| | | | | | RIDING WITH KURT | Expectations at Phoenix are high, but they're also realistic | |
| | By Kurt Busch Just the facts
Race: Subway Fresh Fit 500
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date: Saturday, April 12
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile oval), Avondale, Ariz.
Race format: 312 laps
Green flag: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX — 8:00 p.m. ET.
About this weekend's race
We're coming into Phoenix with some pretty realistic expectations. Even though we have been struggling with the new car and the setups lately, our entire No. 2 Miller Lite team hopes to show our best out West, but we know it won't be wise to get our hopes up too high.
Being from Las Vegas, Phoenix International Raceway became like another home track for me. By the time I got the opportunity to run my first Cup race in Phoenix back in 2000, there was a huge comfort factor I developed. As many laps as I had logged in the Southwest Tour cars and then in the trucks, it certainly helped in my adapting to the track driving a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car.
We ran the COT cars in both races at Phoenix last year and we had a good test there after the Vegas race in early March. Who knows — we may even surprise ourselves with this new car out there this weekend.
Looking back to Texas
The Texas race was another situation where we were off on our setup and struggled throughout the race. Pat (Tryson, crew chief) was so correct when he later referred to us being on the 'wrong side of the razor's edge.' What he meant by that is that these new cars are so sensitive that just what was considered in the past as a minor change can abruptly produce radical differences. We had one situation where we changed air pressure and did a track bar change. Instead of tightening up the car, it made it twice as loose. So we did what I'd call a 'double-reverse' in that we went back on our next stop and went twice the pounds and turns in the opposite direction. We took spring rubbers out and then put them back again.
There are a lot of frustrated guys in the garage area these days, but after seeing Michael McDowell's crash during qualifying on Friday at Texas you have to applaud NASCAR for the safety that has gone into this new car.
The bottom line is that this car is here to stay and we all have to deal with it. We know that and we plan on doing everything we possibly can to get up to speed. While the Cup series has an off week next week, we'll be in Nashville testing. We'll be testing for Goodyear at Indy the following week.
Eva was reading one of the little self-help books on the flight back from one of the earlier races. It was California or Vegas, I forget just exactly which one. She came across a quote that I thought was really neat.
It was something like, 'knowing is not enough — we must learn to apply and willing is not enough — we must do.' I don't know who said it, but it certainly makes a lot of sense.
We're frustrated, but we're going to put on a full-court press during the next couple of weeks in an effort to get caught up and moving back toward the front.
| | Posted April 11, 2008 , 4:50 pm EST
Last Updated April 11, 2008 , 4:51 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
