Chevrolet, Toyota Cup teams get new front ends approved for 201

Chevrolet’s new front splitter and nose combination was displayed on Tony Stewart’s 2011 car that he unveiled Tuesday with his Mobil 1 sponsorship for next year.

The new front splitter for Chevrolet and Toyota is molded to the front of the car instead of held to the front bumper with braces. Dodge and Ford teams are using the opportunity to change the front bumper to give those cars better manufacturer identity and are still in the NASCAR approval process. There will be no change to the hood for Ford and Dodge, just a slight change from the top at the front of the hood halfway down toward the splitter.

“We’ve been to the [wind] tunnel a couple of times, and we have to go for the final confirmation on it," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said. “Everything is on line to be on time."

Chevrolet teams will get a new nose and front splitter next year.

NASCAR had originally planned for teams to adjust the length of the splitter, which is why it originally was a separate piece. But virtually all teams have been using the maximum length.

Instead of using the splitter as a tuning device, teams are working underneath the car, adjusting the radiator pans to make aerodynamic adjustments, Pemberton said.

“We gave them the adjustability for the last four years with the splitter, and [the teams] just pushed it all the way out and never moved it and then they tuned at the bottom underneath with the radiator pans and all," Pemberton said. “So we let them keep doing that. They weren’t moving the other part."

The Dodge and Ford teams should have plenty of time to get the new noses approved for next season. Scenedaily.com