NASCAR Announces Rules Updates

NASCAR issued an updated rules bulletin to its Cup Series teams on Friday, implementing several rule changes in the aftermath of the crash that injured Ryan Newman on the final lap of the Daytona 500. 

Many of the changes are safety related, some are not.

Most noteworthy on the list of updates is the addition of a new roll bar support, intrusion plate and upper-main roll bar support on superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega). The additions stem from the damage done to the upper driver’s-side roof area of Newman’s car in that Daytona crash, damage that played a role in him suffering a head injury that sidelined him temporarily from the sport. 

The additional bars will be optional for use on smaller tracks.

NASCAR has also eliminated the use of aero ducts at superspeedways, and reduced the size of the throttle body from 59/64” to 57/64” That change, while relatively small, is expected to decrease horsepower from 510 to around 480 or 490 at the sport’s largest and fastest ovals.

NASCAR will now mandate the addition of a check valve to oil reservoirs and overflow expansion tanks, to prevent spillage in the event that a car overturns, and there will be updated roll bar padding specifications for all tracks beginning June 1. 

They will also require that slip tape be applied to the entire lower rear bumper cover and extension at Daytona and Talladega.

The sanctioning body has lifted the temporary testing ban that was implemented at the start of the COVID-19 shutdown, though open, on-track testing is still not allowed in the Cup, Xfinity or Truck Series for the remainder of the 2020 season. Cup Series organizations are allowed a maximum of 150 hours of wind tunnel testing time through December 31 of this year.

And finally, all "new-parts submission" meetings for the remainder of 2020 have been cancelled in the interest of cost-containment, while the minimum number of short block sealed engines allowed per team has been reduced from 13 to eight.