Drivers got better acclimated to the newly repaved and configured Phoenix International Raceway on Wednesday the final day, of two days, of testing.
The one-mile oval was not only repaved but some not-so-subtle changes in the form of additional banking made it interesting for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who came to the test.
For Sprint Cup chaser, Kyle Busch, the most important thing was that the weather was more moderate than the first, limited, test.
“Certainly, it’s a lot better than what we’re accustomed to here a couple weeks ago doing the Goodyear tire test. With everything and the speeds we’ve been running here are more indicative to what we expected to run on the new asphalt with the surface and everything. It’s been good. Having 30 cars here rather than five and the temperatures being about 20 degrees cooler, it’s made it for a lot better conditions,” he said.
He acknowledged the changes but said the jury was still out on whether or not the “show” would be better for fans when he explained “it’s certainly different. It’s not what we’re used to. Before it was a little less of a kink and you kind of still had a little bit of a bump through there, but now it’s like a big swell. You kind of go through there a lot and you know whether it makes for good exciting racing or not, it’s yet to be seen.”
Kurt Busch, fresh off his victory in Dover, says there one new action spot to look out for. “We were talking about it last night, about the double file restarts, getting through two. Getting into the dogleg is going to be exciting. During the test, everybody is giving. When you catch a car, they let you go. But when they start racing, it's going to be pretty interesting through there. That's going to open up another can of worms to see how all the action takes place back through there. Getting into it, positioning yourself, where you get a run on the guy, whether it's on the outside or inside of him, the give and take is going to be pretty interesting.”
Carl Edwards, another driver in the hunt for his first Sprint Cup title, said the key would be how the track absorbs the rubber from the tires wearing in on the asphalt.
“As treacherous as this place was in the Goodyear tire test, as tough as it was to drive, it got better the whole day. I think we have a lot to look forward to once the track gets more rubber on it,” Edwards said.
He thinks that the track renovations could be a wild card in determining the Championship. “To me it's going to be pretty amazing to be the penultimate race and have all those opportunities for something crazy to happen, it could shake everything up. I don't know how all those dynamics are going to work out. I think as we see the other series run, we'll learn where the problem spots are,” he added.
The one-mile oval was not only repaved but some not-so-subtle changes in the form of additional banking made it interesting for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who came to the test.
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| Matt Kenseth waits for his crew to get the car ready. (Photo: NASCAR) |
For Sprint Cup chaser, Kyle Busch, the most important thing was that the weather was more moderate than the first, limited, test.
“Certainly, it’s a lot better than what we’re accustomed to here a couple weeks ago doing the Goodyear tire test. With everything and the speeds we’ve been running here are more indicative to what we expected to run on the new asphalt with the surface and everything. It’s been good. Having 30 cars here rather than five and the temperatures being about 20 degrees cooler, it’s made it for a lot better conditions,” he said.
He acknowledged the changes but said the jury was still out on whether or not the “show” would be better for fans when he explained “it’s certainly different. It’s not what we’re used to. Before it was a little less of a kink and you kind of still had a little bit of a bump through there, but now it’s like a big swell. You kind of go through there a lot and you know whether it makes for good exciting racing or not, it’s yet to be seen.”
Kurt Busch, fresh off his victory in Dover, says there one new action spot to look out for. “We were talking about it last night, about the double file restarts, getting through two. Getting into the dogleg is going to be exciting. During the test, everybody is giving. When you catch a car, they let you go. But when they start racing, it's going to be pretty interesting through there. That's going to open up another can of worms to see how all the action takes place back through there. Getting into it, positioning yourself, where you get a run on the guy, whether it's on the outside or inside of him, the give and take is going to be pretty interesting.”
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| The EFI Michael Waltrip Racing car. (Photo: NASCAR) |
Carl Edwards, another driver in the hunt for his first Sprint Cup title, said the key would be how the track absorbs the rubber from the tires wearing in on the asphalt.
“As treacherous as this place was in the Goodyear tire test, as tough as it was to drive, it got better the whole day. I think we have a lot to look forward to once the track gets more rubber on it,” Edwards said.
He thinks that the track renovations could be a wild card in determining the Championship. “To me it's going to be pretty amazing to be the penultimate race and have all those opportunities for something crazy to happen, it could shake everything up. I don't know how all those dynamics are going to work out. I think as we see the other series run, we'll learn where the problem spots are,” he added.