How fast is too fast?
According to Kyle Busch, the speeds that have been shown at Dover International Speedway so far this weekend with NASCAR’s new aerodynamic rules are nearing — or beyond — the edge of being too fast for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars at the 1-mile oval.
“There is no questions you feel that going around here. It is really fast. Probably, I don’t know, probably too fast for here,” Busch said during his Friday media availability. “The faster we tend to go in the middle of the corner doesn’t always produce the best racing. We will see how that translates. It is going to be big numbers in qualifying obviously. But we will see how that translates into the race. I am not overly excited about it. We will just have to fight through it and see what happens.”
Busch possibly has a legit gripe about the cars carrying too much speed around one of the most treacherous tracks on the circuit. In opening Cup Series practice, 23 drivers surpassed the track record. Kevin Harvick has also tweeted that his corner speeds are up about 17 mph from a year ago at this same track.
While Busch and others have concerns about the speeds, there are other drivers like Chase Elliott who feel speed is a part of the territory for professional race car drivers.
“You’re paid to go fast so let’s go fast,” Elliott, who wound up securing the pole for Sunday’s race, said. “It’s not fun hitting something real hard anytime you do and certainly isn’t going to feel good when you do it at these speeds. Definitely it’s physical for sure and I think this is going to be a very physical race on Sunday, especially if the sun comes out and it’s hot. It’s fast. Is it too fast? Like I said, this is our job, what we sign up for and I think it is what it is.”
Sunday’s Gander RV 400 will be a spectacle if for nothing else to see if driver’s can withstand the extra g-force loads that will be put on their bodies over the course of a 400-mile event. Just hopefully we see a good show and everybody leaves the track healthy.
