Mears says luck is turning, explains Hendrick strength
CHRIS TROUTMAN / GETTY IMAGES
CONCORD, N.C. - Much of the talk about NASCAR's new car of tomorrow has focused on its front splitter, which hits the ground in the corners and won't let the car turn the way the drivers want.
But Hendrick Motorsports seems to have figured out how to avoid that problem, and HMS driver Casey Mears said Tuesday that solving the car is a team issue - not NASCAR's. "It's not that you can't turn the car," he said. "It's up to the teams to figure it out and get the correct ride heights so where you don't hit the splitter. If you do hit the splitter, it doesn't turn very well, but it's the team's job to not do that.
"We've been doing a fairly good job of getting that combination of things right, between the springs, the shocks and the bump rubbers - getting the splitter as low to the ground as you possibly can to create all the downforce you can, but also not hitting it too hard to where you're losing front grip."
But Mears thinks Hendrick isn't the only team to have a handle on the new car. He said HMS tested it last year and in the offseason, but noted that teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch have simply executed when others haven't.
Mears has struggled in his first season at Hendrick, but the California native said he thinks the luck is turning around. Last week, the Darian Grubb-led team got its first top-20 in the last five races.
"I think it's always underestimated how much work and time it takes to actually get the team to gel," Mears said. "It's just a timely process. It takes a lot longer than a lot of people think. We're getting there.
"We've made some huge steps since the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, [the bad start] got us in a huge hole leading up to this point. I think we're ready to compete
CHRIS TROUTMAN / GETTY IMAGES
CONCORD, N.C. - Much of the talk about NASCAR's new car of tomorrow has focused on its front splitter, which hits the ground in the corners and won't let the car turn the way the drivers want.
But Hendrick Motorsports seems to have figured out how to avoid that problem, and HMS driver Casey Mears said Tuesday that solving the car is a team issue - not NASCAR's. "It's not that you can't turn the car," he said. "It's up to the teams to figure it out and get the correct ride heights so where you don't hit the splitter. If you do hit the splitter, it doesn't turn very well, but it's the team's job to not do that.
"We've been doing a fairly good job of getting that combination of things right, between the springs, the shocks and the bump rubbers - getting the splitter as low to the ground as you possibly can to create all the downforce you can, but also not hitting it too hard to where you're losing front grip."
But Mears thinks Hendrick isn't the only team to have a handle on the new car. He said HMS tested it last year and in the offseason, but noted that teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch have simply executed when others haven't.
Mears has struggled in his first season at Hendrick, but the California native said he thinks the luck is turning around. Last week, the Darian Grubb-led team got its first top-20 in the last five races.
"I think it's always underestimated how much work and time it takes to actually get the team to gel," Mears said. "It's just a timely process. It takes a lot longer than a lot of people think. We're getting there.
"We've made some huge steps since the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, [the bad start] got us in a huge hole leading up to this point. I think we're ready to compete