Just like last week at Pocono, NASCAR held testing for all Sprint Cup Series teams to try out the newly-repaved Michigan International Speedway. For the teams, it was a chance to see how much faster the cars will go with the track now repaved.
Testing at Michigan Shows Cars Can Go 200+ MPH; Should We Be Worried?
After testing for the day was over, 4 cars were able to go 201 MPH during the test session. Some drivers were excited about the racing ahead, but a few drivers who were abit concerned with the overall speed of the race cars. Greg Biffle was one of the drivers who were alittle concerned with the 200+ MPH speeds.
"I think we are approaching some safety concerns at the speeds we are going. I don't know that we are quite there yet, though. The thing you worry about is if a piece breaks on the car or an engine breaks at an inopportune time coming off the corner or getting in the corner".
For more responses on the testing from yesterday, you can watch this “Sound Off” video from NASCAR.com.
NASCAR officials are not worried at all about the speeds laid down during yesterdays test session. They claim that when the other series run on the track, it will mean that the Cup cars will slow down a tad due to rubber. Despite their confidence in the track, should NASCAR and the fans be worried about this?
Thoughts after the jump!
As cool as the racing will be at those speeds, I would throw in a level of concern. The track is going to be hot and slick. Thats not a good combo when driving at 200 MPH. As Greg Biffle said in his comments (shown above), one thing you have to worry about is your engine and where it might blow up. Knowing Michigan, engines will give in for some teams.
You always have to have that worry of a crash or injury in the back of your mind when it comes to speeds over 200+ MPH. However, I have confidence in the race cars we have today (safety wise). I also think there are some people who are still weary of the Dan Wheldon crash last October that could be worried about the racing (which fellow NRnR writer Matt Weaver pointed out to me). Again, its just that you have to have that in the back of your mind where things could go bad.
Overall, I’m sure it will be a great race regardless of the concerns.
What are your thoughts about the testing at Michigan International Speedway yesterday? Should NASCAR have concern about the 200+ MPH speeds on the track?
See More:
