Qualifying, car setup will be crucial in Allstate 400
By Jared Turner - SceneDaily Staff Writer
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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As Sunday’s Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway draws closer, the ability to complete passes with NASCAR's new car is weighing heavily on the minds of many Sprint Cup Series drivers and crew chiefs.
That’s because passing has traditionally proven difficult through the tight, low-banked corners of the 2.5-mile track.
And with NASCAR’s oft-maligned new car set to make its Indy debut this weekend, getting to the front may be a more formidable task than ever before.
"Indianapolis is a track-position race track,” said Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Casey Mears Hendrick Motorsports' team. “It's so important there, and this new-car style is going to just exaggerate that even more. Strategy will be very important. Pit selection is a big deal at Indy.
“Strategy is going to come into play on getting to the front. Then the key is holding that position and being there at the end."
If Gustafson is right, expect teams to roll the dice early and often, taking two tires, no tires or not stopping at all, in hopes of making up ground on pit road.
Two-time Brickyard winner Tony Stewart cautions against relying too heavily on strategy, however.
“Track position helps you, but it doesn't win you the race,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said. “It always boils down to who has got the best-handling car and the best straight-line speed.
"That combination is very important there, and there have generally been some really good one-on-one battles late in the race that have decided the winner of this event. That to me is what makes this race so special.”
Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton agrees that it takes more than shrewd pit calls to contend for a win this weekend.
“Momentum is everything at Indy. It’s all about carrying speed through the middle of the corner so that you can be fast off the corner,” he said. “Indy’s corners are different from any other track we race on. They’re shorter and there’s less corner. The track is perfectly smooth and you have to have really good grip to take advantage of that smoothness. If you are a little bit slow in the middle of the corner, it just carries that speed onto the exit of the corner.
“So, it’s very important to handle in all parts of the corners at Indy. You can’t just handle well getting in or getting off - it has to be good in all parts of the corners.”
With track position still being crucial, qualifying could also be a factor in who comes out on top Sunday.
Seven winners of the race have started inside the top five. Two of the last six winners have come from the front row.
In the 14 NASCAR races held at Indy, winners have qualified in the top 10 eight times and outside the top 15 on just three occasions.
Four-time event winner Jeff Gordon is the driver to start the furthest back and win at the Brickyard. That happened in 2001 when the Hendrick Motorsports driver went to victory lane after lining up 27th on the grid.
“Qualifying is very important,” said Roush Fenway Racing’s David Ragan, who started 30th and finished 16th in his Indy debut last season. “We didn’t qualify great last year, but still finished decent. … Drafting is key down the long straightaway, so having a car that handles well and qualifying towards the front will lead to a solid run.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Casey Mears
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