i have a 94 f150

does that black plastic peice below the front bumper (about 3 inches wide) serve any kind of purpose? does it protect the control arm under the body? or is it just for looks? cuz personally i dont like the way it looks and it gets in my way when i jack up the front. i want to remove it but wanna double check that its not there to protect the control arms or something else from gettin pegged with rocks. if its just for show, its gonna go. tehehe i ryhmed