Darrell Wallace, Jr. crashes into a tire barrier during practice for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield road course. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images
The barrier at the exit from the backstretch chicane – turns 11 and 12 – at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course was a different type of Tire Dragon.
A far cry from the machine designed to lay rubber on the asphalt during track preparation, the Tire Dragon in the Bus Stop gobbled up cars with regularity during Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series practice sessions at the 2.28-mile, 17-turn course.
Early in Saturday’s first practice, Darrell Wallace, Jr. plowed into the barrier, destroying his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet and forcing the team to go to a backup. Playoff driver Erik Jones was another casualty, bouncing off the tires and clobbering the outside wall of the oval.
Another mangled wreck, another backup car.
After NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, the sanctioning body opted to remove five feet of the tire barrier to give drivers more room at the exit. That doesn’t mean, however, that the corner is now defenseless. The “turtles” (six-inch-high steel rumble strips) at the exit can upset a car that takes the corner too wide.
“It’s less treacherous,” said Martin Truex, Jr., who topped the speed chart in final practice. “You’ve got about two feet of wiggle room, so if you screw up, you can just hit the turtles and not that thing.”
NXS Points Leader Bell Enjoys Charlotte Road Course Debut
Mission accomplished for Christopher Bell.
With a victory at Richmond in his pocket and a berth in the second round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs guaranteed, Bell was perhaps the only driver who approached Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 200 – the inaugural race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – without fear of the great unknown.
Divergent pit strategies handed Bell the race lead on lap 27, giving him the chance to win Stage 2, which ended on lap 30, and collect a Playoff point.
“We had one goal coming into here, and that was either to win stages or win the race,” Bell said. “Our bed was kind of made there in the second stage whenever we decided to stay out and win the stage.
“We got our stage point, which will help us in the next round. We didn’t win the race, but that’s OK.”
Bell finished fifth, as his close friend, Chase Briscoe, picked up his first victory in the series.
“I really enjoy running the race track–it’s a really unique race track,” Bell said of the 2.28-mile, 17-turn course. “The infield is really slow and slick, so you have to finesse it, and the backstretch chicane is really fast, and you have to attack it pretty hard.
“You get the best of both worlds, and I had fun. I wish it was a little easier to pass—a few more passing zones would be nice, but it was a lot of fun to turn laps on.”
Short Strokes
-In Saturday’s first practice session for Sunday’s Bank of America 400, the No. 41 Ford of pole winner Kurt Busch lost power and stalled on the track, requiring a push to the garage from a safety truck. The crew diagnosed and fixed an electrical issue, and Busch, who will retain his starting spot, was sixth fastest in final practice…
-For its 50th anniversary next year, Sonoma Raceway will use the full road course for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. Instead of running directly from turn 4 to turn 7, the NASCAR cars will have to negotiate turns 5 and 6, including the 200-degree sweeping carousel. The addition of turns 5 and 6 extends the 11-turn course from 1.99 to 2.52 miles. Mark Martin won the last NASCAR race contested at the 2.52-mile distance in 1997.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course – Concord, NC
Bank of America 400 – September 30, 2018
Sunday’s Starting Lineup
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1. (41) Kurt Busch (P), Ford, 106.868 mph.
2. (47) A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 106.811 mph.
3. (88) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet, 106.800 mph.
4. (9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 106.596 mph.
5. (42) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 106.574 mph.
6. (48) Jimmie Johnson (P), Chevrolet, 106.462 mph.
7. (14) Clint Bowyer (P), Ford, 106.332 mph.
8. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 106.104 mph.
9. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 105.919 mph.
10. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 105.556 mph.
11. (8) Daniel Hemric(i), Chevrolet, 105.507 mph.
12. (20) Erik Jones (P), Toyota, 105.409 mph.
13. (78) Martin Truex, Jr. (P), Toyota, 106.060 mph.
14. (18) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 105.807 mph.
15. (22) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 105.788 mph.
16. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 105.749 mph.
17. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 105.687 mph.
18. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford, 105.681 mph.
19. (4) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 105.302 mph.
20. (10) Aric Almirola (P), Ford, 105.189 mph.
21. (24) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 105.120 mph.
22. (21) Paul Menard, Ford, 105.095 mph.
23. (17) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ford, 104.884 mph.
24. (3) Austin Dillon (P), Chevrolet, 104.709 mph.
25. (2) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 104.647 mph.
26. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 104.620 mph.
27. (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 104.479 mph.
28. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 104.352 mph.
29. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 104.341 mph.
30. (38) David Ragan, Ford, 104.033 mph.
31. (15) Justin Marks(i), Chevrolet, 103.936 mph.
32. (95) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 103.549 mph.
33. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 103.260 mph.
34. (43) Bubba Wallace #, Chevrolet, 102.716 mph.
35. (7) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 102.677 mph.
36. (23) J.J. Yeley(i), Toyota, 102.034 mph.
37. (96) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 101.950 mph.
38. (00) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 101.089 mph.
39. (51) Stanton Barrett, Ford, 100.255 mph.
40. (66) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, 100.071 mph.
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