"Too many engineers" - NASCAR fans respond to new short track package, echoing drivers' dissatisfaction

Recently, fans have demanded more short tracks and fewer 1.5-mile and 2-mile speedways, but NASCAR’s latest attempt at this has fallen short and has disappointed many of them.

The short track/road course package was expected to bring some excitement into races run on these types of tracks. However, after the first practice session following the new rules at Phoenix Raceway, it seems neither fans nor drivers are very happy with the results. Fans on social media aired their dissatisfaction.

One fan neatly summed up the feeling that resides in broader frustration with the overuse of technical solutions. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Too many engineers."

Even Mark Martin, a former NASCAR driver, recalled the old days of NASCAR, emphasizing the sharp difference between the two generations:

"In 1990 my car made 0 front downforce. No downforce, no lift. It made around 275 pounds of rear downforce. It was similar to our completions numbers and we could run in the top 5 every week. There was absolutely no aero tight ever. You would get a little loose with someone close behind you. I just don’t understand why we were allowed to ever get away from those numbers."

Several fans shared the opinion that the drivers should have more control over their fate on the track.

"Really miss those days when a driver had to take it easy on the engine, drive train, and the brakes all while trying to win the race without taking planned breaks every so many laps. The craft of racing and figuring out what strategy will win is for the most part gone," one fan wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from NASCAR fans:

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Martin Truex Jr. gives his opinion on NASCAR's new short-track package

This weekend in Phoenix Raceway, a new aerodynamic package was introduced with the intent to put life back into the NASCAR races on tracks that are 1.1 miles or shorter. However, the feedback that Martin Truex Jr. gave at the end of the first 50-minute practice session did not raise any hopes for immediate improvement.

Truex was straightforward in his assessment of the new rules package. He said (via Sportsnaut.com):

“Terrible; no change.”

Most of the alterations were targeted at the rear diffuser, which is important in enabling cars to closely follow each other on track.

Despite all hopes that the simplified diffuser would solve the problem, Truex’s practice sessions did not reflect this as he said:

“It felt similar. I couldn’t honestly tell. The teams, engineers make the cars as close to balanced as they can, so I felt exactly like I did here last fall. Traffic, it still sucked. Will it be worse in the race? It will be different when everyone’s out there. Maybe it will be a little better, who knows.”