Thursday, March 8, 2007 | 7:18 a.m.
Bruton Smith's decision to reconfigure the 1.5-mile oval at his Las Vegas Motor Speedway no doubt will be a hit with spectators attending this weekend's NASCAR races, but it already is proving to be a headache for tire supplier Goodyear.
By increasing the banking from 12 to 20 degrees in the corners (and from 3 to 9 degrees on the backstretch) and repaving the entire racing surface, the Nextel Cup cars shattered the track record by nearly 14 mph during testing in January. But the increased speed resulted in an unacceptable amount of heat in the tires, which could have led to dangerous failures during this weekend's races.
As a result, Goodyear engineers were forced to develop a new tire to be used on the left side of the cars. The new tire will be used in conjunction with the same right-side tire that was developed last year for races at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., which also had been repaved.
The new tire package, which was tested on NASCAR Busch Series cars at the speedway in early February, effectively slowed those cars by three- to four-tenths of a second per lap.
"It probably will slow the Cup cars a little more than that because they have less downforce" than the Busch cars, according to Stu Grant, Goodyear's general manager of worldwide racing.
In addition, NASCAR has mandated that the Nextel Cup and Busch series cars use smaller fuel cells for this weekend's races to reduce the chance of the tires building up excessive heat by promoting more pit stops.
In the future, would Goodyear officials like to be consulted before a track goes through such a major renovation?
"We're in the tire-manufacturing business, we're not in the racetrack-design business," Grant said. "It's our job to deliver a tire that's going to work on these racetracks and on these race cars - that's our job."
Changes
Five biggest changes this season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series:
1. Toyota is the first foreign manufacturer to compete in the series since the 1950s.
2. The Car of Tomorrow will race in 16 events this season, beginning at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee in two weeks. Designed to improve competition and driver safety and reduce teams' costs, the most noticeable difference in the car will be an adjustable rear wing.
3. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya brings an international flavor to NASCAR.
4. The field for the 10-race "Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup" will be expanded from 10 to 12 drivers.
5. Cars began running unleaded fuel two weeks ago at California Speedway.
What: NASCAR weekend
When: Friday through Sunday
Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Time: Practice starts at 8:30 a.m. and qualifying begins at 3:10 p.m. Friday. Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race begins at noon Saturday, and UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday
Gates open: 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. Sunday
Tickets: $26.25 (Friday); $38.85 and $50.40 (Saturday); Sunday sold out (single seats still available). 644-4444 or www.lvms.com
1.5-mile tracks
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Ga.
Banking: 24 degrees in corners, 5 degrees on straights
Track record: 197.478 mph by Geoffrey Bodine in 1997
Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Ill.
Banking: 18 degrees in corners, 11 degrees on frontstretch, 5 degrees on backstretch
Track record: 188.147 mph by Jimmie Johnson in 2005
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead, Fla.
Banking: 18-20 degrees in corners (variable), 4 degrees on straights
Track record: 181.111 mph by Jamie McMurray in 2003
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kan.
Banking: 15 degrees in corners, 10.4 degrees on frontstretch, 5 degrees on backstretch Track record: 180.856 mph by Matt Kenseth in 2005
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas
Banking: 18-20 degrees in corners (variable), 9 degrees on straights
Track record: 174.904 mph by Kasey Kahne in 2004 (old configuration)
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C. Banking: 24 degrees in corners, 5 degrees on straights
Track record: 193.216 mph by Elliott Sadler in 2005
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Banking: 24 degrees in corners, 5 degrees on straights
Track record: 196.235 mph by Brian Vickers in 2006
Fastest qualifiers
Evolution of track qualifying record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (NASCAR Cup Series):
1998: 168.224 mph by Dale Jarrett
1999: 170.643 mph by Bobby Labonte
2000: 172.563 mph by Ricky Rudd
2001: 172.106 mph by Dale Jarrett
2002: 172.850 mph by Todd Bodine
2003: 173.016 mph by Bobby Labonte
2004: 174.904 mph by Kasey Kahne
2005: 173.745 mph by Ryan Newman
2006: 172.403 mph by Greg Biffle
NASCAR Cup Series race winners at the speedway
1998: Mark Martin
1999: Jeff Burton
2000: Jeff Burton
2001: Jeff Gordon
2002: Sterling Marlin
2003: Matt Kenseth
2004: Matt Kenseth
2005: Jimmie Johnson
2006: Jimmie Johnson
Cup-winning owners
Jack Roush, 5
Rick Hendrick, 3
Chip Ganassi, 1
Cup victories by manufacturer
Ford, 5
Chevrolet, 3
Dodge, 1
Cup records
Most lead changes: 25 - twice (most recently 2005)
Fewest lead changes: 13 - 2000
Most leaders: 13 - twice (most recently 2002)
Fewest leaders: 7 - 2000
Most cautions: 10 - 2005
Fewest cautions: 2 - twice (most recently 2000)
Most caution laps: 46 - 2005
Fewest caution laps: 9 - 1998
Most cars on the lead lap: 30 - 2006
Fewest cars on the lead lap: 10 - twice (most recently 1999)
Most running at the finish: 42 - 2000
Fewest running at the finish: 33 - 2004
Most laps led by a race winner: 123 - Matt Kenseth, 2004
Fewest laps led by a race winner: 1 - Jimmie Johnson, 2006
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