Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012
Keys For Success
AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
Dodge PR
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KEYS FOR SUCCESS: AAA 400
DOVER, Del. (Saturday, Sept. 29) – Each race weekend, SRT Motorsports provides insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week SRT Motorsports engineer Howard Comstock discusses the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.
Track: Dover International Speedway (Race 29 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and third race in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup).
Race: AAA 400 (400 laps / 400 miles)
Trivia Question: (Answer Below) What is Brad Keselowski’s average finishing position over the last 12 Sprint Cup Series races?
HOWARD COMSTOCK (SRT Motorsports Engineering)
Qualifying: “An important key for tomorrow’s Cup race is qualifying. This place is fast, narrow and it’s hard to pass. Even though you can pass, it takes a long time to make a move on someone. In a 400-lap race at Dover, you can’t use up your car trying to get to the front of the field. Starting up front here is very important.”
Tire Strategy: “It’s hard to believe that people will try a two-tire pit strategy here. The concrete is so hard on the tires that you put your car at risk with a two-tire strategy. We’ve seen it tried here in the past and it has not worked. Safer will be better for those Chase teams who think about rolling the dice on a two-tire strategy. A four-tire stop may lose you a couple of positions on pit road but you will make those spots back up over the course of a run.
Fuel Economy: “Even though this is a tough place to race, we’ll see fuel economy play a factor. Crew chiefs will approach this race backwards in calculating fuel mileage. On a one-mile fast oval, if you have to stop under green because you miscalculate your fuel mileage, you will go down a minimum of one lap, probably two.”
TRIVIA ANSWER: Keselowski has recorded 11 top-10 finishes in his last 12 Sprint Cup starts with an average finish of 7.0.
