Larry Mac: Cup cars not designed to race in rain -- even at The Glen
So this weekend's race at Watkins Glen is our second and last road race of the season. It's a totally different style racetrack than Sonoma back in June. Just as an example, Brad Keselowski is really good at Watkins Glen, but to be flat-out honest, his record at Sonoma is horrible. So that is a good example of the difference in these road courses.
We really have a lot of wild cards left in these last five regular-season races. This weekend is a road course, then a really tough 500-miler at Darlington on Labor Day weekend and then two short tracks. In between all that you have Michigan, which could turn into a fuel-mileage gambler's dream or nightmare.
When you look at the gap right now between drivers who have won this year versus those who haven't, it's a really big gap. Unless we see the same craziness we saw unfold at the end of last Sunday's Pocono race, I just don't see these guys who still haven't won a race being able to pull into Victory Lane.
This weekend at Watkins Glen is really the one true place left in these five races that it could happen. We saw it happen last year for AJ Allmendinger, and quite frankly, it could happen again for him. I hope the hype and pressure for him going there this weekend isn't too over-the-top, because that could certainly hinder more than help him.
Watkins Glen could also be the place it happens for Jamie McMurray or Jeff Gordon. My concern about all three of those guys is that if it doesn't happen this weekend and they pull off a win, I'm just not sure they will be able to in the remaining four races after Sunday.
I've applauded NASCAR for the things they have done and are trying to do, but I am definitely going to be saying a prayer Saturday night that we don't have to race these cars Sunday in the rain. These cars are not designed, not built for and simply are not rain-weather type race cars.
To say we are going to race in the rain really is a fallacy. You really can't race; all you can do is simply hang on and ride around. We've seen this before, and it just doesn't work.
These cars are too heavy. The power-to-weight ratio is simply way too great. I know we are the only series that doesn't race in the rain, and there's a simple reason for that. These cars aren't designed or built to do that. So I truly hope we don't have to race in the rain.
