Pemberton said:

I think it’s an opportunity to change things up a little bit — and quite frankly, the wing wasn’t accepted as universally as we had hoped it would be by competitors and the fans alike. So after much effort, we started looking and decided to go back to the spoiler.

Teams tested the spoiler at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this week. Originally, the spoiler was U-shaped with two-inch by 12-inch extension flaps. But drafting speeds were higher than NASCAR wanted, so they cut the flaps and narrowed the spoiler.  In addition to higher speeds, the cars had high closing rate, which led to severe bump-drafting.

Pemberton said:

The feedback was the cars were stable but the closure rate was a little too much at some points. And that’s what we spent most of the afternoon working on, was trying to slow that closure rate down.

In addition, the shark fin that appeared on the left side of the rear window and deck lid during the Daytona 500 will be used at all tracks beginning at Martinsville. The fin was to only be used at restrictor plate tracks but after Brad Keselowski’s flip at Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR has decided that it was an asset that could be used everywhere.

I’m glad to see that NASCAR is doing everything it can to make the racing more interesting and exciting for spectators. If your driver is not leading, the race can be pretty boring if one driver runs away with it. While the dominant car in the race doesn’t always win, when it does we feel a little cheated.

Watching an entire race is a big time investment. If I commit three-to-five hours to watch a race, I want to be rewarded with good racing. And, I’m sorry, but watching a three-hour game of follow the leader is not exciting. I want to see passing. I want to see three-wide. I want to see excitement.

And, I think the new spoiler will help provide excitement. The spoiler should put a little more adjustability into the car, allowing teams to have better-handling race cars. And, better handling race cars, I think, will lead to better racing.

It seems that since NASCAR implemented the COT, more and more drivers have complained about their car’s handling. Hopefully going back to something that crew chiefs are be a little more familiar with will allow them to take better-prepared cars to the track.

I also think that the testing ban is hurting teams’ ability to wrap their head around the wing. Simulators and wind tunnels can show you some things, but nothing is as valuable as track time.

In part, an inability for some crew chiefs to wrap their heads around the wing has led teams who understand the wing (read Jimmie Johnson) to dominate. I hope the spoiler will level the playing field a little more.

I know that drivers won’t run three-wide on every lap at every track. And not every race will be exciting from start to finish. But, the spoiler should, at least, make things better than the were.

One of the biggest changes, which has already been made public, is the transition from a rear wing to a spoiler in the Sprint Cup Series.  NASCAR instituted the rear wing as it transitioned to the Car Of Tomorrow back in 2007. It was said to be safer, and I think generally, it has been. But, fan acceptance never grew.
 
A car with a rear wing looks much less like the street version of the car. With carmakers struggling so much – and possibly having to justify their participation in NASCAR – it is no surprise NASCAR is working towards making the cars look more like their street counterparts. Thus, the old saying, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” becomes a little more true.
 
NASCAR evaluated the wing, and put it in for “all the right reasons,” according to NASCAR President Mike Helton. But, support for the wing didn’t increase to the level anybody “thought it should.” So, NASCAR opted to change back to a spoiler. It should add more balance to the car, make it more drivable, and create better racing. Thus far, reviews have been positive.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France added that they hope to have the spoiler ready for debut at a superspeedway by the Texas race in April. It should be ready for tracks smaller than 1.5-mile tracks earlier than that.

Brian France said there was “nothing to report” on whether or not the front end of the COT will change. Helton added that a factor in not changing the front of this car at this time is that they didn’t want to release too many changes for the owners to deal with at one time. The current car features a splitter on the front.

The yellow line rule at plate tracks, which was expected to go away, will in fact stay, “for now,” according to NASCAR’s Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton. At this time, NASCAR determined that the rule needed to stay. But, Pemberton said that they will consider changing the rule at a later date. (I’m not sure if it should be changed.)
 
NASCAR also plans to use a larger restrictor plate, the biggest since 1989. The reasoning is that things that were added to the car to improve stability also created drag. So, NASCAR is moving to a larger plate to give power and responsiveness back to the car to offset the increased drag.

The Nationwide Series will introduce its Car Of Tomorrow in 2010. The car is slated to appear in four races, Daytona in July, Michigan, Richmond, and Charlotte. Crews will also be limited in the series in 2010. Crews will now be made up of 15 members, including a driver, a crew chief, a spotter, and seven over-the-wall members. And, N’Wide teams cannot run more than two races without using engines sealed by NASCAR.

In the Camping World Truck Series, double-file, shootout style restarts will debut in 2010. Double-file restarts are already in place in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. In addition, the truck series will move back to conventional style pit stops.

In 2009, rules prevented teams from taking tires and fuel in the same pit stop. This was an effort by NASCAR to save money. Now, teams can take both during the same stop.  Also, truck teams can use a self-venting fuel dump, which will eliminate the need of a catch can.

Update: NASCAR has added a list of banned substances to the 2010 rulebook. The governing body also included its entire drug policy in the 2010 rulebook, for clarity. This comes in response to many complaints that followed the Jeremy Mayfield incident.

Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby wrote in the memo to teams:

To help put some of the rumor mills to rest, I am sending you the following facts as they relate to changes for 2010. We will be transitioning from the usage of the current wing to an aluminum spoiler.

NASCAR plans to test spoilers in the wind tunnel to determine the best size and shape. Once that is done, NASCAR will select a specific manufacturer to make the spoilers. Teams will be required to buy from the manufacturer.
 
Driver/owner Tony Stewart said of the move:

The thing is, NASCAR has been through changes for 60 years, just like the economy, just like technology.  So this will be just another step in that equation. That’s the fun part of our sport, is that it makes everybody have to go work. That’s what makes it gratifying if you figure it out and become successful with it.

The “car of tomorrow,” which features a wing, was introduced in 2007, and was used full-time in 2008. Drivers and fans never fully accepted it. Drivers complained of limited vision because of the wing. And, fans said it made the racing boring. There were also complaints about how it made the cars look significantly different from their street counterparts.

NASCAR plans to announce this change at a press conference later this month. Other changes being considered include allowing bump drafting at restrictor plate tracks, and doing away with the yellow line rule at those tracks.