[media-credit name=”texasmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”199″][/media-credit]Friday, March 13, 2012
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Samsung 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Keys For Success
Dodge PR
KEYS FOR SUCCESS: Samsung 500
FORT WORTH (Friday, April 13, 2012) – 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: Texas Motor Speedway (Race 7 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)
Race: Samsung 500 (334 laps / 501 miles)
Trivia Question: Of the 22 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races contested at Texas Motor Speedway, how many have been won from the pole?? (Answer Below)
HOWARD COMSTOCK (SRT Motorsports Engineering)
Long Green-Flag Runs: “Since 2006, every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series spring race at Texas Motor Speedway has had a green-flag run of more than 60 laps. Eighty-five percent of those races have had a green-flag run of more than 90 laps. As well, 85 percent of those races have had two green-flag runs of over 60 laps, which is significant because if your chassis is off a little bit, long-green flag runs won’t allow teams to pit under caution to make adjustments. You better have your chassis right to start the race tomorrow night.”
Good Chassis Equals Good Tires: “If your chassis is off, now you bring into play tire wear. How bad is the chassis abusing your tires? Long green-flag runs with a sensitive chassis will affect your car’s handling through excessive tire wear.”
No EFI Data: “With the new fuel systems on the cars, we don’t know what the fuel economy will be with those long green-flag runs. Do you take a chance and stretch it? Or do you err on the conservative and pit sooner than you may have to because we don’t have a “book” on what fuel economy will be here at Texas.”
Trivia Question Answer: 1 – Kasey Kahne in the No. 9 Dodge (04/09/2006).