Saturday, June 4, 2011
Dodge Motorsports PR
Kansas Speedway STP 400
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Keys for Success: STP 400
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Saturday, June 4, 2011) – Each race weekend, selected Dodge Motorsports engineers, Penske Racing crew chiefs, drivers or engine specialists give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race
Track: Kansas Speedway (Race 13 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)
Race: STP 400 (400 miles / 267 laps)
Trivia Question: Three drivers have been in the top 12 of the Sprint Cup standings after each of the first 12 races, but only one has been in the top 10 all 12 races. Who is that driver? (Answer Below)
HOWARD COMSTOCK (Dodge Motorsports Engineering)
Heat : “Drivers haven’t seen the kind of heat so far this season they’ll see tomorrow. It should be OK on the cars, but will be tough on the drivers. Driver preparation and comfort will certainly be important.”
Tire Wear: “We haven’t seen any tire issues, so tire wear should be fine. Whether teams can find grip or not is the question. If the temperature is in the 90s, the track temperature will probably be in the 130s. I would expect the track will get what the drivers call ‘greasy’. Call it greasy, slippery or whatever, imagine yourself driving on a road where it’s mostly clear, but you have little patches of ice here and there. You hit one of those little patches and your car wants to jerk. It scares you. That’s how I see this track tomorrow.”
Track Position: “Track position here is everything. If you’re in a hole in Sunday’s race and need to get out, teams will forego four tires and take two to get themselves back toward the front of the field. At the end of the race, two tires will certainly be an option for a lot of teams.”
Fuel Strategy: “Fuel strategy has been a factor here previously. Most crew chiefs work races backwards – start at the end and figure when you can make that last pit stop. I’m sure Charlotte is fresh in the mind of every crew chief in the garage.”
Answer to trivia question: Kurt Busch (the two drivers that have been in the top 12 are Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart.
