Start your engines!
Play RPM.ESPN Stock Car Challenge!
Win a Honda S2000!
Play The CART Challenge powered by Honda!
|
|
Tuesday, May 1
McGee going standard at Richmond
By Royce McGee
Special to ESPN.com
We're always learning new things in this sport, but sometimes we learn those new things the hard way. The No. 31 Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse Chevrolet team came out of California Speedway Sunday knowing that we won't use the same set-up next year that we started the race with this year. We may set up the Lowe's Chevy the way we ended the race last weekend but that's far different from the car we had when the green flag waved Sunday morning.
We changed two springs, two shocks and the front bar on the No. 31 Chevy Sunday morning to bring the set-up more in line with the No. 29 car. We even ran the same air pressure they started with and made sure our fenders were the same shape. That set-up worked okay for the GM Goodwrench Service Plus team but it didn't pan out too well for the Lowe's Chevy.
|  | | Skinner was a disappointing 32nd on Sunday behind winner Rusty Wallace. |
We didn't give up, though, and the Lowe's guys worked their guts out during the race to make the car drivable for Mike. It's good to have team cars built the same way but I think that Sunday's race proved not all drivers can drive the same stuff. They're different human beings with different driving styles.
It was a pretty disappointing weekend because the Lowe's team sat on the pole at California last year and finished in the seventh position. The new-generation Goodyear tire has forced all the teams to change a bunch of stuff on their race cars this season.
The No. 29 team didn't run even close to what they ran last year, either. The No. 30 America Online Chevrolet debuted at Fontana last weekend with Jeff Green behind the wheel. Those guys tested there a couple of weeks ago using the same set-up we had underneath the Lowe's Chevy when Mike captured the pole last season. The AOL Chevy was a whole two seconds slower than our pole time using that set-up, so there was no sense going back to California with what we had last year.
Before we left for Fontana, we looked at our notes from the Las Vegas race and decided to use some of what we learned there. That set-up wasn't too bad in Friday's practice. The Lowe's Chevy was tight and our two teammates complained of a loose handling car. We made the Lowe's Chevy more free for the qualifying session but Mike said it had a motor glitch and didn't run as well down the straightaway as it had earlier in the day. We qualified 27th but didn't have another issue with the motor all weekend.
I think we can apply what we learned on Sunday to the upcoming Kansas City and Chicago races. They're both brand-new tracks and NASCAR is giving the teams an extra day there of practice there. We've discussed testing at both tracks but after running at California, I'm not so sure that we need to have those tests. I also think we'll consider using some of the California set-up later this summer at Michigan.
Lowe's Racing is looking ahead to the first night race of the season this weekend at Richmond. We always look forward to Richmond because not only is it an exciting night race, we get Sunday off. Granted, we won't get home Sunday morning until two or three o'clock, but we'll still have the rest of the day with our families.
I've changed my mind about the race car we're taking to Richmond. We're taking a standard car instead of a ¾ drop-snout car. I was going to take the car we ran last month at Martinsville but have opted for the one we tested at Las Vegas and used as our back-up car there. The Lowe's team had a pretty good test at Las Vegas with this car and the car we actually raced there, so it was a toss-up determining which one we wanted to race that week. We took this car to the wind tunnel a couple of months ago and re-worked the nose to allow for more downforce.
This car hasn't been raced since the February 2000 race at Rockingham. Mike also raced it six times in 1999 -- both Rockingham, both Dover and both Bristol races. A standard car is very versatile -- we could race it at Lowe's Motor Speedway or Loudon if we wanted to. The drop-snout cars are pretty finicky race cars but the Lowe's team has had good success with them.
Even a small chassis adjustment to a drop-snout car can upset its handling. If you get off a bit on the frame heights and spring rates, the car won't run well. There's a very small window of boundaries that a drop-snout car wants to work in, and if you step outside those parameters, you'll be chasing your tail all day long.
There's a pretty large opportunity to mess up your chances of a good finish at Richmond this year. We have a new tire that we haven't raced at Richmond yet, and we practice, qualify and run Happy Hour all on Friday. There is no on-track activity Saturday until the race starts. Between the new tire and limited practice time, we don't have much time for error.
A standard car gives us larger boundaries to work with and allows for more adjustments than a drop-snout car. Lowe's Racing has discussed taking a standard car to Richmond for the past year and we're finally going to do it. The No. 29 team is doing the same, as are both of the Richard Childress Racing Busch teams. Mike is again going to drive the No. 21 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet in the Busch race so it'll be a great help for him to have a standard car for both races. Hopefully, he and I both will have a bunch of notes to take into Saturday's race that will help put the Lowe's Chevrolet in Victory Lane under the lights.
Royce McGee is the crew chief for Mike Skinner and the No. 31 Lowe's Chevrolet on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He is providing a weekly diary to ESPN.com throughout the season. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
|
|
|
|
