NASCAR Alters Restrictor Plate Size For Cup Cars At Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Sports Network) - NASCAR officials informed Sprint Cup Series teams upon their arrival at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday that a smaller restrictor plate will be used for the remainder of Speedweeks events, beginning with practice for Thursday's twin-qualifying races for the Daytona 500.
In expectations of further lowering speeds at the newly-paved 2.5-mile track, NASCAR has shortened the size of the four holes on the restrictor plates by a slim 1/64th of an inch. Restrictor plates limit airflow in the carburetors and therefore reduce horsepower. The hole size on the plates had been 58/64th of an inch.
Speeds had reached more than 206 m.p.h. during last Saturday's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, but NASCAR made several alterations to the Sprint Cup cars since then to not only lower speeds but to limit the time of two-car breakaways as well.
Just after last Sunday's qualifying for the Daytona 500, which was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR issued a technical bulletin to Sprint Cup teams, informing them of alterations to the cooling system in the cars.
NASCAR gave teams a proper amount of time to change the air inlet specifications on the engine's cooling system. There were no track activities at Daytona on Monday and Tuesday.
The maximum size of the front grill opening was changed to 2 1/2 inches tall by 20 inches wide. NASCAR also revised the pressure relief value on the water system, which was lowered to 33 pounds per square inch (psi).
Water temperatures on some of the cars during the Budweiser Shootout reportedly reached somewhere between 290-300 degrees Fahrenheit. The change to the cooling system should reduce those temperatures to around 250 degrees.
"We've been seeing that the two-car pushing has obviously dominated practice and the Budweiser Shootout, and it's going to continue to do that," three-time Daytona 500 Jeff Gordon said. "To me, the smaller restrictor plate only makes it easier to push, and narrowing down the opening [of the car's front grill] and the pressure valve, we're not going to be able to push as long, but we're still going to push."
Wednesday's opening practice for the twin-qualifying races (Gatorade Duel) and the first practice for Nationwide Series teams was scrubbed due to rain. Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams are hopeful the weather will improve for practice in the afternoon.
