“I Am Not a Big Fan”: Hendrick Motorsports VP Chad Knaus Bluntly Disapproves of NASCAR’s New Rules

NASCAR is untiringly working towards enhancing the racing experience at short ovals and road courses. And as a part of these efforts, the governing body will be debuting a new aerodynamic rules package in the upcoming Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway on March 12. However, it seems that not everyone is confident about the changes the new rules claim to bring. One such expert is the Vice President of Competition at Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus.

A few important changes to the cars include the addition of a two-inch rear spoiler and the removal of strakes. As reported by NASCAR.com, these changes are inspired by the Garage 56 program and are expected to bring about a 30% downforce reduction. Except for Bristol and Dover, these new rules would be implemented in all short ovals and road courses.

Citing this as a big change, a reporter recently asked the Hendrick Motorsports legend if he believes that these changes can reduce downforce and traffic in races. To this, Knaus replied,

“I don’t know. You know this is the thing. I applaud the effort. There is absolutely no doubt about that.

“I’m not a big fan of changing rules after rules have been made. There’s been a tremendous amount of effort put into what we’ve got going to the racetrack right now. From a stimulation standpoint, from a development standpoint.”

Why is the Hendrick Motorsports legend skeptical of changes implemented by NASCAR?

Although Chad Knaus admitted that he applauds NASCAR’s efforts, he is not confident about the new rules. Seeing the reduction of downforce as a contingent possibility, he said,

“So, I am not a big fan of these changes at this time. Because we don’t know what we’re going into this year because we’ve all got new noses, we’ve all got new fascias, we’ve got new fenders, hood exits…there’s a lot of things different. So, there’s a huge contingent that things that taking downforce off of the cars is going to make it race better on the short tracks.”

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Moreover, he reiterated his skepticism by sharing his experience with short-track racing over the years. He stated,

“I don’t know that. I’ve been doing this for thirty-something years and we’ve had a way less downforce and way more downforce and I don’t know that I have seen huge differences in the short-track racing.”

The package and its impacts can be ascertained on Sunday, March 12, at the Phoenix Raceway. To help the teams get accustomed to these new tweaks, NASCAR has announced a 50-minute practice session on March 10, 2023.

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