With the sanctioning body’s most recent proposal to stop next-generation cars from flying at high-speed courses, veteran NASCAR driver Joey Logano has urged patience. Logano is waiting to see how the new features perform on track and insisted on not making any inferences based on wind tunnel data. NASCAR has developed a new flap on the A-post to boost lift-off speed since Cup Series drivers are flying more often in the Next Gen era. The new flap will be unveiled in Talladega, although it was just tested at Michigan and will be unveiled at the Daytona event in the fall. We asked Joey Logano, who has personal experience flipping at Talladega, what he thought of the encouraging wind tunnel results.
Since many real-life factors cannot be recreated, Logano insisted on waiting to observe how the new flaps perform on track. He claimed that wind tunnel results frequently don’t correspond to on-track performance. “They’ve got a scheme… Indeed, as they say, time tells, etc. To what extent does it work? He said to Bob Pockrass, “I don’t think you’ll know until you get on the racetrack because there are a lot of things in the wind tunnel that say it’s going to be better and then you get to the racetrack, and there are just so many variables that windtunnel can’t show.” However, the three-time Cup Series champion expressed faith that the new flap as intended, preventing airborne crashes will be successful and said it wouldn’t harm to try to increase driver safety. “Hopefully, the A-post flap that comes up, the numbers look good. Let’s see if it really works on the race track, you don’t know until you put it on there. Surely it won’t hurt.” he added.
Following Josh Berry’s airborne crash at Daytona and Corey LaJoie’s flip at Michigan last year, NASCAR made quick adjustments to the roof rails, rocker panels, and flap fabric design.
Inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame: Joey Logano
Joey Logano, the current NASCAR champion, was inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame at Davey Allison Memorial Park before to the Talladega Superspeedway race weekend. Joining the ranks of NASCAR superstars at the Walk of Fame is the three-time winner of the renowned 2.66-mile track. Logano’s “remarkable talent” and commitment to the sport were praised by track president Brian Crichton. According to Crichton [via ABC3340 News]: “Joey is no stranger to Talladega’s victory lane, and his ongoing success has earned him a rightful place in the Talladega Walk of Fame among NASCAR’s greatest. Joey is an incredible talent for our sport, and his love and commitment to racing will be evident for many years to come. Joey Logano will be inducted into the Walk of Fame alongside Ryan Blaney, his Penske teammate. The latter has won the track three times as well. Brad Keselowski, Logano’s former teammate and six-time track champion, was inducted in 2012.
