GM RACING
PRE_RACE ADVANCE--NHIS
FLAT, FAST NHIS PRESENTS BIG CHALLENGE FOR CREW CHIEFS
Loudon, N.H., July 19, 2003
Every race track has its challenges. Bristol’s challenge is
keeping the fenders on the car. Talladega and Daytona are
exercises in using air to your advantage. At New Hampshire
International Speedway, the challenge begins before a driver
ever gets in the car.
"The biggest challenge when you come to NHIS is, you’re
always tight here," said James Ince, crew chief for Johnny
Benson’s Valvoline Pontiac Grand Prix. "You’re always tight
in the center [of the corner] and tight off. When you go
back and fix your tight problems, you end up getting the car
loose in. It’s also a race track that changes every 15
seconds once the race starts. You have to continually free
the car up from the very first run. If the driver says it’s
perfect, you’d better free it up because it’s going to be
tight by the end of the next run."
NHIS, which has turns banked 12 degrees and straight-aways
banked at 2 degrees, can be a nightmare to get ready for
under the best of circumstances. Throw in new pavement and
you have a challenge of daunting proportions.
"It’s always pretty challenging, and it’s even more so this
week," Ince said. "The new pavement appears to be great, and
what they [NHIS track owners Bob and Gary Bahre] did was
good. We gained grip, but in the process, we created a lot
of chatter bumps out there. The track is not as smooth as
what it was, so the shocks we’ve run here for 10 years
aren’t working right now. This is a great race track to come
to and we like flat tracks. To me, it’s enjoyable because it
is so challenging and Johnny does such a good job on flat
tracks. But, for a normal guy with hair, this place can make
you pull your hair out."
The new pavement has made it easier for the 3,400-pound
stock cars to grab the track, but there’s one spot in the
very bottom groove that is sort of a booby trap for
unsuspecting racers. "When you’re on the race track, it
feels like the race track is flat and the bottom groove is
off-camber," said Benson. "There is a definite spot there
[in the bottom groove] where it seems flatter. I think once
the Busch race gets going and the guys start running down
there and get a little rubber on it, it’ll be OK, but right
now that’s just way too slick."
Benson said that the new asphalt has backed up the braking
point for entry into the corners. "You have to get off it
sooner because you have to give yourself room to catch the
car," Benson said with a chuckle. "I could go in there
harder, but it’s a 50-50 shot on whether I make the corner.
There’s a fine line there."
The Valvoline Racing Team was not among those teams who
spent one of the five annual test sessions on NHIS, and Ince
says that fact does not hurt his team’s chances. If
anything, it might be somewhat of an advantage not to have
tested.
"It almost leaves the teams that tested at a disadvantage,"
he maintained. "They came up here and tested on a very green
track and the pavement was newer than it is now. By the fact
that yesterday we didn’t get to qualify, it’s kind of put
everyone in the same boat. There isn’t a lot of rubber out
there. We learn a lot of things on Friday in qualifying trim
that would ordinarily apply to what we do in race trim. Even
though those guys came here and tested sometimes you come to
a new track with a new surface and you think you really
learn something. That might get you doing something
different than what you would normally do. By the time you
run the Busch race, the Busch North race and the Modified
race and we get all our practice in, the track is so
different than what it would have been testing anyway, it
might actually put them at a disadvantage.
"This is a momentum track," Inc said. "You have to be really
smooth and if you over drive the corner at all, it really
messes the car up. You try to get it really consistent and
really comfortable and put it in the driver’s hands. This is
a place where the driver can really make the difference."
|
|
Victory Lane
Milwaukee
June 20, 2008
Miami
November 16, 2007
Gateway
September 1, 2007
Bristol
August 22, 2007
Milwaukee
June 22, 2007
Berger
Chevrolet
Check Out
Berlin Raceway
Results
Berlin Raceway
Racing Broadcast on 92.5 - The Outlaw
Click Here
to listen on
the web
Berlin Raceway
Hall of Fame
John Benson Sr.
Harry Obie
Bob Knight
Gail Cobb
Ralph Baker
Jimmy Meyer
The Mysliwiec's
 |
|
2008
Craftsman Truck Schedule
|
02/15 |
Daytona |
|
02/23 |
California |
|
03/07 |
Atlanta |
|
03/29 |
Martinsville |
|
04/26 |
Kansas |
|
05/16 |
Lowes |
|
05/24 |
Mansfield |
|
05/30 |
Dover |
|
06/06 |
Texas |
|
06/14 |
MIS |
|
06/20 |
Milwaukee |
|
06/28 |
Memphis |
|
07/19 |
Kentucky |
|
07/25 |
Indy |
|
08/09 |
Nashville |
|
08/20 |
Bristol |
|
09/06 |
Gateway |
|
09/13 |
Loudon |
|
09/20 |
Las Vegas |
|
10/04 |
Talladega |
|
10/18 |
Martinsville |
|
10/25 |
Atlanta |
|
10/31 |
Texas |
|
11/07 |
Phoenix |
|
11/14 |
Homestead |
|
|
2008
Nationwide
Schedule |
|
02/16 |
Daytona |
|
02/23 |
California |
|
03/01 |
Las Vegas |
|
03/08 |
Atlanta |
|
03/15 |
Bristol |
|
03/22 |
Nashville |
|
04/05 |
Texas |
|
04/11 |
Phoenix |
|
04/20 |
Mexico |
|
04/26 |
Talladega |
|
05/02 |
Richmond |
|
05/09 |
Darlington |
|
05/24 |
Lowes |
|
05/31 |
Dover |
|
06/07 |
Nashville |
|
06/14 |
Kentucky |
|
06/21 |
Milwaukee |
|
06/28 |
New Hampshire |
|
07/04 |
Daytona |
|
07/11 |
Chicago |
|
07/19 |
Gateway |
|
07/26 |
Indy |
|
08/02 |
Montreal |
|
08/09 |
Watkins Glen |
|
08/16 |
Michigan |
|
08/22 |
Bristol |
|
08/30 |
California |
|
09/05 |
Richmond |
|
09/20 |
Dover |
|
09/27 |
Kansas |
|
10/10 |
Lowes |
|
10/25 |
Memphis |
|
11/01 |
Texas |
|
11/08 |
Phoenix |
|
11/15 |
Miami |
|
|
2008
Sprint Cup
Schedule |
|
02/17 |
Daytona |
|
02/24 |
California |
|
03/02 |
Las Vegas |
|
03/09 |
Atlanta |
|
03/16 |
Bristol |
|
03/30 |
Martinsville |
|
04/06 |
Texas |
|
04/12 |
Phoenix |
|
04/27 |
Talladega |
|
05/03 |
Richmond |
|
05/10 |
Darlington |
|
05/25 |
Lowes |
|
06/01 |
Dover |
|
06/08 |
Pocono |
|
06/15 |
MIS |
|
06/22 |
Sonoma |
|
06/29 |
New Hampshire |
|
07/05 |
Daytona |
|
07/12 |
Chicago |
|
07/27 |
Indy |
|
08/03 |
Pocono |
|
08/10 |
Watkins Glen |
|
08/17 |
MIS |
|
08/23 |
Bristol |
|
08/31 |
California |
|
09/06 |
Richmond |
|
09/14 |
Loudon |
|
09/21 |
Lowes |
|
09/28 |
Kansas |
|
10/05 |
Talladega |
|
10/11 |
Lowes |
|
10/19 |
Martinsville |
|
10/26 |
Atlanta |
|
11/02 |
Texas |
|
11/09 |
Phoenix |
|
11/16 |
Miami |
|
|
2008
JB's Berlin
Schedule |
|
|
August 2nd |
|
|
September 27th |
|
|
|
|
