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For January Daytona test, NASCAR going slower: will tighter drafting packs be safer?
Crew chief Pat Tryson (L), with Martin Truex Jr. (Photo: Toyota Motorsports)
By Mike Mulhern
mikemulhern.net
At Daytona and Talladega that's long been a debate.
Some argue that faster speeds will separate the drafting pack and make for safer racing.
On the other hand, faster speeds could increase the possibility of a car flipping and flying -- that's been a problem at Talladega lately, and at other non-plate tracks too, like Atlanta.
NASCAR has been tweaking the speed-choking plates for several years, lately opening up the four holes under the carburetor to give drivers more throttle response.
However drivers, during the December tire test on Daytona's new asphalt, hit 197 in drafts, and that was with fewer than 20 cars on the track. In the upcoming January testing (20, 21, 22) at least 40 drivers are expected.
Goodyear will be using Talladega-type tires on the new asphalt. During the December tire test, teams used plates with 'Talladega' plates with holes 15/16ths of an inch in diameter, used at Talladega last fall; for next week's Daytona test teams will be using plates 1/32nd of an inch smaller, which could cut from 15 to 20 horsepower, maybe cutting drafting speeds by as much as five mph.
(So far no change is anticipated in the aerodynamics -- principally the 70-degree rear spoiler, 4-1/2 inches tall.
Pat Tryson, crew chief for the Michael Waltrip-Martin Truex Jr. team, says NASCAR's move comes "because the speeds were too high at the first test.
"It's a good move on the side of safety, because no one wants to see a car go airborne at the potential speeds that could be generated with the plate they had last month.
"It will be better for the driver and better for the fans in the stands. Safety always comes first."
On the other hand, the slower the cars, the tighter the drafting pack.
(It's unclear how that new phenomena, seen the last two years at Talladega, where a two-car draft is actually faster than the bigger 20-plus car pack, will fare at Daytona.)
Tryson agrees: "Slowing down the cars will make the draft bigger and tighter.
"Before, with a little more power, the cars would spread out a little bit.
"I think now we can expect to see the cars a lot closer together and more in one pack versus two, three or four."
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Why doesn't NASCAR invest in
Why doesn't NASCAR invest in "radio-control" technology and put it in the racers? Since the agendas of "stock car racin'" have been totally blown outta proportion. Make the drivers stand on the spotter's stand high above the track and "have at it boys!"....So all is lost in the test and now back to bump draftin', tighter-packs and a higher percentage of the "Big One" happening. Hell, anybody with any knowledge of this sport knows, just in principle, that the speeds were going to be higher on new pavement. You would have thought NASCAR would have introduced a new restrictor plate BEFORE the test, to at least give the teams a better chance to adjust the chassis/tires, etc. SMH.
LOL! Actually I like the idea
LOL! Actually I like the idea of putting drivers up in the spotters' stand for a race or two at daytona and talladega, maybe the arca race, so they can get a feel for what it's like.
and the plates....gee, i'm sort of thinking like The Big E: raise the stands, take the plates off and run as fast as your little ol' heart can stand.
Big E was a complete fool -
Big E was a complete fool - he knew the speeds were unsafe and had to be restricted, period. They can't raise the stands, they can't take the plates off - are people EVER going to face that the plates work and are superior racing?
well, plate races are
well, plate races are thrilling, certainly. but neil bonnett once told me that some drivers could simply drive daytona and talladega faster than other drivers, and that that ought to be part of the game. maybe that's not the case anymore, though, with all this common template stuff.
and, hey, if plates are so great, why cant we use them everywhere? actually i like that idea......
Why doesn't NASCAR invest in
Why doesn't NASCAR invest in computer control technology and put it in so we can eliminate the inanities of WScott34 and others? The Big One is not relevant to anything; you worry about winning the race, period. If a crash happens, you live with it.
"If a crash happens, you live
"If a crash happens, you live with it."
Not if you don't survive it.
The new asphalt eliminated
The new asphalt eliminated most of the bumps the old surface had, which could mean drivers being able to handle their cars better and not causing "the big one" from their cars jumping around after hitting the old bumps. It could also mean that drivers will take more chances than they usually do at Daytona, and with the narrow entrances and exits to the corners that won't be a good thing for reducing wrecks.
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