Kevin Harvick wants the distinction of being the only NASCAR driver to claim wins in both the inaugural Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup events at Kentucky Speedway.
“I think everybody wants to win the first one,” said Harvick, who won the first Kentucky race in what was then the Busch Series in 2001. “You can’t ever do that twice. Every year that you go back you are always going to have another chance. But, yes, there is really no bigger event than the first event you are going to have at a particular racetrack.
“So, it is just a little added bonus that you can put next to that particular race and say that you won the inaugural one. We’ve been fortunate enough to win a couple of them and it is always fun.”
This 1.5-mile track debuted in 2000 with the Camping World Truck Series, ARCA and eventually IndyCar and Indy Lights. Greg Biffle won the first truck race at the venue then went on to win the 2000 truck championship for Roush Racing -- Jack Roush’s first NASCAR title. Biffle finished second to Harvick in the first Nationwide Series race -- and took the bridesmaids’ position in both 2002 and 2003 as well.
Biffle has always appreciated the uniqueness of the speedway. He last competed on the track in 2007 but participated in the Goodyear Cup tire test last month. Considering that Biffle is 13th in the point standings and has yet to win a race, he’s hoping the test offers him an advantage.
“A racetrack has to have character and Kentucky has character,” Biffle said. “The progressive banking off of Turn 4 makes it a lot of fun to race here. It’s going to be an exciting race, it’s going to be really fun. I’ve had some memorable races at Kentucky starting with the win (in 2000).
“It would definitely mean a lot to finish well at Kentucky this weekend in the first Sprint Cup race here and we need a good run.”
Carl Edwards could be the first — and only— driver with wins in all three NASCAR Series at KEntucky if he pulls off the victory on Saturday night. It was here in the Blue Grass State where Edwards introduced his victory backflip after winning the truck race in 2003. Two years later, Edwards won the Nationwide Series race from the pole. Edwards spoke of “a little buzz in the air” surrounding the inaugural event.
“This is going to be a big race to win,” Edwards said. “When they throw that green flag, there (is) going to be a lot of energy here. There are going to be a lot of really excited fans. Right now it is kind of a novelty event … We are real excited to be here, but it is kind of in a different way. It feels different.
“The first time you come to a track is special. Everybody is going to be learning as much as (they) can this first race, but somebody is going to figure it out quicker and win the race. There is pride in that to be the guy who wins an inaugural event. I don’t think I have won one. It is fun to go to a new track with cars.”
Edwards used Thursday’s open test to get comfortable in the car and with the track. Earlier this season, Kentucky Speedway changed the placement of the retaining wall and moved it in between Turns 1 and 2 and down the backstretch. The track also moved pit road closer to the stands so the fans could enjoy the experience.
Edwards was 21st-fast on the speed chart in the first test practice with a lap of 173.896 mph. Edwards had not driven a Cup car at Kentucky since he tested in 2004 and was grateful for the track time.
“Driving down in these corners, they are very treacherous, they don’t look like it but they are, especially (in) Turn 3,” Edwards said. “It is very flat and deceivingly slippery. The first lap I drove in there way over my head and it got my attention. The bumps down in one and two, there are areas that have bumps and to figure out how to get through that corner is difficult.
“I think a lot of guys are out there and if they are being honest they would say they are working on their driving. I think there are a lot of things you can learn as a driver out there running more laps.”
While some drivers find the bumps challenging, Edwards agrees with his Roush teammate Biffle that it adds “character” to the track.
“The bumps are part of it,” Edwards said. “I like racetracks like this that are not just one groove, sitting on the white line, single-file racing. This is going to be a racetrack where you can chase a guy down, pressure him, get him to go through bumps the wrong way and maybe slide him up the track. You can make moves.”
Dual-purpose test
NASCAR’s open test date at Kentucky Speedway not only offered drivers and teams the opportunity to acclimate to a new track but a chance for manufacturers to try out the new Electronic Fuel Injection systems that will replace carburetors in 2012.
“You hate to say it’s as simple as logging laps,” said NASCAR Sprint Cup director John Darby. “But really it’s proving all the individual systems out. If you look at the whole package, fuel injection is way, way simpler than a carburetor from the design, all the moving parts and functions that a carburetor does, to be replaced by an electronic module and eight injectors, it wasn’t that it moved into a higher degree of difficulty, a lot more technology but not difficulty.”
Five non-Sprint Cup regulars took part in the test including Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Mike Skinner, Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish and Aric Almirola. Stenhouse posted the fastest lap among the fuel injection cars in the first and second sessions -- 174.340 mph and 176.171 mph which was 13th and 16th fastest, respectively, on the time sheet compared to cars with carburetors. Jimmie Johnson posted the fastest lap in first practice -- 175.879. Kyle Busch’s was quickest in second practice with a lap of 178.849 mph.
“The fuel injection seems to be working okay,” Stenhouse said. “Everything ran pretty smooth and the motor is really smooth. It almost feels a little flatter compared to the other Cup motor but I don’t run it enough to really compare.
“Everything I have makes me feel like it is running smooth and we haven’t had any issues which is the main key they were trying to accomplish here. We wanted to run some laps out there and make sure things were running good. So far so good on that. It has got some speed also.”
Richard Childress Racing began working on fuel injection two years ago, While RCR tested fuel injection in Cup cars prior to the Kentucky test, they actually used a similar system in the Daytona Prototypes.
Dr. Andrew Rudolph, Engine Technical Director for Earnhardt Childress Racing Technology, says fuel injection is what small block engines use in street cars so not only can the fans relate to the process the manufacturers can benefit as well.
“It adds more technical relevance to what we do for the manufacturer,” Rudolph said. “It improves the fuel efficiency of these engines and reduces emissions.”
“It certainly makes it a lot closer to the production. They are called stock cars and it makes them a lot closer to what is stock and the engines that are sold. From that standpoint, there are probably are some people that will relate to it a little more.”
While fuel injection will feel different to the drivers on the track, particularly when it comes to throttle response, as far as the fans in the stands, Rudolph says there will be no discernable difference.
“NASCAR has selected components to keep the power level very close to the same as it has been,” Rudolph said. “From a driver’s perspective, they should like this much more because it will be smoother so it will idle better, they’ll have more control when they are coming in and out of the corners because it will put more emphasis on their skill as opposed to managing variability of the engine.
“Things you used to see that maybe had a lot of ‘G-Whiz” value like flames coming out of the tailpipes as cars went around the corner, that is un-burnt fuel that is escaping the combustion process and leaving the exhaust. It is very inefficient but might be kind of fun to look at. That will probably go away. Should go away because now we have much better control over the fuel mixture and we shouldn’t get in situations where we are pumping un-burnt fuel through the engine.”
