Road courses

Cheez-it 355k at the Glen

Dan Beaver Road courses, Watkins Glen Leave a comment

Fans of road course racing have only one more opportunity to watch cars turn right and left.

Only five races have been run since the series rolled out of Sonoma, Calif. and the West Coast. One of these came on the restrictor-plate Daytona International Speedway and can virtually be ignored from a handicapping standpoint. One was on the repaved and reconfigured Kentucky Speedway that inserted another Joker in the deck. The last three have been notable.

The New Hampshire 301, Brickyard 400, and Pennsylvania 400 have all been run on flat tracks. While they do not have all the same characteristics as a road course, some of the same skills apply. In order to go fast on minimally-banked courses, drivers have to ease into the corner and perfectly time their acceleration at the apex; the same is true of the twisty tracks.

Pocono Raceway’s event was rain delayed, which shortened up the week by one day. Now the drivers roll straight to the Watkins Glen International with very little rest. Still, they have momentum on their side after contesting events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And with New Hampshire being just a short jaunt up the highway a lot of the same fans and families will be in attendance.

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Toyota / Save Mart 350k

Dan Beaver Road courses, Sonoma Raceway Leave a comment

2473_DB_DFS_skyscraper

Road course racing is perhaps the purest discipline drivers face. Each corner of every track is nuanced. That is true of ovals, of course, but even more so for road courses.

Entry, apex, elevation change, paving, even which turn one is approaching from the total number on the course—all of these factors go into determining how to approach a corner. Each turn feels different. Each has a unique challenge. It is as difficult to get every corner correct at Sonoma or Watkins Glen International, just as it was Pocono Raceway a few weeks ago so drivers have to decide where to compromise.

Drivers can give up a little on tighter corners because the trailing competition may have difficulty out-braking them to overtake. Blocking is allowed and even common in NASCAR. It is not in open wheel series. And there is an easy explanation for this: fenders.

Drivers are paid a lot of money to keep their opponents behind them. They are also paid to pass the competition and one’s attitude toward the fairness of blocking depends entirely on whether one is the leading or trailing driver. Block the wrong person or too much, and one nudge at the right part of the corner can result in an off-road excursion.

Sonoma is a much more technical course than Watkins Glen. The overall speed is a little slower and corner exit is more important than entry. For students of the discipline, that makes a big difference, but NASCAR is made up of a herd of bulls and a very small china shop. “Discipline” is a relative terms when a victory is on the line. The Toyota / Save Mart 350k, all three regular season restrictor-plate, superspeedway events, and the upcoming contest at the Glen carry the same berth into the Chase and full time drivers will take whatever risks they need to get to the checkers first.

The same is true of part time drivers, of course. And also of drivers who already have a victory to their credit. Basically, anyone in the top five can be counted on to do whatever is necessary to win.

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