Sprint Cup racing this season has been a gas for some drivers and a lack of it for others. Many races, including the past two – at Chicagoland and New Hampshire – have turned into fuel-mileage contests.
At Chicago, race leader Tony Stewart stretched his fuel to the end to win. Then on Sunday at New Hampshire, he took the lead with two laps to go when Clint Bowyer's tank ran dry.
With tire wear not a significant issue at most tracks, the Car of Tomorrow relatively easy to control and the leaders having an aerodynamic advantage over pursuers, fuel mileage has become the deciding factor in many races, particularly those which see long green-flag runs.
Jeff Gordon was leading Sunday's Sylvania 300 late in the race and appeared poised to win, but he ran out of fuel, resulting in a slow final pit stop. Then he had to conserve gas just to make it to the checkered flag in fourth position.
“I don’t think that we wanted to see back-to-back fuel mileage races like this, but it is kind of the name of the game these days,” Gordon said in his post-race interview. “Somehow we misjudged how far we could go on that second to the last run and we ran out. ... We didn’t feel like we were even close to running out, so it just shows you how important every little detail is.”
Gordon said fuel conservation is “something that we need to be better at.”
Drivers use various tactics to save gas, from coasting into the corners to depressing the clutch at times to even switching the ignition on and off. Most don't want to divulge the details, for competitive reasons, as Carl Edwards pointed out.
“I don’t think anyone wants to talk about the specifics, because that’s a part of the sport that’s becoming more important and you want to get every advantage you can and keep every advantage you can with fuel mileage,” he said, adding that it’s not just drivers who seek new ways to stretch a tank of gas.
“The engineers are working on it, the engine guys are working on it and there are tricks that the drivers do.”
Jimmie Johnson said fuel mileage will continue to be a big factor as the Chase plays out.
“This year I think we’ll see fuel mileage play a larger role in the championship than we have in years past,” he said. “Phoenix, it’s now repaved and we were there for a tire test. You can’t wear the tires out on this new asphalt, so it’s going to be a fuel mileage race.
“Talladega to a certain degree will. We have a lot of tracks with very low tire wear that will promote fuel-mileage races.”
Etc.
The new rules imposed by NASCAR for the upcoming Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway should make for more passing, according to drivers queried at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The size of the restrictor plate that teams will use to prepare and practice for the race will increase by 1/64 inch to 57/64 inch diameter, creating an estimated seven to 10 more horsepower.
Also, the pressure relief valve on the cars' cooling system will be changed to reduce the pressure by about eight pounds per square inch from April’s race at Talladega.
Teams will no longer will be allowed to put oil or grease on the car’s rear bumper. The rules are expected to limit the amount of time two drivers can stay hooked up nose to tail in the two-car “tandem” draft.
“I think with the new rules, it’s a step to make us pass more,” Johnson said. “I don’t think we are going to be able to stay connected as long. Any time you put a bigger plate on the cars, it allows for a larger closing rate with more opportunities to pass with more power.”
But Johnson also said that doesn’t mean the end of tandem racing in sight.
“I don’t think the changes are large enough to have us not push,” he said. “That threshold for pushing, the grip level is still so high at the race track that I don’t think it’s going to separate us yet, but it should make for more passing.”
Johnson said the change could bring back the giant packs of cars that once were commonplace at Talladega.
“I don’t think we’ll be staying together as long,” he said. “We’ll be changing out more often which could lead to us being in a big pack like some of the fans want to see.”
