Denny Hamlin sounds warning before NASCAR’s new short-track package debuts at North Wilkesboro

In June, NASCAR announced changes to the short-track package for Bristol, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, and Richmond. On Sunday at North Wilkesboro in the Window World 450, those changes will be in action for the first time. The biggest changes to the car are the removal of the two Y-brackets that reinforced the frame in the front bumper and the removal of the high-density foam that filled the 3-inch air gap between the frame and the body in the front bumper. Now, there’s a risk to ramming the car in front of you. Denny Hamlin was asked about what we might see at North Wilkesboro on Sunday with these changes. ‘You’ve got to be more careful’ “I think certainly you’ve got to be more careful,” said Hamlin, who leads the point standings. “I tried to get some information from the team of like, ‘Is it a two-mile-an-hour impact that’s going to crush the front end, is it a five, a ten?’ “They seem to think it’s going to be pretty fragile. So, I don’t know, we’ll see how long it lasts.” While this seems like a step in the wrong direction to some, the idea is that this will improve bump-and-run tactics, but there’s a risk. The other benefit is to the drivers. With the stiffness of the Gen 7 chassis, having no give in the front or back bumper adds to the jarring hits the drivers take on short tracks with very little give. As it relates to the front bumper foam, Hamlin’s concern is the splitter. How much contact will ruin the airflow, thus ruining the driver’s day? “We’ve been taking bits and pieces off the (front bumper) section of the car for quite some time now, trying to fix a few things and, yeah, I don’t know. To have no bumper support is going to be interesting. “It definitely, you know, could affect air intake. That’s how the car gets its air now, is through that. “So if you squash it at all, you could have some potential issues.” A driver-driven change During Saturday’s broadcast of practice for the Window World 450, Steve Letarte talked about the changes and how they were driver-requested. “The rule change was kind of a driver-requested rule change,” said Letarte. “The front and rear bumpers in these cars are very firm. They have high-density foam in the rear and front of the bumper and the nose. We’ve seen at Martinsville where these cars make very significant contact without the car sliding or wrecking. “And for that reason, these drivers, lap after lap after lap, are getting major hits from the car behind them. They said, ‘Hey, man, it shouldn’t be this way.’ You shouldn’t be able to hit someone that hard without doing damage or wrecking the car. “So, the removal of the foam and some of the bumper structure. I like the concept. I don’t know it will work out. If I was a crew chief, I’d be nervous as well. If there’s a stack-up on a restart, we could absolutely see some radiators knocked out. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad; I guess that’s your perspective, how old school you want the racing to be. I could tell you in 1996 if there was a stack-up on the restart, you’re knocking the radiator out. “So it’s going to feel very old school, but only time will tell. But this is a very driver-driven change.” That first stack-up could ruin quite a few days. I guess we’ll see.