Aero rule changes for 2002

The changes come in the wake of criticism from Winston Cup drivers and teams about the safety of running on the high-banked, 2.5-mile Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway circuits, where the use of engine restrictor plates means that cars circulate in packs at speeds of over 195mph.

The debate was heightened this year when the sport lost its biggest star, Winston Cup legend Dale Earnhardt at Daytona in February and the season has also been blighted by several serious multi-car accidents.

In a meeting at the North Carolina headquarters of Joe Gibbs Racing on Thursday, more than 80 Winston Cup team members met to talk about possible rule changes for 2002. As a result, cars will be required to run a lower rear spoiler angle of 55 degrees at the tracks, reduced from 70 degrees, while the gurney flap will be removed to further cut downforce. The spoiler will also be a standard 57 inches wide for every manufacturer and roof blades will also be removed.

No changes will be made to the dimensions of the restrictor plates, however, which have long been criticised for causing the problem of closely-matched and bunched cars.

Leading team boss Richard Childress has been among those praising the new rule changes. "You're still going to run in packs. You can't get away from that at Daytona and Talledega. You're always going to have it there, we just need to make it safe for our drivers."

In testing at Talledega in August, a 60-degree rear spoiler was mooted, but that was put on the backburner following complaints that it put certain teams at a disadvantage. The new package will be fine-tuned during official testing at Daytona in January to equalise speeds between the four manufacturers, Ford, Chevrolet, Pontiac and Dodge.

"We'll make sure it's an even playing field for Daytona," said NASCAR vice president of corporate communications, Jim Turner. "One thing is for sure, this is a big step in the right direction."