By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
The first set of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers tackled the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday in the first of two test sessions on the 2.28-mile course.
The course provided a challenge for some drivers on Tuesday. During the first two hours of the session, Bubba Wallace made contact with the tire barrier going into Turn One on the course. Wallace’s day ended early.
However, the biggest challenge of the morning session was the backstretch chicane going into NASCAR Turn Three. During the morning session, NASCAR and Charlotte Motor Speedway officials noticed that the drivers were “cheating” the chicane by holding it wide open and running a straighter line.
The primary goal of the chicane was to help scrub off speed.
After the wreck by Wallace, NASCAR and CMS officials gathered input from drivers and teams about how to fix the problem. After deliberation, two additional rumble strips and a tire barrier were added to help scrub some speed.
Because of the time it took to alter the chicane, the session was extended to 6:00 p.m ET.
Here is what drivers had to say after the session:
“There’s more time to be gained or lost coming off Oval Turn 4 onto the race track before the start-finish line,” Newman said. “To me, that’s the most challenging part of the track. You’ve got to have a good balance and you’ve got to be competitive at all of it and whatever makes you the best lap time.
“(The challenges) are just getting used to (the track), working your braking zones, shifting points, getting the right transmission ratios and keeping it on the race track. There are a lot of off-camber corners that we aren’t used to and blind corners like coming over the top of Turn 2. Things like that are just new to us, especially for me since this is the first time I’ve been here. I’m trying not to be the slowest guy on the speed charts.”
“So far it’s been good,” Suarez said. “We’re just trying to get used to everything. This is a brand-new race track for me. The first time I saw this place was last week on the simulator. I’m just getting used to everything: the curbs, the lines, the car and just making adjustments to find a comfortable point.
“The slow sections (are toughest). Sometimes you try to rush a little bit and you lose time, but when you’re good through there it actually feels like you’re going slow. Getting into the last chicane before the start-finish line is tricky. There are some bumps there and it’s hard to slow down. There are a few spots that are tricky, but they’re there for everyone. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
There will be another organizational test on Tuesday, July 17.