NASCAR Cup Series drivers not impressed with new short track package after Phoenix practice

Yesterday the NASCAR Cup Series field got the first taste of the new short track package at Phoenix during the 50-minute practice session. By all accounts, there is little to no difference between how the car handled last year and how it handled Friday.

Tyler Reddick was on TV when he ripped the package. The NASCAR driver felt the car was “exponentially worse” in traffic at Phoenix than it was a few months ago in the fall.

Martin Truex Jr. more or less echoed the same thing. He didn’t feel any difference saying that it was “exactly the same as the fall.” This is not good news for NASCAR in regards to the race on Sunday.

To add insult to injury, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and William Byron all said they felt little to no difference in their cars. Elliott went as far as to say he forgot about the changes until his crew started talking about them after the session.

Hamlin was not impressed, couldn’t tell a difference. Although the JGR driver did say the new tire is a step in the right direction, credit that even other drivers wouldn’t give.

Check out the full comments in this video from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports.

Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and William Byron share their thoughts after practice with the new aero package. It sounds like they didn’t feel much of a difference. pic.twitter.com/kr2FJRWU7n

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 9, 2024

To put it simply, things aren’t looking good for NASCAR and the new package at Phoenix. If multiple drivers come out and say they feel no difference, then the changes just weren’t drastic enough.

Can NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix be good?

Now, you never know what will happen when you put all the cars on the track and let them go. Maybe there is something there that makes it work, or maybe we get the same dirty air and frustrating racing we’ve seen here before.

In practice, Joey Logano was the fastest in single-lap speed. It was mostly Toyotas dominating the top-10 in practice. However, Ford and Chevy both sneaked a couple of drivers in there as well.

So far this season we have seen Ford, particularly Team Penske, dominate qualifying. I don’t think that is going to change as Logano remained quick over a single lap. It would be wild to see the 22 on the front row for four straight races to start 2024.

Everyone is still settling down from the two superspeedway races at Daytona and Atlanta, I think. Some short track racing, even boring racing, will be a welcome change of pace. Does that mean the NASCAR Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix will be good? I wouldn’t say that, but maybe judge it for what it is.