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#1:
Driving up to the track and into the parking lot at gate #5, I saw
no significant improvement in the roads, access, parking lot attendants,
etc. I hope that everything will go more smoothly than last year.
It seems like it will be up to whomever is directing traffic on Sunday.
At least this year I should have a better parking spot. :-)
#2:
I climbed up the hill to get a good look at my seats and the new
track layout. The chute between 4 & 7 is quite a sight.
Mr. Smith and friends filled in an entire valley between the turn 4 and
turn 7 hills and the new racing surface seems to be quite smooth.
A gentle slope on a wide curve down to the new Turn 7. It seems like
they raised the entire turn 7 area about 20 feet from its original elevation.
Seems like it would be hell for any divisions that still use the Carousel.
Now the old track lunges uphill into a sharp hairpin with a wide diving
exit, but we won't be seeing anyone use that this weekend. The turn
7 area should still be an out-braking area, but only if you get a jump
on someone in turn 3a. I think it will take a lot of passing action
out of the area. The only passing I saw in USAC and Featherlite practice
in that corner happened after someone missed the exit of 7, then got passed
in 8 and 8a. Turn 7 will still be exciting, though. It's nicer to
see those cars move at speeds in the hundreds instead of the
tens.
From a fan-in-the-stand's viewpoint... I like it. From my turn 9 seats, I can now see everything except an area by T10, T11, and 200 ft after T1. A big improvement over the old layout where I lost the cars in turn 4 and did not see them again until they locked up the brakes for the turn 7 hairpin.
I didn't catch any of the WC people. Seems like they were all hiding today. Tomorrow is their day anyway. More to follow...
Matthew
(Day 2)
Hello again. Got even more crispy today. That sunburn
is really taking hold now. I am so happy that the Pepsi 400 is at
night. But you will probably still be able to read your program from
the glow my skin is emitting. :-0
Practice was interesting. Being able to see everyone all the way around the track made watching a road race bearable. The new turn 7 gave a few drivers fits. Every once in a while you would see a big cloud of dust followed by a very slow car through the esses. Todd Bodine found his way into the tires in turn 2, along with a few others every now and then. Bodine ended up in a backup car, everyone else just got a little sheet metal damage. Scary moment of practice happened when Lake Speed locked the brakes going into turn 10. There's a pair of stripes on the track that lead straight into the newly mangled tire barrier. Word is a bruised arm and possible cracked ribs. Hope he's alright. The car was beat up beyond repair. Check the picture on NASCAR Online - http://www.nascar.com -
Gordon rolled out second for qualifying and a collective groan drowned out the cheers when he claimed what would be the pole. A report came out right away that Rusty Wallace shredded his transmission in practice and qualified late with a new tranny and a slow effort. Better luck (but not great) for his brother Kenny. He put up a good time in early qualifying (that didn't hold - 22nd position), but detonated his rear end gear during the cooldown. That closed the track for about 20 min. while they cleaned it up. Great qualifying runs by a bunch of drivers. They all took 2nd or 3rd and looked good doing it, until the next driver went. From Michael Waltrip through Dale Jarrett, each driver put up a great lap, was cheered by an enthusiastic crowd, then bumped down by the next driver, repeating the cycle.
The two biggest cheers of the day:
#19 Tom Hubert (Featherlite) kept his car in line and put up a time
that kept him in 2nd place for almost half of Winston Cup qualifying.
Big roar from the crowd when his time was announced.
#13 Jerry Nadeau was all over the track in 1, 1a, and 2 and went
like a rocket through the rest of the track for 2nd on the starting grid.
A very impressive showing for the rookie. I just hope he finishes
well. He hasn't gotten many breaks this year.
Scanner Quotes:
Just a general one. Almost every WC spotter was making references
to "those darn West guys" such as "Be careful... that's a West guy you're
passing." Coming out of the pits... "Watch out... a west guy is coming
up on you." I guess Tom Hubert showed them.
More to follow on Monday....
Later,
Matthew
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