LONG POND, Pa. — The tough confines of Pocono Raceway have a behavior of favoring gasoline technique in NASCAR Cup Collection races.
Crew chiefs are attempting to make sure they gained’t get fooled once more.
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Paul Wolfe, three-time champion crew chief of the No. 22 Crew Penske Ford and driver Joey Logano, emphasised Saturday that technique might be on the forefront of his and each different crew chief’s thoughts in Sunday’s race at Pocono (1 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). However with a purpose to capitalize when alternative presents itself, their drivers additionally want a superb race automotive.
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“Clearly, you’ve gotta have a automotive that handles properly and has first rate velocity, however these races are a lot about technique and find out how to play that,” Wolfe instructed NASCAR.com. “A whole lot of it simply actually is determined by when you get cautions or not. That’s actually when it begins altering.
“So yeah, having a sport plan, understanding what you may maximize from a gasoline technique standpoint so far as what you’re feeling like it can save you relying in your driver.”
Groups may also traverse the “Tough Triangle” with a brand new right-side tire from Goodyear. Wolfe mentioned suggestions from Logano signifies no vital change in really feel behind the wheel, however an enchancment from earlier tires at different intermediate tracks on the circuit.
“Primarily based off of observe, I don’t assume we’re going to have the problems we’ve had at another locations with this building and seeing the cords after a gasoline run,” Wolfe mentioned, “So I believe understanding that’s not a priority, I believe it’ll be extra of a Pocono-type technique setup.”
Joey Logano drives at Pocono.
One other distinctive wrinkle at Pocono is its pit street, the longest and widest on the NASCAR circuit however one which options new timing traces to measure rivals’ rolling velocity. Officers permitted groups to measure and roll at pit-road velocity throughout Saturday’s observe, a novel addition to the session.
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“Sometimes, they don’t like guys to observe pit-road speeds proper throughout observe classes,” Wolfe mentioned. “We’ll take a look at that, simply to form of see the place we have been on the sport there, however yeah, simply remeasured, changed some timing traces, principally, which I don’t know that it’s going to have a big impact on pit street (Sunday), however simply one thing new, one thing for us to concentrate to.”
Brakes have additionally come into focus after some rotors failed two weeks in the past at Nashville Superspeedway. Pocono is not any stranger to brake failures itself, with a number of drivers experiencing points through the years.
“I believe what’s distinctive about Pocono is you do use lots of brake rub for the largest monitor as that is,” Wolfe mentioned. “Now we have these lengthy straightaways the place you get the massive warmth swings within the rotors, and guys are attempting to tune vehicles with totally different brake pads or packages, I suppose you’d say that work on the automotive stability fairly than not simply utilizing the brakes to gradual the automotive down, however utilizing brakes to make the automotive deal with otherwise. So once you begin doing that, you begin stressing sure rotors greater than others, after which we have now choices so far as what we name a light-duty rotor versus a heavy-duty rotor. Fairly primary is what the which means of them: one’s lighter and one’s heavier.
“Sometimes, you assume operating a lighter one’s not an issue right here, however when you get your self in some bizarre brake-pad combos, I believe that’s the place you may get your self in hassle. Clearly, I don’t know the place the sphere is, however I’m certain there’s totally different brake rotors and pad combos all through the sphere tomorrow. We talked about it coming right here. It’s undoubtedly one thing on our radar as we like to make use of that as a tuning instrument, however you’re weighing out danger and reward.”
