Aero Blocking: Why NASCAR’s Need for Speed in Late 90s Triggered Drivers’ Biggest Headache. Is More Horsepower the Solution?

Denny Hamlin’s recent victory at Dover Motor Speedway is again shrouded in controversy. A few weeks back in Richmond, Hamlin was accused of jumping restart charges. Next up is his effective use of aero blocking to steal the advances of contender Kyle Larson. Despite Larson and Kyle Busch slamming this aerodynamic tactic as a new trend, Denny Hamlin claimed it has been around for ages in NASCAR.

And the 54-time Cup winner happens to be right. Akin to the present day, veteran drivers of NASCAR’s golden era also raised issues about it. Aero blocking evolved over the years, keeping up with the changing package of higher downforce and lower horsepower. And the last point may be the solution to the drivers’ dilemma.

Late 90s NASCAR dissected the issue already

The basic tenet of aero blocking is dirty air. This turbulent air follows behind a race car and gives it lower downforce and less grip. This situation makes it difficult to follow that car, particularly on high-speed race tracks. When a crew chief says, “Take their air away”, they ask the leading car to manipulate the dirty air and keep the trailing car from getting close. That is exactly what Denny Hamlin did to get on the nerves of Kyle Larson.

Even though reduced horsepower has made aero blocking more prevalent in the Next Gen era, Larson’s “new” claims are wrong. In a recently released 2002 interview with several NASCAR greats, we see the issue slowly trickling into motorsport. The host explained that NASCAR aimed for faster speeds, more downforce, and slick body styles in this “aero-push” venture. However, veterans mostly disfavored the trend.

1989 Cup champion Rusty Wallace laid it down: “When you get behind a car, all of a sudden, you go steering into the corner, and the front end starts sliding on you.” Jimmie Johnson also pointed out the passing difficulty: “Yeah, I mean, you can be a half-second faster than someone, catch him, and get two or three cars in and you’re stuck.”

Then John Andretti emphasized pit strategy as crucial to tackling the problem. “Last pit stop, most important pit stop of the day. You can mess up every other one. But you get that last one right, you get track position, you get up to the front.”

Three-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett stressed the difficulty of regaining the front-row seat as well. “If you get caught back 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th then you might have been leading the race all day long. You could count your chances pretty slim…something big has to happen for you to get back to the front.”

Now in NASCAR’s Next Gen car, the problem has become more pronounced. Down from 1000 hp to 670 hp, cars cannot use just mechanical means like horsepower to get ahead. Instead, they rely on aerodynamics and downforce. So adhering to the popular debate, more horsepower might be the key to help in passing.

The 2002 interview also produced some responses favoring aero blocking, although those are invalid today.

Fans enjoyed it back in the day

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Aero blocking can only make the leading car happy. It has something to defend against a faster car, like Denny Hamlin did against Kyle Larson. Since it’s harder to pass, the battle elongates, because the faster car’s tactics do not work. Then this experience turns sour for the fans. Despite rooting for the faster car, their cheers turn to ashes as the aerodynamics do not allow their idol to win.

But since in 2002, higher horsepower was still in use, faster cars could still get ahead albeit in a tougher situation. As Jeff Burton said: “In some ways, it’s made racing better, it’s made it more complicated, it’s made it more of a pain for the competitors. But if you’re watching on TV, it’s okay!” 

Kevin Harvick also quipped about the fan experience: “If you look at it, that’s the only positive thing that you can find out of the aero push.”

But today, with lesser horsepower, races have turned boring for fans as well. Hopefully, NASCAR will swing into action to fix the aero-blocking situation.