FenderBumper
The "good old days" ??
Credit: Dustin Long
What drivers are saying about the reconfigured Phoenix track
Most NASCAR Sprint Cup teams are in Phoenix for a two-day test that started Tuesday on the repaved and reconfigured track there. Tuesday was the first chance for many drivers to drive on the track.
The changes to the track likely will make it a one-groove or maybe a one-and-a-half groove track when the series returns in November for the next-to-last race in the Chase. That will make passing difficult and could make Phoenix even more of a wildcard than Talladega (especially with drivers still able to do the two-car draft even with the new rules).
Among the changes to the track (other than repaving):
# Push the dog leg curve between turns 2 and 3 out 95 feet
# Tighten the turn radius of the dog leg from 800 to 500 feet
# Implement variable banking … including 10-11 degrees between turns 1 and 2 … 10-11 degrees banking in the apex of the dog leg … 8-9 degree of banking between turns 3 and 4.
# Widen the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet.
WHAT DRIVERS SAID ABOUT THE TRACK ON TUESDAY
MARTIN TRUEX JR.
“I’m glad we’ve got two days to focus on this place. It’s a slick track and I’m not expecting it to change much when we return next month. Right now we’re trying to find the right balance and I’m looking for more grip. What we’re experiencing is pretty typical when we visit a new place like this. I’m looking forward to the race and I hope we are able to put on the show that everyone is expecting.”
DAVID REUTIMANN
“I don’t know what it’s going to do for the racing yet. There hasn’t been enough rubber or laps put on the racetrack to really know what it’s going to be, but right now it’s not very good. Not very good at all, but it’s a new racetrack and we’re hoping once it get some rubber on it and we all get to work on our cars a bit it’ll continue to get better.”
JEFF GORDON
"It's going to be a narrow groove the first couple times we're here and it's going to take time and guys are going to have to push that edge, keep cleaning it off as we go. NASCAR is going to have to do a good job of keeping the debris and rubber and things that build up out there cleaned off as best they can on cautions, as well.
“You know, all I can say is that my impressions, the day started off really, really edgy and uncomfortable, an eye-opening wow experience of, Oh, my gosh, what's happened here? As we got halfway through the day, the grip started coming. Then there's the challenge of pushing the car, finding what you need to make it go faster.
“Like I said, then I started having more fun, enjoying the laps I was making, the challenges the track had. Every track has its challenge. This one has in the past. The new pavement certainly creates new challenges that we'll have to deal with.
“It's the case at all new paving. We have a lot of them that are going to be coming up. Everybody is wanting to repave or needing to repave, I should say, more than anything. I don't know if anybody really wants to. I think it's usually just something that over time you have to do for a lot of different reasons. Eventually the track will offer up that side-by-side racing that we all come to love at tracks like here in Phoenix.
JEFF BURTON
“I think it is a really unique layout. The exit of Turn 2 is very unique; very different; the back straightaway has a lot of banking and it’s like falling into a hole; it’s pretty cool and it is neat to do something different here.”
DAVID RAGAN
“It’s cool with the new banking There is a little bit more speed. Anytime you repave a race track you always have that 6-8 month period where the asphalt is wearing. It is curing and it is coming into its own. It gives us a hard time to figure it out, but the track will only get better with time. I think it is going to be a good race.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER
“The track started off really, really slick and as more cars ran it rubbered in. It felt like maybe there was a groove and a quarter or a groove and a half that built up. I think the layout of the racetrack seems fun. There’s a lot more room and a lot more grip off of Turn 2. My biggest question is how much it will widen out when there are three Series’ here because if it doesn’t it will make passing kind of tough. I think they did a good job on the racetrack and for us today it was just about trying all kinds of different stuff. We ran a lot of laps and I felt like we learned some things, so overall it was a good day
MARCOS AMBROSE
“There’s definitely a big difference in the track. The shape is different and I really like Turns 1 and 2 and the back kink. Turns 3 and 4 feel about the same as they used to. The track still has to groove in and I think all of us hope that the line fattens up a little bit so we put on a good race. Right now it’s a bit of a single groove track, but it is getting better and I think it’s really going to help the quality of racing here.”
What drivers are saying about the reconfigured Phoenix track
Most NASCAR Sprint Cup teams are in Phoenix for a two-day test that started Tuesday on the repaved and reconfigured track there. Tuesday was the first chance for many drivers to drive on the track.
The changes to the track likely will make it a one-groove or maybe a one-and-a-half groove track when the series returns in November for the next-to-last race in the Chase. That will make passing difficult and could make Phoenix even more of a wildcard than Talladega (especially with drivers still able to do the two-car draft even with the new rules).
Among the changes to the track (other than repaving):
# Push the dog leg curve between turns 2 and 3 out 95 feet
# Tighten the turn radius of the dog leg from 800 to 500 feet
# Implement variable banking … including 10-11 degrees between turns 1 and 2 … 10-11 degrees banking in the apex of the dog leg … 8-9 degree of banking between turns 3 and 4.
# Widen the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet.
WHAT DRIVERS SAID ABOUT THE TRACK ON TUESDAY
MARTIN TRUEX JR.
“I’m glad we’ve got two days to focus on this place. It’s a slick track and I’m not expecting it to change much when we return next month. Right now we’re trying to find the right balance and I’m looking for more grip. What we’re experiencing is pretty typical when we visit a new place like this. I’m looking forward to the race and I hope we are able to put on the show that everyone is expecting.”
DAVID REUTIMANN
“I don’t know what it’s going to do for the racing yet. There hasn’t been enough rubber or laps put on the racetrack to really know what it’s going to be, but right now it’s not very good. Not very good at all, but it’s a new racetrack and we’re hoping once it get some rubber on it and we all get to work on our cars a bit it’ll continue to get better.”
JEFF GORDON
"It's going to be a narrow groove the first couple times we're here and it's going to take time and guys are going to have to push that edge, keep cleaning it off as we go. NASCAR is going to have to do a good job of keeping the debris and rubber and things that build up out there cleaned off as best they can on cautions, as well.
“You know, all I can say is that my impressions, the day started off really, really edgy and uncomfortable, an eye-opening wow experience of, Oh, my gosh, what's happened here? As we got halfway through the day, the grip started coming. Then there's the challenge of pushing the car, finding what you need to make it go faster.
“Like I said, then I started having more fun, enjoying the laps I was making, the challenges the track had. Every track has its challenge. This one has in the past. The new pavement certainly creates new challenges that we'll have to deal with.
“It's the case at all new paving. We have a lot of them that are going to be coming up. Everybody is wanting to repave or needing to repave, I should say, more than anything. I don't know if anybody really wants to. I think it's usually just something that over time you have to do for a lot of different reasons. Eventually the track will offer up that side-by-side racing that we all come to love at tracks like here in Phoenix.
JEFF BURTON
“I think it is a really unique layout. The exit of Turn 2 is very unique; very different; the back straightaway has a lot of banking and it’s like falling into a hole; it’s pretty cool and it is neat to do something different here.”
DAVID RAGAN
“It’s cool with the new banking There is a little bit more speed. Anytime you repave a race track you always have that 6-8 month period where the asphalt is wearing. It is curing and it is coming into its own. It gives us a hard time to figure it out, but the track will only get better with time. I think it is going to be a good race.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER
“The track started off really, really slick and as more cars ran it rubbered in. It felt like maybe there was a groove and a quarter or a groove and a half that built up. I think the layout of the racetrack seems fun. There’s a lot more room and a lot more grip off of Turn 2. My biggest question is how much it will widen out when there are three Series’ here because if it doesn’t it will make passing kind of tough. I think they did a good job on the racetrack and for us today it was just about trying all kinds of different stuff. We ran a lot of laps and I felt like we learned some things, so overall it was a good day
MARCOS AMBROSE
“There’s definitely a big difference in the track. The shape is different and I really like Turns 1 and 2 and the back kink. Turns 3 and 4 feel about the same as they used to. The track still has to groove in and I think all of us hope that the line fattens up a little bit so we put on a good race. Right now it’s a bit of a single groove track, but it is getting better and I think it’s really going to help the quality of racing here.”
