Steve O’Donnell addresses NASCAR questions

Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's executive vice president and chief racing development officer, held an impromptu fan question-and-answer session Tuesday on Twitter while waiting for his flight to take off. Here are some of the best nuggets from his replies to fan tweets:

– This season, teams found it was legal for crew members to yank the side skirts just in front of the rear wheels during pit stops, which created an odd image during races (it provided an aerodynamic benefit). But NASCAR plans to address the flared side skirts with a rule change next season, O'Donnell tweeted.

– One fan asked O'Donnell if he could change the Chase for the Sprint Cup format back to how it was from 2004-2013 (officials have said they view the new format as a major plus for the sport).

"No, but thanks for asking," O'Donnell tweeted, including the surprised smiley face emoji.

– The finale will remain at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the foreseeable future, O'Donnell indicated. A fan asked if NASCAR considered moving the championship race to different cities.

"We have, but drivers love (the) track and it has been some great racing," O'Donnell tweeted. "We are happy there."

– There are no plans to add a road course to the Chase, O'Donnell tweeted. There are currently two road races on the 36-race Sprint Cup Series schedule – Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International — but neither are in the 10-race playoff.

"Not right now," he said. "Still like (the) mix where they are at."

On a similar note, O'Donnell said NASCAR would look at changing the lineup of Chase tracks in 2016 (it's the same for next season).

– With the new testing ban now in place, some teams are hopeful to use Goodyear tire tests as a chance to try different setups on their cars.

How many Goodyear tests will there be next year?

O'Donnell said the exact number is still to be determined, but estimated 10-12. USA Today