Smith’s push for setup change is denied

Charlotte Motor Speedway President Marcus Smith learned a long time ago from NASCAR Hall of Fame father Bruton Smith not to be afraid to try “new and crazy” things when it comes to auto racing.

That’s why the younger Smith lobbied NASCAR hard to use the same rules package for today’s Coca-Cola 600 that was experimented with in the All-Star race. Even though Kevin Harvick led the final 11 laps and rolled to his third consecutive win this season in the $1 million shootout, the restrictor plates created a tighter field and improved on-track action.

Smith said he received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from fans this week who want to see the same race setup for NASCAR’s longest race.

But stock car racing’s governing body ultimately decided against changing the setup it has been using in regular Cup races this season.

“I am all about the fans,” Smith said. “I want what the fans want.”

NASCAR could not change the rules for a crown jewel race days before the event. Doing so would be an expensive and difficult endeavor for the teams, and not all would be able to prepare for a different rules package in the same amount of time.

While the drivers were fine experimenting with the package in the non-points All-Star race, they weren’t keen on pack racing on a 1.5-mile speedway.

“You got to be careful about taking that sample size and saying it is going to be the greatest thing ever,” said driver Matt Kenseth. “When you take that rules package and let them work on it in the garage for a month things will be very similar to how they were. It was a good thing to try, but it’s not exactly what I want to see on a weekly basis.”