Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo – Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Denny Hamlin’s instant analysis was an omen of things to come.
“This baby is ice—no grip at all,” Hamlin declared on his radio after spinning out on the new asphalt at Texas Motor Speedway just 2 minutes 23 seconds into Friday’s opening practice at the 1.5-mile track.
Once a race track undergoes a reconfiguration or repave, NASCAR teams are usually invited to take part in a scheduled test of their equipment so they can learn how to adapt their car to the track changes well before competing in a race. But not always, especially when there’s a shortage of time and at Texas Motor Speedway, they know all about a time crunch. Continue reading →
Catch the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway in the STP 500 on Sunday, April 2nd at 2 pm ET. Television and radio coverage begins at 12:30 pm ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Drivers will race 500 laps covering 263 miles with Stage 1 ending on lap 130 and Stage 2 ending on lap 260. Continue reading →
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 31, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images
When it comes to negotiating Martinsville Speedway successfully, Jimmie Johnson thinks of the learning process as a light bulb suddenly illuminating.
Denny Hamlin, on the other hand, thinks the use of data in analyzing the fastest way around the track has made it much easier to flip the switch than it used to be. Continue reading →