NASCAR had to tweak the Daytona road course for stock cars—here’s why

Enlarge / This photo was actually taken during February's Daytona 500, which uses Daytona International Speedway's 2.5-mile tri-oval. But there aren't any photos up of stock cars running the 3.6-mile road course yet, and this is still what the cars would look like as they cross the start-finish line and get ready to brake for the sharp left turn into the infield. (credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

This is a heck of a weekend for racing. At Indianapolis, drivers are qualifying for next Sunday's 500. The WEC saw action at a very wet Spa this morning. Formula 1 is running at Catalunya in Spain, its favorite test track. And NASCAR's Cup series is trying something new.

It was supposed to spend this weekend at Watkins Glen, in upstate New York. But 2020 did its thing, and so the picturesque circuit in the Finger Lakes, once the US home to Formula 1, is out of bounds. So NASCAR will race at Daytona for the second time this year. And for this visit, stock cars are going to use a layout more familiar to fans of the annual Rolex 24 endurance race for sports cars instead of the 2.5-mile (4km) tri-oval.

Well, almost. The 750hp (560kW) stock cars used in NASCAR's cup series are a lot more powerful and a lot lower drag than the 180mph (290km/h) prototypes and the GT cars that race in the Rolex 24. Which would mean approaching turn 1 up to 30mph (48k/h) quicker than those sports cars. And at 3,450lbs (1,564kg), they have considerably more mass that has to be controlled.

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