Letarte, Johnson talk 2015 rules changes

CONCORD, N.C. -- On Tuesday, NASCAR announced the racing package for the 2015 Sprint Cup Series, including a number of new rules.

Among the highlights are adjustments to various parts of the cars, a ban on testing and even rain tires for road courses.

No. 88 crew chief Steve Letarte addressed some of the changes that caught his eye on Wednesday, and said one that might not stand out to the casual fan could have the biggest effect.

"The automatic pit-road officiating, as odd as that sounds. That’s something that we’ve had forever in the sport – you’ve always had an official in your pit,” Letarte said. “So as a crew chief my question would be for 2015, how is this going to work? Who do I communicate through? This is what we do. These three hours on Sunday are the whole race. That's going to be unique. That's going to be different. There are a lot of intricate procedural changes and rulebook changes and things that I don't think we have even looked at it, and they'll probably make as big a difference as anything."

As for the changes to the car, including reducing the horsepower to 725 via a tapered spacer, Letarte explained that it will make for interesting races as teams try to figure out the new package.

"Basically concept-wise, it's less downforce with less power and less RPM, which will create even a little less horsepower," he said. "The RPM thing I think is great for motor life and the nuts and bolts of the motor, and I think the downforce and the power is a combination that you just can't rob all this downforce and leave the power, because I think we'll be going astronomically fast at the end of the straightaways. So you have to make some sort of an adjustment, and I think NASCAR has done that. I think that it's going to be interesting. I think change is great. I think change for the sport makes all of the race teams have to figure out something new every time they go to the track, and then you throw no testing on top of that, then that really puts a big wrinkle in everybody's plans come February."

At Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday, Jimmie Johnson said potential changes to the race package for 2015 could help the field stay more competitive.

"In time, we're going to really make these cars hard to drive, I think is kind of the goal where things are going to go, and hopefully get a tire on the cars that wears out," Johnson said. "We've all discussed and talked about we need comers and goers in the sport and more passing, more side-by-side action."

And if making the cars "hard to drive" creates more work for the drivers themselves, so be it.

"We don't mind working," he smiled.

With no testing, a lot of that work is going to come in the days leading up to the races.

"We're going to do it the old-fashioned way -- at the racetrack," Johnson said. "Use practice sessions as test sessions and also fall back on our tools and instruments that we have in-house at Hendrick Motorsports."

Finally, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS also discussed the addition of rain tires and a mandatory wiper for road courses.

"That'll make it exciting," he laughed. "So what we've seen so far, it's not necessarily the fact that we'll race in rain, but we'll certainly race in the wet. It's provided some very entertaining Nationwide races and I can only imagine what it will be like in Cup."