Smaller fuel cell will be used for Charlotte
By Bob Pockrass
Friday, April 07, 2006
FORT WORTH, Texas - NASCAR will require Nextel Cup cars to use a smaller fuel cell at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May, NASCAR official Robin Pemberton said April 7.
The move is designed to make teams pit more frequently and give them a chance to check tire wear on the newly repaved surface on the 1.5-mile track outside Charlotte. Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said the tire Goodyear has decided to use "is a great tire," but NASCAR wanted to enter the first weekend on the new surface cautiously.
The fuel cell will be about 13 gallons, compared to the usual 22-gallon cell. Teams will be able to go about 35-40 laps on fuel instead of 60-70 with the bigger cell. Only the Nextel Cup cars will use the smaller fuel cell.
Nextel Cup teams will test at the track May 1-3, and Busch Series teams will test there May 8-10.
"Part of it is the unknown right now," Pemberton said. "So we would rather be up front to give our teams, when they go back there to test, ... the opportunity to test how the cars are going to be.
"That way they get the balance right and all that stuff right with the weights."
