What jumps out about the new package is the amount of horsepower the cars will have, or lack there of.
Out of the 36 races, 21 of them will be run at slower speeds with horsepower dropping from about 750 to 550.
Racing is about speed, right? Well, it is and it isn't.
If it was all about speed, then restrictor plates would never had been used at Daytona and Talladega. Of course, with the engines there are now racing at those tracks would make it far too dangerous without restricting the engines.
Other than making racing slower and safer at the superspeedways, that rules change made the racing more interesting and exciting. Daytona and Talladega have produced countless dramatic finishes.
So if slowing down the cars at two tracks can make for close, exciting racing, what will happen if the way cars are set up is changed at 14 different tracks?
NASCAR hopes, at least to a certain point, racing becomes similar to what we see at superspeedways.
Basically a mixture of the packs at superspeedways and the close, aggressive driving that occurs on short tracks is what NASCAR wants on the intermediate ovals.
What NASCAR doesn't want is pack racing during those 21 races, and this package isn't expected to produce that type of racing.
The new package will slow the cars down and create more downforce. The theory is that will make for tighter and therefore better action on the track.
The All-Star Race was an experiment with a similar package and the results came back mostly positive.
NASCAR has made tweaks to the Xfinity Series cars at some races and those results have also been mostly positive. It was time for this experiment to become the main product seen on the Cup circuit.
Intermediate tracks are a staple of the NASCAR schedule, but the racing that happens on short tracks and road courses has proven to be the more enjoyable product.
Quality racing at 1.5- and 2-mile speedways is hit and miss, but hopefully that won't be the case starting in 2019.
NASCAR is trying to make sure it stays alive for decades to come and this is a step toward that. At least that's the hope.
If the product on the track is good, the people will come. If the people come, sponsors will follow. That's the bottom line and the reason for NASCAR making this decision.
Plus, the decreased horsepower lowers the cost for race teams, which could attract manufactures to the sport.
If all these add up, it means NASCAR could rise up to where it once was.