|
 Back to SOZ's Main Page
Wanna Register to WIN a Office Depot Gift Card?
Visit ARCA Thunder Show Page!
NASCAR Traditions Don't Include Darlington at 200mph
5/9/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)
NASCAR's commercials have been talking a lot about the sport's traditions. Will 200mph speeds at a smoother Darlington be tradition? It seems all wrong to me to be racing 500 miles at Darlington in the Spring anyway. Wasn't that reserved for the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend? Open wheel racing has their own tradition on Memorial Day and stockcar racing used to have Labor Day. Now Darlington means Mother's Day weekend. Not that many years ago racing on this weekend was considered out of bounds by the sport's traditions. Maybe I am just in a looking back mode after my weekend at Rockingham at this time last week, but Darlington at 200mph is not a NASCAR tradition.
Rockingham Got it Right
Management at Rockingham Speedway knew after four years of neglect that they had to do some work to the track surface at Rockingham Speedway before their big race last weekend. Sealing the track worried racing purists that wondered what that would do to the track surface. The sand hills region in racing has been infamous for producing tracks that eat tires. A famous crew chief once joked with me at Rockingham that starting in the back wasn't so bad since the tires wore out less being pushed to the grid on race day! The Carolina 500 proved that Rockingham Speedway management respected the soul of Rockingham because despite the sealer the track still ate tires!
Darlington at 200MPH is One Bad Mother
This is one of the few tracks where the key was racing the track and not the competition. NASCAR fans demand side-by-side racing everywhere except Darlington. The Lady in Black is more about surviving and pacing yourself rather than turning fast laps. The pavement was old and used up and needed repaving. The track talked about taking great lengths to preserve the legacy of Darlington Speedway. But a funny thing happened during tire testing. The tires refused to wear out with times on 40 laps tires not that much slower than new tire laps. Top speeds also reached a mind blowing 200 mph! Did they ruin the racing at Darlington or just change it? All I know is that Darlington at 200mph is going to be one bad mother!
Goodyear Holds Key to COT
Is anyone else confused that NASCAR has not financed thousands of miles of testing on Goodyear tires with the new COT design? Each tire test three different drivers are brought in to test the tires for the upcoming track. The theory that having the best drivers in the business doing their thing is the best test makes sense on many levels. But the new car design demanded more testing! Why didn't NASCAR use one of their existing employees or hire a test driver to put more laps on the tires? Using the same driver testing at every track would remove the difference in driver ability and style. Getting a base line for the new tires was vital since tire grip is more important with a car that has less down force. But NASCAR and Goodyear are sticking with the formula that hasn't worked yet this year. The bail out plan for Darlington is a super hard tire. That worked SO well at Atlanta! Goodyear holds the key to the COT and more testing is the answer.
Saturday Night Spectacle
Some race fans think that adding lights to Darlington was a little like adding lights to baseball's Wrigley Field! But if it takes lights to save NASCAR's last remaining truly unique track then flip the switch. No one is sure what will happen on Saturday night under the lights with dizzying speeds at the Track Too Tough to Tame. All I know is that this will be a Saturday night spectacle for the ages! Maybe NASCAR traditions are not supposed to include Darlington at 200mph but that is what is coming up this weekend.
|
  RaceTalkRadio.com's
Official Newsletter
  Want to listen to RTR
Shows? Click the listen live button!
  The New ARCA Thunder
presented by
Rockingham Speedway
Tuesday's at 8pm on RTR
   |
NASCAR® is a registered trademark owned by National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.
The Spin Out Zone is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NASCAR® or ARCA®.
The Spin Out Zone is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CBS Sports, ABC/ESPN, Fox Sports, SPEED, FX Networks, TNT,
MRN, PRN or Sirius.
The Spin Out Zone owned and operated by RaceTalkRadio.com in association with Spin Out Zone Enterprises.
Images on SpinOutZone.com are used for entertainment purposes only.
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 © Spin Out Zone
All Rights Reserved