iNSIDE SCOOP: Brave New World...of Engines

NASCAR does things in a particular way. When it wants to change something, it goes to the stakeholders, in this case the teams, and talks a number of different strategies to get what it wants.

When the talks are through, it goes back and crunches numbers, puts data into the whiz-clanks and comes up with a solution.

Behold, your 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rules package.

A reduction in horsepower was what they were after, and they got it with a tapered spacer. That effectively limits the amount of air available to the engine, and takes HP down from 900 to effectively, 725 or so.

They also lopped two inches off the rear spoiler, which serves to take away downforce. Less power is accompanied by less downforce, and that means the guys with great car control will benefit. That ought to make Carl Edwards happy.

They also made the cars lighter and switched around the percentages for right-side weight. It's 25 pounds less, which is not a huge change until you get to fooling with setups, and then it's uncharted territory.

Gear ratios will be fiddled with to target 9,000 RPM, which is about 500 less than now. Good idea, because the weakest link in a pushrod engine is the valve train, and when you spin 'em at 9,500, that puts immense stress on the valves.

To add to that, NASCAR has finally gone to roller lifters instead of the flat lifters they've always used. That further reduces stress on the valve train, but it also means that 25 years of cam-shaft development has to be reformed to meet the change.

Doug Yates says the changes won't be a "complete tear-up," meaning that they can work these changes within the frame of the current engines. But it will mean that the dyno rooms will be working overtime.

Part of these changes were designed to reduce the carbon footprint of NASCAR at the tracks. It didn't take into account, I guess, the fact that every engine builder in the sport will be running their dynos 24/7 until they feel satisfied with the end product.

No testing, with both a power change and an aero change (spoiler), will also impact this come Atlanta in March. Restrictor-plate tracks retain the same rules, so that's a push.

I'll give NASCAR credit. They told us it was a goal to reduce HP, and by golly, they have. Maybe that's why they built the Gen-6 first and let it eat, then started pruning it back.

The HP reduction is designed to keep the cars together more on the restarts, and that is good and bad. Where does the hardest racing occur? Restarts. How does the pressur ease? One car gets clean air and gets away. This is going to make clean air a little less important.

And don't discount the ability of engine builders to come up with some magic voodoo to counter the tapered spacer, either. When you build horsepower, you build it with more in mind.

Drivers will also have an adjustable track bar in the cockpit next year. That's good, because they can dial up what they want. Of course, some will wear that knob clean off, too, and that could make for some serious action.

They'll also have the digital dashboard, which will make telling them where to line up a lot easier. It will also put a serious drain on an already fragile battery and mean a lot of electronics in the car that aren't there now.

NASCAR will be able to cadge data from the new stuff, just for research purposes of course. 

PErhaps the biggest change will be in the tech line, where the inspectors will now have computers and the ability to use them. That might be a good show in itself...depending on the wireless capacity in the garage. I kid...those guys know their stuff.

So we'll see what they say about the new rules as it gets closer to 2015. Ought to be a hoot to see what all this means come Atlanta.