NASCAR stages road course test at Charlotte Motor Speedway

dpkimmel2001 said:
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That surface and curbing at the hairpin looks like it hasn’t been used in ages. I wonder if they’ll touch that up a bit.
 
Truex on Charlotte Roval test: "All kinds of craziness going on"

Some of the final details have yet to be worked out but one thing seemed clear from this week’s Goodyear Tire test on the new Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval – next season’s NASCAR races shouldn’t lack for drama.

“It’s interesting. It’s been growing on me a bit since we started yesterday,” current Cup series playoff leader Martin Truex Jr. said during a lunch break Wednesday. “It’s definitely an interesting track; we’re still trying to figure it all out.

“It’s not your typical road course. It’s been a unique challenge here with the banked track and the flat infield course. Those transitions have been pretty challenging and tricky. So far, we’ve been having a lot of fun out there today.”

“There’s a lot of exciting parts of the track. It’s very narrow, it’s very rough, there’s a lot of swells and loop-de-doos – there’s all kinds of craziness going on.

“Turns1 and 2, pretty wild, narrow, concrete walls on both sides – it’s a little intimidating. There were a lot of spots that made me a little nervous yesterday but I’m getting more used to them now.”

“It’s just a unique track,” he said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever run on anything like it.”

Truex and Busch said it was clear on the first day that tire may well be too hard and teams may gravitate toward a softer tire, similar to the one currently used at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.

“There’s a lot of things moving and shaking and we’ll continue to refine it,” Busch said. “The mindset coming here with that the roval was more similar to Watkins Glen and now that we’ve driven on it, it’s more similar to Sonoma.

“The speeds are much slower on the infield section than we anticipated and the oval is wide open all the way through there. Ideally, you can treat the oval like a straightaway and focus on the infield section to find your grip.”

Busch said while the Charlotte course is similar to the one used at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway during its annual 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race, the compacted space of a 1.5-mile track infield intensifies the racing.

“There is no room for taking a break, or having a deep breath down a straightaway,” he said. “Literally, as soon as you’re in high gear off Turn 4, you’re into a chicane.

“As soon as your back up through the gears in Turn 4 and get to fourth-gear and wide-open, you’re down-shifting and back on the brakes to go into the frontstretch chicane.

“It’s a very busy track.”

https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/nascar-truex-charlotte-roval-test-967059/
 
I hope they make the all star race run the road course so the main event isn't totally new to most of the drivers. Otherwise things might turn into a circus.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Speakers turned on high.

Luvin' the sound of Truex running the course.

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Around the 0:59 mark, when he comes out of the infield, watch how high he runs through the entrance to oval turn 1. I don't think anyone has ever run up there intentionally before. Then he drops to the bottom before he gets into oval 2. It's going to be fun to watch that transition if multiple cars are trying it. It could even be that a slower exit from the infield and staying low may be 'faster' than running up high wide open; one of them 'slow down to go faster' deals, DW.
 
Formerjackman said:
“The speeds are much slower on the infield section than we anticipated"

Well, duh..........

I said that two weeks ago and have been catching a rash of crap about it ever since.
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I think you've been catching crap for saying it would be bad racing. Just because their slow doesn't mean it won't be good racing.
 
Not sure if this has been posted but it gives some good perspective on the varying elevation changes that MTJ was talking about in his presser today. It's older and the track doesn't include the updated chicane before the start-finish line.

 
NASCAR drivers talking Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval for 2018 during the Goodyear tire test 2017

MTJ until 11 minute mark, Kurt Busch @11:00-22:30 mark. Kurt was driving the 14 Clint Boyer car. And finally Daniel Hemric got a shot in a cup car in the 33. From 23:00 until 32:00 minute mark.

 
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Charlie Spencer said:
I think you've been catching crap for saying it would be bad racing. Just because their slow doesn't mean it won't be good racing.
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I would agree with you on an oval, but road courses are a different animal, and a slow infield combined with limited runoff areas and lots of walls will mean that the infield will play out like a street course, and the ONLY thing worse than a roval is a street course. I predict a lot of follow the leader, and a lot of torn up cars.
 
Formerjackman said:
I would agree with you on an oval, but road courses are a different animal, and a slow infield combined with limited runoff areas and lots of walls will mean that the infield will play out like a street course, and the ONLY thing worse than a roval is a street course. I predict a lot of follow the leader, and a lot of torn up cars.
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If nothing else, I'm with you on street courses.
 
Formerjackman said:
I would agree with you on an oval, but road courses are a different animal, and a slow infield combined with limited runoff areas and lots of walls will mean that the infield will play out like a street course, and the ONLY thing worse than a roval is a street course. I predict a lot of follow the leader, and a lot of torn up cars.
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Dude then just take the week off. You have no idea how this will play out, none,nada zip!
 
StandOnIt said:
The plan is to have pedestrian bridges over the raceway to get to areas of the track. work in progress.
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So fans will be able to watch this race from the infield like in Daytona for the Rolex??? I’d love to see Indy Car run this honestly
 
Snappy D said:
So fans will be able to watch this race from the infield like in Daytona for the Rolex??? I’d love to see Indy Car run this honestly
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yeah post 420 Kurt has been talking to the younger Smith and he said they had plans for pedestrian bridges so fans can go to other parts of the track. Is that cool or what?
 
StandOnIt said:
yeah post 420 Kurt has been talking to the younger Smith and he said they had plans for pedestrian bridges so fans can go to other parts of the track. Is that cool or what?
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Not gonna lie. That sounds pretty damn cool, that’s going to be great fan access.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I wonder if they'll bring in temporary berms and / or grandstands.
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I would hope. Even though I might not be a fan of what they are doing here, it’s shaping up to look like a pretty cool event. I might even make it out there for it just to watch from the infield seating if they have it. I wonder if they could run this in a Saturday night eventually, I can’t think of any Saturday night road/Roval races besides Rolex 24
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I highly doubt it. The last thing they need are people hit by debris standing over the track.
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I could swear while watching some of the IMSA Weathertech races this year, that some of the tracks had open walkways. I thought Sebring had one
 
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