MOORESVILLE, NC :: While NASCAR does not allow bump stops and coil binding in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) rulebook, the brand new Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Late Model Stock Car Tour will allow bump stops and coil bind setups in their rules package.
Chris Ragle, CARS Tour director of operations and marketing, confirmed to RACE22.com that the tour has already made a final decision and would allow bump stops and coil binding in the tour. Ragle also said the CARS Tour has already received feedback from drivers and that the majority of drivers they have talked to supports the rule.
“At the end of the day though, it’s probably more affordable because there are people getting custom springs made,” Ragle said.
While conventional setups allow springs and shocks to travel throughout the course of a race lap, bump stopped and coil bound setups are designed to stop suspension travel while transferring the force into the tire, maximizing grip for the car. Coil binding can be done with softer, widely available springs at no additional cost while bump stops can achieve a similar, more easily-tunable result for usually less than $75 per corner. In comparison, custom made springs could cost in excess of $1,500 per corner. All three setup styles have won races in the recent past, but several teams prefer to use these two styles in order to maximize the cornering ability of their racecars.
Bump stops and coil bind setups will not be mandatory in the CARS Late Model Stock Car rulebook, but it could provide a competitive advantage to teams that elect to coil bind and run bump stops. However, most tracks prohibit bump stops and coil binding in the Late Model Stock Car division.
Ragle said the complete rules package for the Late Model Stock Car tour is almost finalized and should be released before the end of the month. The Inaugural CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour race will be held at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina on March 28th alongside the CARS Super Late Model Tour.
