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Sprint Cup
CUP: Under The Hood - Martinsville
Qualifying well is just one of the keys to a good run at Martinsville Speedway...
“Under The Hood Presented by Quaker State” is a series of behind-the-scenes articles about Hendrick Motorsports.
Editor’s Note: “Under The Hood Presented by Quaker State” is a series of behind-the-scenes looks at what Hendrick Motrosports does to remain at the front of the hyper-competitive world of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. This week, the Hendrick team tackles Martinsville Speedway, site of Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500.
It’s been likened to a paperclip or two dragstrips connected by a pair of hairpin turns. And even though it’s the smallest and slowest oval in the Sprint Cup Series, tiny Martinsville Speedway is one of the most challenging tracks on the circuit.
Hendrick Motorsports won its first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville way back in 1984, and since that time has amassed a total of 18 victories at the 0.526-mile track, including seven by Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, and six more by the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet piloted by Jimmie Johnson.
None of those victories has come easily, as Martinsville is a nerve-wracking test of man and machine, despite its diminutive size.
It’s hard on engines, which go through 1,000 cycles of acceleration/deceleration over the 500-lap race. Likewise, it’s exceptionally hard on brakes, which generate enormous amounts of heat over the course of the race.
According to Alan Gustafson, crew chief of Mark Martin’s No. 5 eBay Motors/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, the key to a good race at Martinsville is getting the weekend off to a good start by qualifying well on Friday.
“Of all tracks, Martinsville and Bristol (Tenn.) is where qualifying is most important,” says Gustafson. “Not just because of starting position either, but more so because of pit selection. Pit road is so tight, and there aren't many openings, so having one of the first choices is ideal.”
And the further up front a driver starts out, the more likely he is to stay on the lead lap, an important consideration given how small Martinsville is.
“Once the race starts, so many cars get lapped, so if you start in the back and it goes green for a while that's a threat very early in the race,” says Gustafson. “If you start up front, there are fewer incidents to deal with and it's easier to take care of your tires and brakes. Everything's easier when you start up front, but it's more important at Martinsville than nearly every other track on the circuit.”
Johnson says driving the tiny oval efficiently takes some smarts.
“The track at Martinsville, especially when the rubber is laid down, reminds me of some of my off-road stuff where we would have barrels or tractor tires stacked up as the turn-marker, but it was that tight of a radius,” says Johnson. “And when the rubber lays down, especially the right-side rubber on corner exit at Martinsville, you have to change your line to not run through the rubber at the wrong spot.”
For Lance McGrew, crew chief of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, giving driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. a comfortable car on Sunday will be important, too: The easier to drive the car is, the less likely the driver is to use his car up trying to get to the front of the field.
“If your driver is really comfortable and he's not overdriving it then you can be there at the end,” says McGrew.
And not overdriving the car is critically important at Martinsville.
“You can literally drive the tires off the car,” says McGrew. “If you are too hard on the brakes then you can melt beads and have a tire blow out. Even as good as our cars have gotten and as efficient as our brake cooling is, you can still overwork the brakes and either wear them out or overheat them. Either way, you are in trouble and it's going to make for a bad day.”
For Steve Letarte, crew chief for Gordon and the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, winning on Sunday at Martinsville is a top priority.
“I look at Martinsville in a different way,” he says. “It's not that you have to go there and run well; it's that you cannot go there and run bad because someone that you're racing against in the points is probably going to win that race.”
Read more... “Under The Hood Presented by Quaker State”
It’s been likened to a paperclip or two dragstrips connected by a pair of hairpin turns. And even though it’s the smallest and slowest oval in the Sprint Cup Series, tiny Martinsville Speedway is one of the most challenging tracks on the circuit.
Hendrick Motorsports won its first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville way back in 1984, and since that time has amassed a total of 18 victories at the 0.526-mile track, including seven by Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, and six more by the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet piloted by Jimmie Johnson.
None of those victories has come easily, as Martinsville is a nerve-wracking test of man and machine, despite its diminutive size.
It’s hard on engines, which go through 1,000 cycles of acceleration/deceleration over the 500-lap race. Likewise, it’s exceptionally hard on brakes, which generate enormous amounts of heat over the course of the race.
According to Alan Gustafson, crew chief of Mark Martin’s No. 5 eBay Motors/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, the key to a good race at Martinsville is getting the weekend off to a good start by qualifying well on Friday.
“Of all tracks, Martinsville and Bristol (Tenn.) is where qualifying is most important,” says Gustafson. “Not just because of starting position either, but more so because of pit selection. Pit road is so tight, and there aren't many openings, so having one of the first choices is ideal.”
And the further up front a driver starts out, the more likely he is to stay on the lead lap, an important consideration given how small Martinsville is.
“Once the race starts, so many cars get lapped, so if you start in the back and it goes green for a while that's a threat very early in the race,” says Gustafson. “If you start up front, there are fewer incidents to deal with and it's easier to take care of your tires and brakes. Everything's easier when you start up front, but it's more important at Martinsville than nearly every other track on the circuit.”
Johnson says driving the tiny oval efficiently takes some smarts.
“The track at Martinsville, especially when the rubber is laid down, reminds me of some of my off-road stuff where we would have barrels or tractor tires stacked up as the turn-marker, but it was that tight of a radius,” says Johnson. “And when the rubber lays down, especially the right-side rubber on corner exit at Martinsville, you have to change your line to not run through the rubber at the wrong spot.”
For Lance McGrew, crew chief of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, giving driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. a comfortable car on Sunday will be important, too: The easier to drive the car is, the less likely the driver is to use his car up trying to get to the front of the field.
“If your driver is really comfortable and he's not overdriving it then you can be there at the end,” says McGrew.
And not overdriving the car is critically important at Martinsville.
“You can literally drive the tires off the car,” says McGrew. “If you are too hard on the brakes then you can melt beads and have a tire blow out. Even as good as our cars have gotten and as efficient as our brake cooling is, you can still overwork the brakes and either wear them out or overheat them. Either way, you are in trouble and it's going to make for a bad day.”
For Steve Letarte, crew chief for Gordon and the No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet, winning on Sunday at Martinsville is a top priority.
“I look at Martinsville in a different way,” he says. “It's not that you have to go there and run well; it's that you cannot go there and run bad because someone that you're racing against in the points is probably going to win that race.”
Read more... “Under The Hood Presented by Quaker State”
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