NASCAR redesigned the practice format, providing the drivers 20 minutes to get on top of their machinery, unlike the 50-minute sessions earlier during the Covid-19. Recently serval drivers and retired stars of the sport has been asking to re-instate the extended sessions. Now, NASCAR’s senior vice president, Elton Sawyer , has broken its silence on the matter and has revealed its stance on the situation.
Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson recently urged NASCAR to increase practice time for drivers before the race in Texas. Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. backed the arguments made by the HMS legend and pointed out that having limited practice is unfair to the part-time drivers and rookies in the premier diviosn.
Elton Sawyer seems to have other plans for the series and stated that he has not ruled out the possibility of longer practice sessions. However, such sessions would only be witnessed at tracks that have gone through resurfacing during the winter break or have special aero packages. Thus, ruling out the possibility of a total return to the old format despite the demands of the drivers.
Our TV partners, our tracks, our teams, and we all weigh in because everyone has a different view on this, and if it’s better, if it’s going to increase the value of our product that we put on the race track and our fan experience then I’m sure that we would take a much deeper dive into making this happen. But as I hit on earlier that doesn’t seem to be the case right now. Elton Sawyer said on the Dale Jr. Download podcast.
Ty Gibbs revealed problems drivers have to face due to less practice time
Ty Gibbs made his debut at Pocono in 2022 and began racing full-time in the Cup series last year. However, with the reduced practice times, the JGR driver has felt like a rookie being unable to get dialled in with his Toyota. Consequently, this has led the 21-year-old to lurk around the rear of the pack.
Gibbs revealed that he has had to spend a lot of time on the simulators to learn about the limits of the car. Moreover, driving on a simulator has somewhat been able to substitute driving on track but it has not been able to replace it totally as it lacks the feel of the car that drivers need to get on top of.
I spent a lot of time on the simulator. Simulating stuff and then going to the track and actually doing it, the cross from that is really hard. The sim is not fake. You have to make it close to be real. It's pretty difficult going from that to the track, so I would definitely like longer practice. Ty Gibbs said.
Despite this, it doesn’t seem like a change in the practice sessions would be brought anytime soon. Moreover, NASCAR is moving towards being a friendly place for new manufacturers and teams so, such controversial decisions could become the norm for the series.
More must-reads: