Ford Performance NASCAR Notes and Quotes
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2017
Event: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (Saturday Advance)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Ford and Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski was a very vocal proponent of the new aero package instituted by NASCAR for 2017 which reduces the downforce on the race cars. Ford Performance caught up with Keselowski to discuss his thoughts after hitting the track in Atlanta under the new rules.
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Autotrader Ford Fusion) — YOU WERE ONE OF THE BIG PROPONENTS OF THIS AERO PACKAGE AND NOW HERE WE ARE. YOUR ASSESSMENT THUS FAR? “I feel like I might need to get a race in to give you something articulate and smart. I can tell you it is a challenging track and Goodyear has brought an excellent tire to allow us to race really hard. We are going to have our hands full and this is what a race track should be.”
WHAT DOES TAKING ALL THAT DOWNFORCE OFF THE CAR DO TO YOU GUYS OUT THERE? “It just makes it harder to drive. Downforce is an assist. Sometimes we need an assist and it helps us go faster but we don’t always like it as drivers.”
WE SAY GUYS STRUGGLING COMING OUT OF FOUR IN QUALIFYING. DO YOU EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND? “Oh yeah, Atlanta is going to be its ornery old self after you get a few laps on the tires for sure.”
THIS IS A DAY RACE. IT WILL BE WARM. HOW DO THE TRACK CONDITIONS AND THE NEW AERO PACKAGE TRANSLATE COME RACE TIME? “I think the restarts here are very tricky. You will see some issues there. You are going to see the balance between running the bottom, top and middle and using all the different grooves on the race track come into play. Then the crew chiefs with the pit strategy will be really crucial with the stages and high tire wear. There are going to be a lot of storylines. I don’t even know how to pick ‘em.”
IN TERMS OF THE STAGES, DO YOU GO IN WITH A CERTAIN MINDSET OR DO YOU HAVE TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING? “I go in with the mindset of trust your crew chief because he can see what you can’t and drive the hell out of it.”
