Saturday, September 22, 2012
Sylvania 300
Dodge PR
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Keys For Success
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KEYS FOR SUCCESS: Sylvania 300
LOUDON, N.H. (Saturday, September 22) – 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: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Race 28 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)
Race: Sylvania 300 (300 laps / 317.40 miles)
Trivia Question: This driver scored the first victory for Dodge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Who is he? (Answer Below)
HOWARD COMSTOCK (SRT Motorsports Engineering)
Different Track Conditions Means Two Tires: “I think we’ll see a big difference between this race and the race here in July: very cool conditions, not as much sun load. It looks like the track has a much better grip level. That gives you more confidence to think about some tire strategy. I think you’re going to see a bunch of tire strategies tomorrow. I think four tires will be the exception on most pit stops. I think you’re going to see people try to cycle the left-side tires as many as three stops before they have to put lefts on. Track position is so important here you can’t make up the track position that you lose by getting four tires. Passing is difficult but not impossible. You do see passing here. There was a time there was no passing here. I think you’re making a mistake if you say that track position is everything. The grip level is so much better than in July, so passing will be more of a factor. And, I think track position will trump tires.”
This is one of the shorter races in the Chase. How big of a factor is that for the teams? “Technically speaking, even though Martinsville is 500 laps, it’s only 250 miles. We go to some places like Kansas and Chicago and the time block is actually the same. This is a slower race track with the flat corners; it’s tough to get a hold of the track. You’ve got to race the track here Kansas, Martinsville, wherever you go. I don’t think the teams see it as that much different.”
The fall race here tends to get physical. Will we see a lot of that tomorrow? “I think you will see it less at the beginning of the race. I think that toward the end of the race there’s a little more desperation, especially on the part of the guys that are in Chase contention. Once again, we’re only the second race into the Chase. You don’t have to win this race but you do have to finish this race. I think it will be a balancing act for teams between getting aggressive too early in this race and making sure that they get a reasonable finish.
“Look at the 24 car (Jeff Gordon) last week. He had a mechanical problem and crashed. They’re now an entire race out of the lead in the Chase. It’s not insurmountable but it’s unlikely that they’re going to be able to make that up because not only are they 47 points behind, they’re behind 11 other really good teams. And that becomes the bigger problem as the Chase progresses. You’ve got good teams that you’re chasing that are going to do as well as you are. If you finish first and they finish second, you still never catch ‘em.”
Trivia Question Answer: Ward Burton won the 2002 New England 300 (July race). Burton rallied from a 31st-place starting position to score the victory by 3.230 seconds over Jeff Green.
