Roush Fenway Racing's Jamie McMurray led the final of six test sessions held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Monday and Tuesday. Has he adjusted his car so that it is yawed out like Carl Edwards' has been running his on those mile and a half tracks where he has been successful?
Crew chiefs and engineers took the yawn out of Sprint Cup testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway (LMS) and put in the yaw. The hope is to close the gap between Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards and the rest of the field at 1.5-mile tracks such as LMS. Edwards' car, according to several crew chiefs and drivers, has been dominant in part because he has been able to handle a setup in which the rear housing is turned to the right, making it appear the car is going sideways down the straightaways. This gives Edwards more yaw -- movement in the back end -- that creates more downforce and allows him to make a better transition going into the corners.
"I think everyone sees it, even on TV," said Denny Hamlin, who is sixth in points. "It's very, very noticeable for us drivers. To those that don't really know the nuts and bolts of the cars, they don't really see it. We see it, the attitude of his car is a little bit more I guess 'yawed out' more than everyone else's. There are reasons for that. We as a team are starting to pinpoint that and really starting to show up."
Many teams used the two-day test at LMS to experiment with setups similar to what they believe Edwards has. NASCAR allows only a quarter-inch adjustment in the rear housing and monitors it with gauges. Tony Eury Jr., the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. can't go quite that far without making the car tough for his driver to handle.
Earnhardt crashed during Monday's practice sessions at Lowe's.
Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon said that much yaw makes his car very tough to handle. Two-time champion Tony Stewart said everybody is trying to get a feel for it.
Now we know whats been bugging Jeff.
"It's a driver feel, there's no doubt," Eury said. "Some drivers like it. Some drivers don't."
Edwards apparently does. He's used it to win at 1.5-mile tracks at Las Vegas and Texas and the 2-mile California Speedway. He was headed for a win at 1.5-mile Atlanta before his engine expired late.
Jeff Gordon has led 729 laps at Talladega to be exact. 729 laps have resulted in the Du Pont Chevy coming across the starting line in first. That is 729 very fast very hectic circles of prime Alabama Real Estate.
A week after matching Dale Earnhardt’s total of 76 NASCAR Cup Series wins, Gordon now hopes to tie one of The Intimidator’s records – most restrictor-plate victories – in this Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Earnhardt collected three wins at Daytona, including the 1998 Daytona 500 – a race that had eluded him for so many years. The seven-time Cup champion won 10 times at Talladega – eight times during the restrictor-plate era including win No. 76 in 2000.
"Obviously, last Saturday night’s win was special," said Gordon. "Anytime you accomplish something that ‘Senior’ did, you’ve done something special."
As if it was made for TV, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is second in Talladega laps led with 537. Jr. has five wins at Talladega and is looking for number six. Why is Jr. so good at Talladega?
"A lot of reasons, my dad put a lot of emphasis on the restrictor plate program. He brought Richie Gilmore in who was one of the best at building restrictor plate motors. We have one of the best body men in Tony Eury Jr. We have a lot of guys in the shop who have brought their own knowledge."
Behind the wheel of his Ginn Racing/Waste Management Chevrolet, Sterling Marlin looks to add to the 437 laps he's led at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. Marlin is third in laps led at Dega. He's in pretty good company. It's just another indication of how good the old wiley veteran is.
"I love superspeedway racing," said Marlin. "It can be some of the most fun you'll have. It can also be the most frustrating. No matter how good your car is and how good you're running, you can't look very far ahead. Until you take that checkered flag, anything can happen."
Most Interesting Blog, June 16, 2008 (unofficially ) and six other occasions (probably if they still did this). Lisa awarded him Best "breaking news" blogger March 31, 2008. Blog of The Day, Christmas Day, 2007. edhardiman wrote, "Falco's tribute to Rocket Richard reminds us all the stars of today stand on the shoulders of giants..." October 23, 2007. Three Golden Swirrly p00p Awards (Hockey, NASCAR and Use of Graphics), FlyingPig, July 18, 2007. 2007 Memorial Day Weekend Trifecta sponsored by williamwilman . Featured on WFORacingFans April, 2007. "Stylin'" award, Dusty, February 07. "One of ten new bloggers to watch" Dudski, January 2007.
