to great action in the first couple of laps following a restart but then causes cars to be locked into position once things sort out. Unless the driver ahead has a significant bobble or the handling of a leading car goes away, it doesn’t seem as if there is much chance for the trailing car to complete a maneuver.

More often than not during the Charlotte race, one driver would appear to have a run on another and could get fully alongside the car meant to be passed. However, that run would stall when the passer ran into the ‘wall of air’ pushed off the nose of the lead car. There were, though, several instances in which passes were successfully executed on Sunday night.

Whether it be by luck or skillful planning between spotter and driver, a pass could be completed if a slower car was used as a pick. On more than one occasion, there were instances in which a slower car would be in the perfect position to pin one of the two combatants in such a way as to allow the other to emerge victorious in the battle for position.

And make no mistake, there were numerous slower cars spread around the 1.5-mile layout of CMS. No less than eight cars were listed as ‘running at finish’ but were counted more than 10 laps in arrears of the front runners. In several cases, those cars were considerably slower during the course of green flag runs. But without them, think of how many fewer passes would have been executed over the course of a 600-mile race.

While the disparity between the fastest and the slowest cars was significant, it did not appear to be dangerously so. Of course, there needs to be a minimum speed rule, which NASCAR does in fact have. There should never be cars on the track moving so slowly that they could pose a serious threat to the safety of their own driver and to others. But a few ‘rolling chicanes’ that meet the minimum speed rule often serve to improve the racing action, particularly during long green flag runs.

Following the race, Chase Elliott was asked about that speed difference between the lead cars and those being lapped. The second place finisher pointed out that slower traffic is nothing new in the sport.

“Yeah, I mean, it was -I felt like pretty…,” Elliott began, then paused. “As bad as I hate to say this, pretty normal here in the last couple years, so I wasn’t super surprised by any of it, to be real honest.”

When asked whether the sanctioning body should tighten its regulations regarding minimum speed, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion stated that he chooses to leave the officiating to those charged with making those calls.

“Man, I can’t answer that,” Elliott said. “I really try hard to stay out of the official calls. That typically doesn’t get me anywhere good, so I’m not sure.

Coca-Cola  600 winner Kyle Larson also offered his thoughts on the speed disparity and the impact of the slower cars on the race. The driver who led 327 of the 400 laps said his biggest issues weren’t with the slowest of cars but with who were able to maintain a slightly faster pace.

I mean, for the most part, most of the cars we lapped were pretty easy,” Larson recalled. “I could catch them in okay spots and get runs in the corners. But it was as you got to the faster cars, that’s about when my front tires were pretty wore out and I was tight. It made it difficult to get runs and pass them.”

Another factor also added to the difficulty in traffic. The adhesive used by some tracks plays a role.

“With this package and us running up in the PJ1, it was just kind of narrow up there and you’re just a little bit stuck in their dirty air,” Larson added.

There don’t seem to be very many passing opportunities aside from restarts when the 550 package is in use. Slower traffic at least gives the faster drivers a chance to set up and complete a move for position when timed properly.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association

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