The road to victory at a road course? Turn right

Sporting News, The, June 25, 2001 by Lee Spencer

Perhaps it's too strong to suggest that road-course racing separates the men from the boys. Let's just say it weeds out drivers who get a kick out of turning right from drivers who are perfectly happy turning left. Put Jeff Gordon on the right and Sterling Marlin on the left, and I'm not talking politics.

Road racing is a test of endurance, agility and patience. It's a challenge for teams to find the right combination of transmission, chassis and brakes. And it's proof of a driver's versatility.

"It's probably the most demanding racing we do," says Sterling Marlin, who scored his first top-five finish on a road course last year when he finished second at Sears Point. "It's really physical. You're moving back and forth in the seat. You're shifting gears a lot, and when it's 80 or 85 degrees, you think that's going to be really nice, but it's really hot in the racecar.

"If I had my druthers, I'd rather be on an oval racing somewhere. But you've just got to do it."

Kyle Petty, who won at Watkins Glen in 1992, says adding diversity to the schedule gives credence to the championship chase. John Andretti, one of three Petty team drivers, cut his teeth in open-wheel cars on road courses in the United States and Europe.

"We have to run all kinds of races because that's what being a Winston Cup champion is all about," Andretti says. "Sears Point and Watkins Glen are so unique that it proves the guy who wins the championship is the best of everything."

That's all fine and good, but no matter which way you turn the car or spin the story, the Winston Cup schedule includes the road courses at Sears Point and Watkins Glen because NASCAR wants to be in those markets.

"To be able to run an event at Sears Point is very important," says NASCAR president Mike Helton. "I guess we would prefer it to be an oval because that's our strength, but to be able to be in San Francisco is the bigger issue."

It's a long way from San Francisco to the 2.3-mile road course in Kershaw, S.C., but .that's where some drivers test combinations they hope will work on race day. Ricky Rudd, who has five poles and five wins in Winston Cup events on road courses, likes to go to Kershaw even though he probably doesn't need the extra work.

"It's a place to shake down a racecar and try some of the things the team worked on during the winter," Rudd says. "If you make mistakes, you have plenty of room to mn off the track, and you don't tear up anything."

Before the sport became so specialized, teams didn't worry about which cars they took to road courses. Drivers who couldn't adapt simply wrote off those races. But in the mid- to late-1980s, when competition and money levels started to increase, teams began designating cars for road courses.

Many drivers quickly became better on road courses because of a mid-'80s innovation: the clutchless transmission designed by Jerico. Most drivers use these transmissions today at all tracks. There's still room for error when shifting gears, use them when they downshift--especially when coming into the pits-and when starting from complete stops.

"The Jerico transmission pretty much evened up the competition," Rudd says. "When they came out, all of a sudden a lot of guys became good road racers because most everybody brakes with their right foot, and they didn't have to worry about the clutch."

In 24 starts on road courses, Mark Martin has four victories and 20 top-five finishes. Jimmy Fennig, Martin's crew chief, says the key to success on road courses is reliable brakes.

"You have to be able to take the car in 10 lengths deeper than the next guy and be able to stop and turn," Fennig says. "We've been able to improve the brakes over the years, and we'll probably look at a couple of different sets once we get to Sears Point. As for chassis setups, it's the sway bars and springs that give the driver the ability to roll left to right."

Crew chief Robbie Loomis says road courses are a great change of pace, and he won't get any complaints from his driver, Gordon, who says he'd like to "go to four more." Gordon has won the last three Winston Cup races at Sears Point and three of the last four at Watkins Glen.

"The best way I can describe it is when you go to most racetracks, the turns at both ends are basically the same," Loomis says. "So you put a really talented driver against another talented driver, and it's tough because there's only one place where you can make time.

"When you go to a road course, there are 10 or 11 turns, and every technique Jeff Gordon has in his arsenal is multiplied by 10 or 11 instead of by two."

No need to do the math at home. Just keep an eye on Gordon, Rudd and Martin when the green flag flies Sunday. And enjoy the break. They'll be going around in circles again in two weeks at Daytona.

TSN's Power Poll

Rank Driver           TSN points   Winston Cup pts.

 1. Jeff Gordon       1,579         2,176 (1)
 2. Dale Jarrett      1,468         2,140 (2)
 3. Ricky Rudd        1,336         2,046 (3)
 4. Sterling Marlin   1,232         2,029 (4)
 5. Rusty Wallace     1,146         1,883 (6)
 6. Tony Stewart      1,137         1,937 (5)
 7. Steve Park        1,037         1,815 (8)
 8. Kevin Harvick     1,015         1,773 (9)
 9. Johnny Benson       982         1,846 (7)
10. Bobby Labonte       948         1,760 (10)

Through race No. 15, at Pocono.
For a complete list of drivers in TSN's Power Poll and an
explanation of the points breakdown, go to
sportingnews.com/nascar/poll.