Shocking NASCAR

This past week, NASCAR discovered some ingenious engineering of shocks on the #48 car of Jimmie Johnson, and the #5 car of Kyle Busch, both of which are owned by Hendrick Motorsports. The shows were designed to work pretty much the opposite of normal shocks. So, instead of absorbing (hence the name shock absorbers), these shocks were designed to push the tail of the car up when it hit bumps. Since the track at Dover is quite bumpy, the tail would be raised for most of the race, giving the car added downforce, and as a result, better handling.

NASCAR has stated that the shocks were not found to be illegal, but as a result, have banned them from future use. Now, this is where I have a problem. I am not a huge Jimmie or Kyle fan. I pretty much like all of the drivers and teams. I just really enjoy racing in general. My understanding though is that NASCAR is sort of a testbed for automobile technologies. Now, if this is the case, why ban ingenious technology? I think if they come up with new technology that meets car requirements, then they should be able to use it. If it gives them an advantage, it won't be long before the other teams find a way to beat it. Besides, it wasn't like it guaranteed them a win.

They did the same thing to Jeff Gordon a few years ago during the all-star race. His team built a car that just completely obliterated the field, and as a result, NASCAR outlawed the design.

Why do they want to stifle innovation? It just seems to go against the original spirit of NASCAR in my mind.