NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: NASCAR, Drivers OK With Rising Speeds
Speeds continue to soar at Daytona International Speedway as NASCAR tries to lessen the impact of tandem drafting…
Jared Turner  |  Posted January 13, 2012   Daytona Beach, FL
Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Marcos Ambrose (Left) and Aric Almirola (Right) ran fast laps during the testing session at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
In addition to the ongoing attention surrounding NASCAR’s efforts to thwart tandem drafting in preseason testing at Daytona International Speedway is an unsurprising yet notable by-product of those efforts: Higher speeds.

After Kyle Busch hooked up with teammate Joey Logano to break the 202 mph barrier in Thursday afternoon’s session at DIS, the duo of Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer shattered Busch’s mark in Friday morning’s test run.

Truex and Bowyer ran identical speeds of 204.722 mph as Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola (both 203.142) also eclipsed Thursday’s quick time in the three-hour session.

But the speeds weren’t done climbing.

In the opening minutes of Friday afternoon’s session at the World Center of Racing, Kyle Busch returned to the top of the speed chart – this time with a lap of 205.813 – as two others also quickly recorded laps in excess of 205.

Kyle’s mark was later topped by older brother Kurt Busch, who paired up with Regan Smith to turn a lap in excess of 206 mph in his new Phoenix Racing Chevrolet.

With safety always a priority for NASCAR and competitors alike, the steady rise in speeds over two days of preseason testing raises the question of exactly how fast is too fast.

“Obviously we watch the speeds and everybody knows we watch the speeds,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said in between Friday’s morning and afternoon sessions. “It’s one of those things that we have to monitor. It is a test, so we may be a little bit more lenient at a test than we would be on race weekend, but we’ll see how everything settles out and what kind of rule package we come back with (in February). 204 is OK for a test. It’s OK for now but we’ll have to take back everything we’ve learned and then make a decision after that.”

Sprint Cup Series director John Darby, also speaking before the afternoon session, echoed Helton’s sentiments.

“Traditionally at Daytona and Talladega both we’ve been 202, 203 (miles per hour) at times during the race probably for the past four plate races,” he said. “And when you look at it that way, maybe there’s a mile an hour there that’s quicker. … 204 is exciting. I don’t think it’s (time to be) nervous yet, so we’re OK.”
Robin Pemberton, (Left ) vice president of competition for NASCAR, and John Darby, (Right) managing director of competition for NASCAR and Sprint Cup Series director, speaks to the media during Daytona Preseason Thunder. (Photo: Getty Images)

Friday’s elevated speeds, which came after NASCAR tweaked teams’ rules packages late Thursday in an effort to break up the widely unpopular two-car tandem drafts so prevalent lately at Daytona and Talladega, didn’t seem to bother the competitors.

“I think the speeds are incredible, and I like it,” Brad Keselowski said. “I know some guys don’t, but as a race car driver, it’s your job to go fast.”

Most teams posted laps on Friday morning between one half and six tenths of second quicker than their top time from Thursday.

“What is weird is that it doesn’t slow down in the corner as much as it did yesterday,” said Greg Biffle. “Yesterday you would go 195 on the straightaway and 190 around the middle of the corner, 189 to 190. Now it goes 196 or 197 and then 195 in the corner. So the more power keeps it up against the aero. It is almost like the more plate you give it, the constant the speed stays.

“It doesn’t slow down to speed up like a car normally does. It is interesting to see how the dynamics of the aero and the more power equate to each other.”

Jared Turner is an Associate Editor for SPEED.com, covering NASCAR and Formula One, and is an Editor for TruckSeries.com. His professional motorsports writing career began in 2005.
DAYTONA PRESEASON THUNDER TESTING: During the Jan. 12-14 test sessions at Daytona International Speedway, fans can submit questions and comments through Twitter @SPEED (http://www.twitter.com/speed) using the #daytonatesting hashtag.
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