Day 2 test speeds from Nascar Online. Looks like they're going to Talladega!

[roodypoo]

I thought that they were not showing what they had but I guess i could be wrong after reading this story.


Dodge still off the pace; will test at Talladega
By Dave Rodman
NASCAR Online

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 17, 2001) -- Ten Dodge teams ended a two-day test session Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway with so many questions and so little speed, they immediately planned to reconvene at Talladega Superspeedway in less than 10 days.
1 92 Stacy Compton 49.773 180.821
2 93 Dave Blaney 49.833 180.603
3 22 Greg Sacks 49.875 180.451
4 9 Bill Elliott 50.020 179.928
5 43 John Andretti 50.174 179.376
6 40 Sterling Marlin 50.186 179.333
7 01 Jason Leffler 50.310 178.891
8 45 Kyle Petty 50.364 178.699
9 19 Casey Atwood 50.404 178.557
10 44 Buckshot Jones 50.446 178.409

[RedIntrepid9]

Oh, don't be too quick to jump to conclusions, now. Sand-bagging, and the verbal smokescreen that goes with it, is indeed a true art form.........

[sanborn]

I truly hope the teams are sandbagging. But, this is a new body and on the high banks of Daytona for the first time. It probably needs refinement to be truly competitive. GM and Ford has several years of experience with their engines. It will take time to catch up and I hope they do quickly.

[mopartodd]

You can bet that the sand-bagging factor is high, probably. From what I understand the body is as aerodynamic as the other brands, but generates a little less down force. The power is also there. It will be interesting to see if the Talladega test is closed. I'm under the impression that they were testing race set-up at Daytona, while the other team,brands, were looking at qualifying.

[RedIntrepid9]

I read several places that the Dodge teams decided to work on qualifying runs on day 2 of testing, instead of drafting. The speeds were still a couple ticks slower than the other brands. I just can't help but think they held back a little at Daytona, what with the public eyed focused directly on them. At Talladega, the session will probably be closed to the public, and the teams will really be able to let it all hang out. By the time they all leave Alabama, they'll pretty much know what they've got. I don't know if they'll have enough umph to grab the Daytona pole, but they really just need to be fast enough to get IN the race. Qualifying is more important than qualifying FIRST right now.........

[caveman]

Sterling Marlins time looks competitive,,186 mph.The times ive seen fronm other tests are about in that range.I agrre the sandbag factor is there.We will see if they can qualify.This maybe the start of a long season in which there is a lot of R&D.I dont think so.I think they will have it together by the time Daytona rolls around

[caveman]

I was at Jayski's page,and followed the links.They did not test in the draft.Those speeds are a single car in a Qualifing mode.To quote Ray Evernham"We have to get these cars into the race".Makes sense to me.They said they tried some stuff and got some gains,they are not nearly done.These cars have no previous notes to work from,they are a brand new body.Give em sometime.These guy's are the best of the best.If not Daytona,then the ROCK,or Pheonix!!!

[9dodge]

Think of this:

Millions of dollars where not spent to run second. Dodge has dumped millions into this program, To get a win or a pole is right off the bat is what they are going for.
You can bet the engines will go 500 miles, the aerodynamics are the best that they can be. Bragging rights guys, thats what they want.

michael

[DYNO360]

With the limited time they have had to develop and get an engine approved by NASCAR, you can bet that they only have race day engines and not special qualifying motors. They want to be competitive during the race and only need to be fast enough to qualify to get in the race. A Dodge will not get the pole for the 500, but it could win the race. Go Dodge!

[sweptline]

Guys don't forget that Daytona is one of only 4 restrictor plate races.(maybe 6 with New Hampshire) Those engines are completly different than the open engines. A lot of the R&D does not apply to both engines. The restrictor plate motors have different cams, pistons,intakes, headers etc. etc. etc. If you were short on time, would you concentrate more on a 4 race engine or an engine combination which is a lot closer for the other 30 races in the 2001 season. I know things are different from Martinsville to atlanta to the Glen, but a lot closer that a Daytona engine. My message is sandbagging or no sandbagging, Evernham and crew will not lose sight of the big picture and do what is best for the entire season. Make the show, get in the draft and drive like Hell.

[goldduster]

The Dodge teams are probably just sandbagging so Nascar will give them consessions for the playing field to be even. The Ford guys are known for doing that stuff to make their cars faster.

------------------
Goldduster
'70 Duster 318 2bbl
http://duster.svhost.com/duster70?REC=0
The Plymouth Duster Homepage
http://duster.excelland.com?REC=0

[caveman]

Its hard to say at this point.Now remember a good SuperSpeedway Body may not run on the rest of the tracks as well,reason being down force.It is a big factor at Daytona,as long as you have as little as possible to keep the car on the track.Now at the rest it is desirable.So if they lose at Daytona,it is not the end of the story

[caveman]

Posted at Jayski's page.Dave Blainey has stared a Busch team.Engines to be built by Bill Davis Racing,for Dodge Intrepids.Yes I'm definitly going to the Busch race at the glen this year.

[RedIntrepid9]

Didn't I read on there that Dave Blaney's Busch cars are going to be Chevrolets?

[caveman]

OOPs My Bad.Yes they will be chevie's..I dont think Dodge is ready to go Busch racing yet,,Too bad.I did catch raceday though,it looks Ok for the Dodges,they know where they have to be.Chevie looks like the fastest car there again,but thats not the whole season.They said the LasVegas test was real good,and there are more tracks like that,then restrictor plate tracks

[sanborn]

At www.jayski.com, all the speeds are listed and the non draft speeds are broken out. Looking at the non draft speeds, the Dodges are not in bad shape. We are about 1.5 mph down. Not impossible to make up.

A slight improvement in the aerodynamic balance can make a big change in MPH. The balance must be almost perfect in order to run a full lap at Daytona without lifting the throttle. How well were the cars balanced? Don't know, Talledega may help the fine tune.

I understand they went to Daytona with a non standard(restrictor plate wise) engine bore/stroke combination. Is this due to engine availability? Don't know. Did they use any of their hand grenade qualifying engines? Don't know.

We may be in better shape than we think. This is as good as "Days of Our Lives". Lou Patane, where are you when we need you?

[caveman]

Acording to what they said on TNN this morning,they aren't worried.I agree with putting the effort into qualifing,like I said ,you cant win if your not in the race.

[RedIntrepid9]

Since so much emphasis is placed on performance per dollar invested, I'd say D-C wants to get all the bang-for-the-buck they can, which means they want TV exposure, which means they want the Dodges starting toward the front of the field and being able to hang around the lead-pack all day.........

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RedIntrepid9
GO AWESOME BILL!

[Bryant Fields]

Hey, just watched the local news here in Alabama. The reorters did a spot from Talladaga. They were interviewing petty and they were saying that they needed more HP and aerodynamics. That they were just making it to the 180 mark. But, like yall said , that was probably w/o drafting and they probably arent gonna tell everything. I've always been more of a dragrace fan , but you can bet I'll be watching Daytona !This is history in the making and I'm not gonna miss it.