DW: Revised NASCAR aero package still could use some tweaking

By now you probably have heard that NASCAR announced Thursday that for the upcoming August 28th race at Michigan, they are going back to the aero package they ran there back in mid-June and also at Kentucky in early July.

After talking to a number of drivers of this revised package after it had been run twice this season, there were mixed reviews. Some thought it was the way to go while others thought it needed some work.

Personally, I am in the same camp as those that think it still needs some tweaking. Obviously, though, NASCAR must have liked some of the results they saw because now they are going to run it for a third time this season.

If you think about it, both Michigan and now Kentucky, with its new surface, are high-grip race tracks. NASCAR must want to take another run with this package and verify what they have. As I have said previously, I am in favor of a spoiler that is adjustable. I like the way they do it in the XFINITY Series.

I just like giving the drivers and teams some options. It just opens the box a little bit more which I think we need to explore letting them do. I think it creates some interesting racing when you let the teams have some control over their own destiny.

I'm a big believer in mandating a certain size spoiler but let them run it at whatever angle the team wants to. It gives you the option to affect the downforce on your car based on what your driver and car needs.

Admittedly that's old-school thinking but it's the way we used to do it. You would knock the spoiler down if the car was too tight or push it up if the car was too loose. It made for some interesting racing as everyone was different.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I really think until they redesign the body of the car, they simply are going to be able to reduce the amount of downforce they want to.

You are never going to have the balance you are looking for. You can get too much off the front or too much off the rear, but really neither of those are affecting side force. That's simply a product of the way the cars are built.

The way the body is built it already has downforce built into it. So until they redesign the body, I just don't think they are going to accomplish everything they want to when it comes to the aero package.

This will also mark the second week in a row for my FOX NASCAR booth buddy Jeff Gordon to be behind the wheel of No. 88. Jeff has won the most races of any driver at Pocono.

You combine that with the fact the No. 88 swept both Pocono races a couple years ago plus it also finished second there back in June makes that a pretty potent combination in my book.

I'd love to see Jeff get a win in that car. It would be amazing. So good luck to my FOX NASCAR partner. I hope he does really good Sunday. Being showered in champagne and confetti from Victory Circle one more time is never a bad thing, trust me.