Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 Denny Darnell Scott Sebastian Dodge Motorsports PR Daytona Int’l Speedway Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Keys for Success: Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Feb. 19, 2011) – Each race weekend, select Dodge Motorsports engineers, crew chiefs, drivers, engine specialists and team members give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, the green flag drops at the ‘World Center of Racing’.
Track: Daytona International Speedway (race 1 of 36 NSCS point events)
Race: 53rd annual Daytona 500
Track Length: 2.5-miles (200 laps)
Race Record: Buddy Baker, 177.602 mph (Feb. 17, 1980)
Trivia Question: What is the record for laps led by a race winner at the Daytona 500? (Answer Below)
HOWARD COMSTOCK (Dodge Motorsports Engineering) “You can’t ignore how important good drafting partners will be. In the Duels, we saw drafting partners lead the race, but once they broke apart during a pit stop, they couldn’t get hooked back together and fell back into the field. That’s key because based upon everything that we’ve seen in Speedweeks thus far, unless you have a good drafting partner, you’re not going to be able to get to the front of the field and have a shot at winning the Daytona 500.
“A second key to the Daytona 500 will be how drivers manage engine temperature while in the draft. If you get the engine too hot, you lose water. If you lose water, the engine will get hotter and you won’t be able to run 500 miles. You can see the catastrophic potential.
“Finally, pit stops are always critical, but with the elimination of the catch can man, the choreography is different this year. The fueling process has changed and, on most teams, chassis adjustments will no longer be made by the gas man. Tomorrow, a fraction of a second will be critical in maintaining contact with the drafting partner.”
Answer to Trivia Question: 184 – (Richard Petty – 1964)
