McReynolds: Chassis changes a "step in the right direction" for NASCAR

Former NASCAR crew chief and now Fox Sports TV broadcaster Larry McReynolds believes the race package changes NASCAR implemented for this weekend’s Sprint All-Star Race are “a step in the right direction.”

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“These changes were needed because teams have been slowly pecking away at regaining some of the downforce and side-force NASCAR took away with this year’s aero package,” said McReynolds, who won the all-star race twice as a crew chief with the late Davey Allison.

“The changes they’re making for All-Star are a way to affect aero without changing the spoiler or anything about the body of the car. The cars just won’t be as ‘dog-tracked’ and skewed going down the track as we’ve been seeing.”

Earlier this week released a list of technical changes to the cars, hoping it would reduce downforce and sideforce. Some of the changes are for the all-star race only. The updated brake cooling rules will remain in effect the rest of the season.

“Kansas has the most amount of grip of any track the teams had competed at yet this season, and it wasn’t the best race we’ve had,” McReynolds said. “With the fresh track surface at Pocono looming, a fairly high-grip surface at Michigan on the horizon and the brand-new surface at Kentucky coming up, I had been saying NASCAR should look at taking some downforce away. I’m glad to see this.”

McReynolds said it’s unlikely the new changes will produce a huge difference but insists they are “a step in the right direction.”

“Denny Hamlin said it best in an interview with Adam Alexander and me – anything you can do to slow down the speed in the center of the corner – and downforce and side-force affect that a lot – will foster better racing,” he said.

“It’s chipping away at the issue without making huge jumps or affecting the way the cars are built in the middle of the year.”

McReynolds doesn’t believe NASCAR is ready to make any more changes this season.

“After Charlotte, we’re halfway through the regular season,” he said. “A lot of this is testing the waters to be able to present the teams their 2017 package by August or September. That’s very smart on NASCAR’s part. The All-Star Race is a great place to try this.”