No what? No Testing? Mooooooo…

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.

The image pretty much sums it up.

NASCAR, you’re f***kin’ up. With a ban on testing at tracks where NASCAR plays ball in any of the touring series (Cup, Nationwide, Trucks, and East OR West), you’ve forced these teams (who are going to damn well test anyway, and you know it) to travel that much further to run a car.

How dumb is that? Pretty lame, if you ask me. Although I bet Andy Hillenburg is chomping at the bit. Silly to add a half-mile right outside the backstretch? I think not.

What NASCAR has done
NASCAR has saved face, and created positive press. Does anyone really think this is going to save anyone any money? Are there tracks out there where the teams can go?

The answers to those questions are, “No”, and “You bet your ass”.

Teams need data to make their cars better. They get the best data from a car on a track, with telemetry.

Ever hear of Texas World Speedway? From their website:

“TWS is located on approximately 375 acres with direct access to Highway 6 south of College Station, Texas. In addition to the two mile “D” shaped oval with 22 degree banking turns with 8 degree banking in the front of the grandstands, TWS is a road racers speedway with a 1.8, 1.9 and 2.9 mile high speed road courses. These are the primary track layouts for TWS; however, there are other layouts that can be customized (for example, a 3 mile grand prix road course).“

Sure is a long drive from Charlotte.

What NASCAR should have done
Ban any and all testing at tracks other than Charlotte, Martinsville, Rockingham. Period. Sanctioned by NASCAR or not.

Let teams test all they want, whenever they want, but keep it close enough to home to make it cheap.

OK, the only real benefit there is Charlotte. There are several short tracks in the area they could test at, and (unfortunately) Rockingham is still fair game.

However, what makes up the meat of the schedule? Mile and a half cookie cutters. Where do teams spend a ton of time testing at? Kentucky. See where this is going? Now those will shift to more runs down in Texas. More fuel, further distance, more days away.

So NASCAR may have put on a good game face for the media, but all we have to say is, “Gentlemen, hit your buttons.”

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Filed Under: Nascar, Nationwide Series, Sprint Cup

Tagged As: Bullshit, NASCAR Policies, testing



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By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Thursday January 31, 2008
2:02pm CST
Published on Thunder Lounge.

Kyle Busch took a moment to talk to the media while attending this weeks test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway about several little tidbits. Among those were communication amongst his team and with his teammates, how the car was handling overall, and competing against Hendrick with a new manufacturer.

It will take some getting used to hearing and saying the #18 M&M’s Camry. Although, funny as it is, in the image attached to this article there’s a funny resemblance between Kyle and an old picture of Elliott. Not a whole lot, but a little bit. Maybe it’s the eyes and the angle, I don’t know.

Getting down to business, Kyle made mention that communication amongst his team and across teams was really well. Having already been friends with teammate Denny Hamlin helped on that front, and he made note that the more challenging line of communication would be with Stewart. However, he reports that all is well on that front and that things are really gelling in the Gibbs Camp.

Speaking with regards to the car, he notes that it’s improving. He discussed a few issues with it as well, like losing down force and becoming a little loose behind other cars. While there are still issues with the car, these teams will get it figured out. They are professionals after all, and the more they work and play with it, the better it will become.

Kyle seems to think that while Toyota will be stronger than in its inaugural season, he sees the Gibbs Camp leading the way and being the Toyota’s that can keep pace with Hendrick Motorsports. While test data is just that, it would seem that JD and Co. are playing well in the new sandbox. Not only have they appeared strong, which they should, but there has been a noticeable improvement amongst all of the Toyota’s as well.

Today marks the first of a two day test session at California, and if the previous two tests are any indication, look for Gibbs and their Toyota brethren to continue to draw attention.

Photo Credit: NASCAR.com

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Filed Under: Drivers, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Kyle Busch, Las Vegas, Nascar, Sprint Cup, Teams, Tracks

Tagged As: joe gibbs racing, kyle busch, testing, toyota



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