BRISTOL, Tenn. — Applying VHT to the bottom groove at Bristol has made it the preferred way around once more. It begs the question, however, if digging up what remains of the progressive banking and restoring the steep 36 degree incline would be more effective.
Following the 2007 Food City 500, the banking was reconfigured with progressive banking to eliminate the one-groove racing. It was successful in that regard, but it came at the cost of cars beating and banging, tempers flaring and declining attendance.
Last August, Bristol Motor Speedway announced it was treating the bottom lane of the turns with VHT TrackBite, which is a custom formulated resin used to increase traction in racing. The result was largely successful and the preferred groove around the circuit was the bottom, with slight diminishing returns deeper into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
So it was little surprise that late last month, Bristol announced that the VHT would be used again.
“We applied the treatment to the lower groove in the four turns and coming out of the straightaways,” Jerry Caldwell, executive vice-president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway said. “The substance really just helps rubber stick to the track. And then we brought in a tire machine that we used to drag the track for a while to get rubber down and give drivers some grip so they can get down there and hang with that upper groove.”
But is it more effective than the old steep banking? And since the point of the VHT was to bring the racing groove back to the bottom, why not bring back the steep banking?
Kurt Busch, who’s no stranger to success at Thunder Valley, said, in short, “you have to adjust….”
“We’re not just gonna go dig up Augusta, Georgia because the golfers don’t like the new tee boxes. You have to adjust to the millions of dollars that Bristol Motor Speedway invested into the track’s new surface and we’re trying to find that right combination,” he said.
