NASCAR official explains key difference between traditional and the new splitters tested at Richmond

NASCAR's visit to the Richmond Raceway last Sunday saw fans complain about the seventh generation 'Next Gen' Cup Series car's apparent issues while following other cars closely. In an effect that has been the most prominent on the sport's short-track venues, the newer car is in its second year of racing and is still being refined for close-quarters racing on tracks such as Martinsville and Richmond.

The increased aerodynamic efficiency and downforce levels of the Next Gen car have made it more susceptible to air from the leading car causing the following car to lose out on the same. With more downforce comes more dirty and turbulent air in its wake, which isn't half as good at working on aero devices as clean, undisturbed air.

This phenomenon has led to a lack of and inherent difficulty in overtaking on short tracks such as Martinsville and Richmond, where downforce is key. To counteract the issue, NASCAR has been working on a second version of its already existing short-track package. This package aims to improve racing by reducing dirty air as well as overall downforce levels of the cars, with a main focus on the car's front splitter.

Vice President of Vehicle Performance at NASCAR, Eric Jacuzzi, elaborated on the changes in a video, saying (via NASCAR):

"We changed the splitter stuffers, so these are different lengths depending on the package. They're a little longer for the short track and road course package and a little shorter on superspeedways. The front edge is the same on both of them. You can see the big difference in the (center section) area."

With notable differences to the new splitters for the short track package, cars are expected to follow and pass each other more easily, despite the front fascia looking the same.

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NASCAR official elaborates on testing data complied during the recent session

Erik Jacuzzi also elaborated on what sort of changes the new splitters have made on the Next Gen cup cars with a day full of testing them out recently. With the main focus of the session to reduce dirty air and make following easier, Jacuzzi received positive impressions from the drivers regarding the new front splitter

"So our results showed that the flat section of the splitter makes a lot of downforce but it's very prone to traffic," he said. "So we removed that and the really key thing is adding this downturned lip. We evaluated today leaving this section open and filling it in, and kind of saw the results we were expecting. Filling that in was perceived as worse by the drivers."

The full effect of the short track update and the new front splitter remains to be seen during racing conditions on the track.