Keys for Success Samsung Mobile 500
FORT WORTH (April 9, 2011) – Each race weekend, selected Dodge Motorsports engineers, Penske Racing crew chiefs, engineers, drivers or engine specialists give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, the green flag drops on the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Track: Texas Motor Speedway (Race 7 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)
Race: Samsung Mobile 500
Track Length: 1.5-mile (334 laps/501 miles)
Trivia Question: Ned Jarrett’s win at the 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was the largest margin of victory (14 laps) ever recorded in NASCAR Cup Series prior to the inception of NASCAR’s current timing and scoring in 1993. Who holds the current record? (Answer below)
PAUL WOLFE (crew chief, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T)
Nighty Night: “With this being the first night race for NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway, trying to understand track conditions and how they will change during the course of the night is key. The transition into the night is an unknown. We have to make sure that we have enough adjustability in the car to be able to keep up with the race track as it cools off.”
Groovy: “It seems like there’s speed up on top of the race track and with the speeds that the cars are traveling, those who dare to stay up along the wall may have an advantage. It looks like that second groove has rubbered-in pretty good. When the track cools and tightens up, I think you’ll see guys using that line for sure.”
Track Position: “Track position is going to be key. It seems like on the mile-and-a-halves, the restarts are critical because you need to get all that you can get and then settle in because it’s so hard to drive up through the field.”
Answer to trivia question: Kurt Busch’s win at the 2009 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (25.686 seconds).
