NASCAR expands adjustments that O'Reilly teams can make in practice

NASCAR is expanding practice adjustments for O'Reilly Auto Parts Series teams at Darlington Raceway this weekend. The NASCAR O'Reilly Series teams will now be allowed to change rear springs during practice, adding to the list of permitted changes. This comes after the practice sessions were extended to 50 minutes at the beginning of the year, but the limited adjustment rules remained, which limited how much teams could benefit from the second set of tires.

NASCAR had previously allowed rear springs changes in the O'Reilly Series a couple of times this year, but it was mainly due to special circumstances. The move to allow rear springs changes during practice at Darlington Raceway suggests NASCAR's willingness to be more flexible with practice, giving teams more opportunities to fine-tune their setups without relying solely on simulator prep before the race weekend.

This change is significant for both well-resourced and smaller teams on the grid, as it allows them to make incremental adjustments to the spring rate and not be stuck with the initial combination they installed at the shop. NASCAR has not yet allowed similar adjustments in the Cup Series or Truck Series, but this step could potentially pave the way for further adjustments and parts changes in the future.