When the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022, it had a rear diffuser and underbody aero pieces to boost downforce and stability. The wind-tunnel tests said that these parts improved grip. But some fans and insiders argued that they actually worsened short-track racing, and this is how the “wind-tunnel narrative” was created. The talk around it grew from the debate over whether removing the diffuser would have a dramatic impact on how the Next Gen car behaves.

But once the data from the test came together, it became clear that the real deciding factor wasn’t the aero changes at all. The biggest influence was something else, and RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece had the practical answer to it.

Preece breaks the diffuser myth

On the Dale Jr Download, when Dale Jr. asked, “What does the car feel l

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