Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matt on March 7, 2009 at 11:08pm

Its odd Biffle loved the tires during testing but hates them now, very confusing stuff. Obviously there was a tire change between then and now, I am curious if the powers that be in Nascar "recommended" a change. Typically, when Googyear hits on a tire that works and the drivers like, they bring it back.

Ill dig in and see what I can find out from my old contacts. Look at the truck race. Its clear Goodyear can make a good tire for Atlanta, maybe they are playing it very conservative because of how the COT stressed the right front so much and its such a fast track. Right front tire failures could be very dangerous. Its a shame Nascar refuses to alter the design.

Permalink Reply by WJM on March 7, 2009 at 6:57pm

Say what?

Permalink Reply by Thomas on March 7, 2009 at 11:33pm

Blitz I don't understand your theory about the Brickyard last year. I was there and saw the tires in practice with all the problems EVERYONE was having. Throwing the caution every 10 or so laps was the only way of securing many cars from hitting the wall. Everyone was driving until either their tire blew out or someone else. That is why they had to throw the yellow. Everyone drove 110% for 10 laps until the next caution, so I thought it was a pretty decent race.

Permalink Reply by James Tallant on March 8, 2009 at 6:37am

Indy was a joke of a 400 mile race! The "Brickyard 40 Ten Times" was a great alternative to cancelling the race due to safety concerns. Blitz seems pretty pissed at Nascar and some of it is true, I hope he watches the race today though, it could be a top 7 for the RGM gang, lol...

Permalink Reply by Lance on March 8, 2009 at 9:40am

2 points about the tire issue. First, you cannot compare Las Vegas with Atlanta. Atlanta's pavement is 10 years older than Las Vegas. What does that mean? Less grip and more wear. In fact significantly more wear and less grip. So here is the pickle Goodyear is in. Do you build a tire that grips better and face the possibilities of sever blowouts or do you go with a hard tire with less grip? They went with less grip because Nascar cannot afford a disaster like they experienced at Indy last year. I agree with that decision completely.

Secondly, look for Carl Edwards to win this race. He's not a whiner when the going is tough like Biffle and some of the others. He just gets up on the wheel and out drives everyone.

Permalink Reply by Jaci on March 8, 2009 at 10:17am

Teams Search For Grip In Final Practice
http://www.hardcoreracefans.com/index.php?option=com_content&vi...

The talk throughout the Sprint Cup Series garage over the weekend has centered around the struggle to find grip on the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. One of the most abrasive racing surfaces on the circuit, Atlanta wears out tires and tests teams' abilities to find the perfect setup and handling that will get the job done.

During Saturday's final practice, teams worked diligently to find the right combination that would make the most of the tricky situation. While Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne posted the fastest times of the session, a number of teams were happy with the progress they made heading into Sunday's event.

"I think we got it better the second practice," Donnie Wingo, crew chief on Jamie McMurray's No. 26 Ford Fusion told HardcoreRaceFans.com. "It's like when it's too loose we change but then we get it too tight, so it's hard to find a happy medium there. That's the biggest things we're fighting right now.

"The biggest thing is you're trying to get both ends to slide the same," Wingo added. "We can get the rear sliding too much or the front sliding too much, we just haven't found a happy medium yet, but I think we've got some good ideas to look at tonight and make changes for tomorrow."

"The tire is really, really, really down on grip," Clint Bowyer explained. "I think we'll be fine. We worked on a few things and juggled with the setup, but I think we locked in on something there at the end and showed some promise."

Despite having the option of running multiple grooves around the 1.5-mile track, Bowyer explained by changing your line you would only make matters more complicated for the crew and make the team's job that much more difficult.

"If you change you're line," Bowyer pointed out, "you're chasing line and car, and you can't really give them an honest effort on what you're doing. You've just got to keep digging, keep working on it, keep trying things and keep changing, changing, changing and hopefully you'll lock on to something and I think we did. I'm exited and ready to go."

"We got the car working on old tires, we never put stickers on like a lot of the guys," Daytona 500 winning crew chief Drew Blickensderfer explained to HardcoreRaceFans.com. "Tires fall off so bad here that after 10-12 laps you're really struggling to find grip."

For owner/driver Robby Gordon, the challenge presented by the racing surface is a double-edged sword. Frustrating on one hand, Gordon also understands racing is not supposed to be easy all of the time.

"I've got to be honest, I don't like it, but I like it at the same time because it makes everyone driver their cars," Gordon explained. "I'm pretty good with where we're at. The track is very challenging and the tire package they have for this track is very challenging. It reminds me of the old Rockingham Speedway or Darlington where the tires fall off a second a lap in five laps. That part of it is challenging, but it's the same for everybody. It's not how far you can drive it in, it's how long you can be wide open after you start rotating the middle of the corner."

There have been various debates throughout much of this race weekend about whether the Atlanta Motor Speedway needs to be repaved in order to save tires and help the cars handle better. Surprisingly, despite the challenge and the frustration the track presents teams and drivers, the overall consensus has been to leave it alone.

"I like it the way it is. It works well," Blickensderfer said of the racing surface. "It gives it a lot of new elements. You can go from the top to the bottom the way it is. It makes for better racing since it isn't [newly] paved."

"I think when you get a track like this you get good racing," Wingo added. "When you have fall-off you're going to have better racing. You've got two or three grooves you can run, so paving it is not necessarily going to fix it because then you'll have a track like everywhere else where everybody is fighting for the bottom while now guys can run top to bottom."

There is no doubt the Atlanta Motor Speedway presents a unique challenge to teams and drivers. Nobody ever said racing was supposed to be easy and as the track ages the surface continues to make these teams work harder on managing their equipment, finding the perfect setup and doing whatever it takes to be there in the end - and that's what racing is all about.

Permalink Reply by Beagle7 on March 8, 2009 at 12:55pm

We REALLY need to stay on the lead lap today....Bill Elliot will be a lap down by lap 40, as he starts near the back and his car is terrible.

That gives us free entry into our pit to set up an easy exit...

Should be able to gain spots on pit road as a result if the stops are good.

Permalink Reply by Beagle7 on March 8, 2009 at 1:04pm

as for the top 35...ahead of us Andretti has a miserable car it looks also...we should pass him today.

behind us, the 78 is not running (35th), the 71(36th) is not good this week either, the 82 is bad, too (37th).

A solid top25 today gives us NICE breathing room going into Bristol in 2 weeks

Permalink Reply by Jaci on March 8, 2009 at 1:19pm

1 dead, 2 missing in small plane crash west of Atlanta; may have been headed to NASCAR race
By Associated Press
12:03 PM EDT, March 8, 2009

CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say one person is dead and they are looking for two others who were aboard a small plane that crashed into a pond in Georgia.

A Federal Aviation Administration official says the Cessna 182 apparently was headed toward the Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway south of Atlanta when it crashed about 9 a.m. Sunday.

The plane was submerged in the pond in Carrollton, about 40 miles west of Atlanta.

FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says one body has been pulled from the water. She did not release the names of those aboard.

Bergen says the plane left McCollum Field south of Atlanta and the pilot did not file a flight plan.

Records show the plane is registered to four men.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-plane-crash-...

Permalink Reply by Michael on March 8, 2009 at 1:33pm

McCollum Field is not south of Atlanta. It is in Kennesaw Georgia, north of Atlanta in Cobb county.

Home depot and UPS have large offices in atlanta...hopefully they didn't lose any people in this. I don't know of any drivers from cobb county. Bill Elliot is from dawsonville and Reed sorenson is from peachtree city. both of these locations are far enough from kennesaw where I doubt they would go there for a flight.

horrible news though.

Permalink Reply by Bigzoom on March 8, 2009 at 1:27pm

Robby & Harvick during drivers meeting get ready for Atlant

a

Permalink Reply by Beagle7 on March 8, 2009 at 2:06pm

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