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[/media-credit]Saturday, May 26, 2012
Coca-Cola 600
Dodge PR
Charlotte Motor Speedway
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Keys For Success
KEYS FOR SUCCESS: COCA-COLA 600
CONCORD, N.C. (Saturday, May 26) – Each race weekend, selected SRT 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, Howard Comstock, SRT Motorsports Engineering, provides the keys for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway (Race 12 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)
Race: Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps / 600.00 miles)
Trivia Question: Dodge has seven victories in the Coca-Cola 600. Name the driver who scored the first win. (Answer Below)
HOWARD COMSTOCK (SRT Motorsports Engineering)
A Tale of Two Races: “The first 300 miles are going to be in the heat and the last 300 miles are going to be a lot different. If you don’t have adjustability built into the cars, you’re going to suffer because it’ll be hot and slippery the first part of the race and we see this race get faster as it goes on, rather than getting slower. Even though the track gets rubbered up, there’s no substitute at Charlotte for that cool night air and losing the sunlight off the racetrack. However you’ve got your car adjusted for the first half, you better be able to adjust it for that second half.”
Experienced Crew Chiefs Have the Edge: “The experienced crew chief is going to know what to do in the second half of the race; I think that’s key. That’s why this race seems to have favored more experienced crew chiefs.
Too Much Made of the Extra 100 Miles? “No, especially this year, given some of the issues we’ve seen with fuel delivery in these cars. You’re looking at having the most severe test yet of the new fuel injection system. The fuel injection system is better, there’s no doubt about it, but we’ve seen some teams go through some teething pains. That last hundred miles tomorrow night will be the last test of that.”
Two Tires for Track Position? “I think you’ve got to put two tires out of your mind for a long time. I think we’ll see some guys before halfway try two tires but I’m not sure the track will be cool enough yet for that to really mean anything. When the crew chiefs are staring at 600 miles, the last thing on their mind is two tires or four early in the race”
Avoid Short Pitting: “I think the guys in the back will run hard but the guys up front in clean air, I think they’ll manage their run. You can’t get in a game where you start early pitting in a 600-mile race. You can’t start playing that game. At Darlington, you might be able to play that game but here you’ve got to run full fuel runs in the first half of this race at least before you can start trying to play a track-position game.”
Heat: “It’s a big factor. This race really doesn’t start at night. It starts at six and there’s still plenty of daylight left. That’s why I think that first hundred miles is tough on everybody.”
