NASCAR News 1/8/2010

Is the wing on the back of the current Sprint Cup Series car about to fly into history?

That's a distinct possibility, given that NASCAR is exploring the idea of going back to the rear spoiler, the blade across the rear decklid that for decades was part of vehicles in the sport's premier series. The rear wing is the most noticeable part of the "Car of Tomorrow," the boxier, safer vehicle that spent years in development, and was used for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway in the spring of 2007.

The detached wing, prior to the current car not seen on a Cup-level vehicle since the days of the Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird in the 1970s, was designed to make the vehicle less dependent on aerodynamics. Yet many drivers have complained that the car in its current configuration is very difficult to drive, and many fans have balked at both the vehicle's appearance and the type of competition it fosters on the race track.

Yet according to Ramsey Poston, NASCAR's managing director of corporate communications, the rear wing could be on the way out.

"We are currently meeting with drivers and owners to discuss a number of options," Poston wrote in an e-mail. "Going back to the spoiler is one of them under serious consideration. We'll make an announcement in the coming weeks."

Indications are that NASCAR plans to test a car featuring the spoiler, and will move forward if officials believe it will improve competition. The exploration of the spoiler idea is also not believed to be related to airborne issues the current car has faced at Talladega Superspeedway, where Carl Edwards went into the fence in the spring and Ryan Newman flipped onto his roof in the fall.

Sources: http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/01/07/wing.spoiler/index.html