Will Rule Changes Result in Last Tango at Daytona?

Posted Thursday, February 9; Source - By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

NASCAR fans spoke loudly. More than 80 percent of fans polled by NASCAR either hated the two-car drafts at Daytona or said they preferred pack drafting to the tandems.

In mid-January testing at Daytona, NASCAR instituted rule changes designed to break up sustained two-car hookups. The efforts didn't stop there.

When the cars return to Daytona next week, the grille openings will be higher on the front bumper and the rear bumpers will be extended down two inches. NASCAR determined that cars were still able to get airflow to the grille from underneath the lead car and took measures to counteract that.

"Our goal was not to eliminate the two-car pushes," Darby said. "Our goal was to change the look of the race back to more of a conventional drafting but not to take away the tool of the two-car draft."

If NASCAR and its fans get their wish, which seems likely, you'll see a lot more conventional pack drafting in the Daytona 500. But the race is likely to be won with a two-car push, whether it's one car pushing another to the win or one car trying to slingshot past another as they approach the finish, as Clint Bowyer did to Jeff Burton at Talladega last October.