Charlotte’s new groove?
Track enhancement could increase passing Sunday
CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR is trying to inject some excitement into Charlotte Motor Speedway, where recent races have been relatively predictable, even dull.
When a lead car breaks free from the pack, it has been nearly impossible to catch.
No one could touch Kyle Larson when he was running in clean air during the first two 20-lap segments of the All-Star race last weekend. And in last year’s Coca-Cola 600, Martin Truex Jr. started in the pole position and led 392 of 400 laps on his way to victory lane. Such dominant performances don’t necessarily translate to the type of racing fans want to see.
NASCAR added a layer of traction compound called JP1 to the top groove of CMS this week in an effort to promote more passing at this year’s Coca-Cola 600, which is Sunday. The sticky substance is designed to give tires better grip and has been used on Bristol Motor Speedway’s concrete surface, though never on an asphalt track like CMS.
“We talked through this opportunity with the track, teams, drivers and Goodyear,” NASCAR vice president of competition Scott Miller wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “There was agreement that this process would enhance the racing we see at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and ultimately would make for an exciting Coca-Cola 600.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said the track hasn’t aged well since it was last paved. The fastest part of the track remains the lower groove, and that’s where drivers generally run.
“There is really no other way about it,” Earnhardt said.
The idea behind using the compound on the upper portion of the track is to create a sticky groove that is just as fast as the lower groove, luring drivers to attempt more passes up high. Kevin Harvick, who will start in the pole position Sunday, called it a good plan.
“The only groove that was there for the All-Star race was the bottom groove,” Harvick said. “I went up there and tried the middle and tried the top, and while you could go through there, you just couldn’t make any speed like you could on the bottom. … It’s definitely going to make a difference, and hopefully it widens the race track out and we can have grooves all over the track.”
Sponsor, team settle
Stewart-Haas Racing and snack company Nature’s Bakery have agreed to settle a $31 million breach-of-contract lawsuit the team had filed in a dispute with driver Danica Patrick’s former sponsor.
The team said Friday that Nature’s Bakery would serve as the primary sponsor for four NASCAR Cup Series races. They will be split between Patrick
and teammate Clint Bowyer later this season.
Nature’s Bakery severed its sponsorship agreement with Stewart-Haas and Patrick after the first year of a three-year deal. The team responded by filing the lawsuit in which it accused the company of cashflow problems and concocting reasons for pulling out of the multimillion-dollar deal.
In a counterclaim filed shortly before this year’s season-opening Daytona 500, Nature’s Bakery said Stewart-Haas Racing “could not control” Patrick and allowed her to endorse products that rivaled its own. Patrick, who was not a party to the lawsuit or counterclaim, defended her support of Nature’s Bakery and insisted she never promoted rival products.
Texas-sized ambition
AUSTIN, Texas — State lawmakers have given Texas Motor Speedway a big helping hand if the state’s premier stock-car track wants to lobby for NASCAR’s All-Star race and season-ending championship.
The Texas Legislature approved a bill Thursday that
makes those two races eligible for the state’s Major Events Reimbursement Program, the same fund that’s used to help attract big events such as the Super Bowl, the NCAA tournament’s Final Four and Formula One’s U.S. Grand Prix. The two NASCAR events would fit right in, too.
“They want to be able to go after those races, just like we try to court a Super Bowl or any other major sporting event,” said Rep. Tan Parker, a Republican whose district includes Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. “They will immediately go after them as best they can, and this gives them a tool in their toolbox to be aggressive when competing with other venues.”
Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage declined comment, but previous moves by track officials point to a pursuit of at least one of those events if the bill is signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, whose office oversees the fund.
NASCAR already has finalized its 2018 schedule, with the All-Star race in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the championship finale set for November in Homestead, Fla.