Carl Edwards: good job Friday dealing publicly with ex-girlfriend's almost-tell-all book (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Developing/Updated)
By Mike Mulhern
mikemulhern.net
Tony Stewart had a rough Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, and after this scrape with the wall in final practice he and crew chief Steve Addington decided to go with their backup car (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
Tony Stewart won here last fall, in a championship-decisive showdown with Edwards, and Saturday night's 500 could well be another such battle.
Stewart will have that winning car on the grid….though it wasn't planned that way. His November winner here was his backup, and crew chief Steve Addington had to unload it after Stewart brushed the wall in Friday practice with his primary.
"I just got loose and didn't have enough race track to get it gathered up," Stewart said. "So -- driver error."
Stewart was one of five drivers testing here earlier this year for Goodyear, to confirm the tire package. Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton were the others.
"We ran really well at the test…but it was 40 degrees cooler too," Stewart said. "We tried some things we thought were better, and it probably was for the conditions; but I'm not sure in the heat it was quite as good.
"We are going back the direction that we were last fall now."
This track, though one of the sport's ubiquitous 1-1/2-mile speedways, is quirky. Long greens are the rule, despite a very bumpy, well worn surface.
Jimmie Johnson says "This track has changed so much over the years. The asphalt is losing grip more and more. The bumps are getting a little bit bigger.
"Those qualities really make it a handling race. And the team that wins will have earned it."
And the howling winds this week have caught every driver's attention. Spring weather in Texas has been vicious, and tornadoes are nothing to fool around with.
Last week's Goodyear test at Michigan International Speedway's new asphalt has been the talk of the garage, with sizzling speeds.
Matt Kenseth, winner here one year ago, tested Michigan and said he was hitting 215 mph on the straights. And Kenseth said he expected even faster speeds when the stock car tour hits that track in June.
Johnson says he certainly expected faster speeds than 215 at Michigan: "I would have to imagine there is a ton of speed still left there. Anticipating the speeds, Goodyear I'm sure brought a very hard tire. I expected us to be 225 or something down the straightaways."
Now those are astounding speeds, yet drivers insist they're not worried.
But Johnson says even though the new asphalt compounds NASCAR tracks have been using the past three of four years are smooth and tough, he would prefer a decidedly different approach.
"We've learned a lot with progressive banking, and we can really help race tracks spend some time creating a middle grove and an outside lane," Johnson says.
"(But) I can also say that we've learned that there are certain asphalt combinations now that are being put down that are going to last a long time but they don't work very well.
"I think the one at Charlotte is finally coming around. I think the one at Phoenix is going to take a long time before it comes around; I would advise, if anybody is listening, to not choose that blend. Let's get something that wears out. I'm sure it means repaves more often, but it's going to provide a lot better racing."
Tony Stewart? With a haircut like that, maybe it's time to find a good hat to cover it. (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
© 2010-2011 www.mikemulhern.net All rights reserved.
Web site by www.webdesigncarolinas.com
Post new comment