Saturday, June 25, 2011
Dodge Motorsports PR
Infineon Raceway
Save Mart 350
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
KEYS FOR SUCCESS: Save Mart 350
SONOMA, Calif. (Saturday, June 25, 2011) – Each race weekend, selected Dodge Motorsports engineers, Penske Racing engineers and crew chiefs, drivers or engine specialists give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, Travis Geisler, Penske Racing’s Director of Competition, provides the keys for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.
Track: Infineon Raceway (Race 16 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)
Race: Save Mart 350 (110 laps / 350 kilometers, 218.9 miles)
Trivia Question: What is the worst starting position for a Sprint Cup race winner at Infineon? (Answer below)
TRAVIS GEISLER (Director of Competition, Penske Racing)
Be Smooth: “The key to any road course race is to be smooth and a lot of things are required for that to happen. It requires the driver to stay on the asphalt for the entire race. We see drivers that don’t typically have issues, but have issues at this race. Last year, it was Jeff Gordon who had the bullseye on his back. You can’t lose track position by going off the track, losing a lot of spots to the competition.”
Pit Strategy: “Your pit strategy has to be perfect. The way that the cautions fall, if you miss by a lap, it can really kill you. If you’re planning on pitting and a caution comes out the lap before you come to pit road, you’ve just lost whatever advantage you had. You need perfect race strategy at Infineon.”
Good Mechanical: “You need to have really good mechanical parts and pieces this weekend. The transmission, engine, driveline and the brakes need to stay with you the whole event. The wear and tear on these cars at a road course like Infineon is much different than an oval. So much more mechanical equipment comes into play here.”
Take Care of Equipment: “You can have all the best components on your car, but you still need a driver who can take care of the equipment for the entire race. This is one of the most challenging races to win because of how much goes into the entire race equation. We head to Daytona next weekend and we’re not concerned about as many things; here, the checklist is huge. Trying to figure out how to eliminate the mistakes in a lot of areas is really a challenge.”
Trivia Question Answer: 32nd – Juan Pablo Montoya – No. 42 Dodge in 2007.
