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Following Sunday’s race in Atlanta the Cup Series will enter its first off week of the season. While there won’t be any racing, teams will still be hard at work preparing for the impending switch over to a spoiler.

The upcoming test at the Charlotte Motor Speedway will be the first chance many of these teams have had to try out the new configuration at a track on the Cup schedule. With limited testing and existing notes and information that will soon become (at least somewhat) out of date could this spoiler become a game changer for the season?

The opinions among the drivers are mixed as we have seen over the last few months. Some say 2010 will be split down the middle, while others think the change won’t make much of a difference.

Thanks to the engineers, and NASCAR and team testing we have some idea what this move will do to the downforce of the car. The real test though will come when we have a full field at a place like Texas or Charlotte.

It’s only been since January that teams have known about this and with time ticking away until NASCAR takes the track with the new spoiler, it’s got to be an interesting time to be an engineer at one of these teams. For some organizations, like Richard Childress Racing, that are just getting back on track with their performance the overwhelming question is, ‘will this throw a wrench into our improvement.’ If you’re over at Hendrick, the question is, ‘are we going to be able to maintain our dominance.’

Despite questions they may be asking about what this means for them, they’re not alone in their uncertainty. As those in charge at NASCAR have noted it will take some time to see how this will change things. What happens if this move has no effect, or things actually gets worse? Without the benefit of a lot of on track testing this is a bit of a craps shoot.

Personally I don’t have a clue what’s going to happen. I believe there will be some effect, but given the talk from all parties involved I don’t necessarily believe the impact will be huge.

Change or no change, I can’t say I’m a fan of making a move like this several races in (though I applaud NASCAR for identifying and remedying a problem in a timely manner). However this plays out, it will no doubt be interesting to see how this testing goes and how well this change is received by drivers and fans alike.

So what do you think? Will the spoiler make a difference in the racing or is all this much ado about nothing?

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It’s a busy NASCAR week, as the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour means a ton of news and announcements.  And the Media Tour means we inch ever closer to Daytona.  And as we do, it’s Wednesday again, and that means more of your questions and our answers.  If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here.  So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us.  On to the questions…

1. From Ric:

Have heard that sometimes they adjust tire pressure on the inner tire to make a difference in the outer tire pressure. Is this common practice?

Yes, at the tracks where inner liners are used (they aren’t at places like Martinsville) the pressure of the liner affects handling characteristics and it is adjusted.  Somebody who knows more about tires could tell you why, but you don’t want the pressures to be equal.  When this happens, you’ll hear the TV guys say the tire has “equalized.” – T.C.

2. From Connie:

I saw something on TV about Jimmie Johnson  doing some show on/at Daytona before the new season starts ?

Jimmie is doing HBO’s 24/7 series. It’ll be four episodes and is being billed as a behind the scenes look at Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team. It starts next Tuesday (the 26th) at 10 p.m. and airs the next three Tuesdays at the same time. More info here. You might also want to check out Speed’s show on Joe Gibbs Racing’s push to Daytona. It too is four episodes and starts Sunday at 6 p.m. – Journo

3. From Ella:

NASCAR  is considering changing to a spoiler on the COT.  If that happens this season, will that change how the cars run?  Will it negate the test data collected on the cars so far?  Will it be a big impact or a small glitch for the crew chiefs, drivers and crews?

Yes, the handling of the cars will be different with a spoiler.  Teams will pretty much be starting over with data, because a spoiler will affect a car differently than the wing.  There will definitely be an adjustment period for the teams and the drivers, but just how big of a deal it will be remains to be seen.  I think we won’t know for sure until the teams get some track time with the new configuration. – T.C.

4. From Kevin:

Hey guys, I read something last week about RCR and their troubles last year.  They referenced a very specific part of their cars that was the root of their problems.  They didn’t say exactly what it was, but it was clear they all knew what it was, and after they realized what it was and started changing it on all their cars they got it turned around.  It appears it worked and they did run better in the Chase.  Do you guys know the part of the car they were referring to?

Let me put it this way.  If I don’t work for RCR, I probably don’t know what it is, as they aren’t saying.  If I do work for RCR, I can’t say because I don’t want other teams to know what we figured out.  So either way, I can’t say. – T.C.

5. From Patrick:

With the rear wing on its way out will we see more rear deck lid ads?

Every car that I know of (except maybe Penske) still utilizes the decklid for sponsor space. It will certainly be more visible, but it won’t change from what they do now. – Journo

6. From BB:

Just wondering why Michael Waltrip is running the 51 as opposed to the 55 this year, and if you have any news on why SPEED cancelled TWIN?

From Michael Waltrip’s Twitter: “i needed a change from the 55. we won Daytona in the 15. 51 is a variation of that. sorta in memory of.” And as far as TWIN goes, Speed President Hunter Nickell told Sports Business Journal, “the news and analysis format, hosted by Steve Byrnes, Michael Waltrip and a variety of other guests, “just wasn’t connecting with the fans anymore.” So TWIN will not be returning. Speed is adding several new shows though. Check out the article here (SBJ subscription required). – Journo

And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close.  Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.  And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!