 |
| 217 mph for Junior! |
Blazing fast speeds continued at Michigan International
Speedway today during the final day of a two-day Goodyear Tire test.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer went 217 mph
during the morning session, calling the experience, “white-of-your-eyes fast.”
Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and
Trevor Bayne took part in the test at the two-mile racetrack, with Earnhardt saying
he hit speeds between 212 to 215 mph on the straightaways and approximately 180
in the turns.
“This is one of our better tracks, and our fans will
probably say the same,” said Earnhardt. “Having success here over the last four
or five years has given us a lot of confidence when we come here, and I think
that’s why Goodyear brings us to test.
“I enjoy racing here. It’s a fun track. The asphalt is
really aging well and it’s just going to keep getting better and better over
the next couple of years.”
Newman and Biffle agreed, saying that winter has aged the
track, making the super-smooth surface less oily and creating additional
grooves.
“I think (Michigan) will be a good race; I really do,”
Biffle said.
Though speeds on a racetrack are sexy, MIS President
Roger Curtis said passing and fierce competition are what makes great racing.
“The drivers are posting 200 mph,” he said. “That’s
awesome. The fans get very, very excited about that. But at the end of the day
Sunday -- when the green flag drops -- the numbers ‘two zero zero’ are not
anywhere in the fans’ minds. It’s lead changes. It’s the competition.”
The track was repaved in 2012, making for blazing fast
speeds. The asphalt has aged since then, but NASCAR has made significant
changes to the cars, keeping speeds fast.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Michigan
International Speedway this summer for two weekends: Quicken Loans 400 weekend,
June 13-15 and Pure Michigan 400 weekend, Aug. 15-17. For tickets and camping,
visit www.MISpeedway.com
or call 800-354-1010.
No comments:
Post a Comment