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Most of the attention entering Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 has centered on two championship contenders who won’t start where they qualified.
Denny Hamlin won the pole but will drop to the rear after repairs following a practice incident. William Byron will also start at the back because of a mechanical issue discovered after qualifying.
But while fans focus on who starts where, crew chiefs may be paying attention to something entirely different.
Fuel mileage.
At Michigan International Speedway, one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks, races often come down to more than raw speed. Long green-flag runs, limited caution periods, and high fuel consumption can quickly turn Sunday’s race into a strategy battle, forcing teams to make difficult decisions from the pit box.
Several crew chiefs told NASCAR.com this week that fuel management could become one of the biggest storylines of the race.
Brian Wilson, crew chief for Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford, said teams will be constantly evaluating how cautions impact their fuel windows throughout the afternoon.
“I think there are certain things that you can do, setup-wise,” Wilson told NASCAR.com. “Obviously, you want to start full of fuel is the biggest thing — making sure that the driver understands ways that he can save fuel throughout the race.”
Wilson believes the biggest strategic decisions may come when teams are forced to choose between track position and fuel conservation.
“Some of the debate I think is going to come down to if you have early cautions, or cautions hit at the right point, do you want to wait on fuel? I think that’s probably the biggest question for a lot of guys.”
Michigan’s wide racing surface allows multiple grooves and plenty of passing opportunities, but track position still matters. That leaves crew chiefs balancing aggressive strategy against the risk of running short when the race reaches its closing laps.
“You know, typically you don’t have a lot of (pit) stops here,” Wilson said. “You try to stay out, hold on to the track position, maybe four stops on average, so a lot of times you’ll have to make sure you’re full or close to full, or get as much as you can in those situations to open up the playground.”
A well-timed pit call can completely reshape the running order, especially if a caution falls at the right moment.
Fuel won’t be the only concern.
Goodyear brought a new right-side tire combination to Michigan this weekend, creating another layer of uncertainty for teams trying to prepare for Sunday’s race.
Practice already produced several tire-related issues, including problems for Austin Cindric, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell.
Travis Peterson, crew chief for Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, said teams are still learning exactly how the tire will behave over a long run.
“I mean, maybe a little bit more wear than we’ve had here in the past, but lap times are probably still a little flat,” Peterson said after qualifying. “I don’t know that we ran enough laps to fully see.”
While Peterson doesn’t expect a dramatic difference in performance, the unknowns surrounding tire wear could influence how aggressively teams manage both fuel and track position.
There is also added motivation for manufacturers. The annual Michigan Heritage Trophy goes to the winning manufacturer, creating another point of pride at a track located in the heart of the American auto industry.
Toyota has won the last two Cup Series races at Michigan. Ford, meanwhile, is chasing its next milestone victory on home turf.
“Obviously it’s in their backyard. They don’t have to put pressure on us,” Wilson said. “We want to have a very solid and strong race for Ford.”
Michigan is known for speed, but speed isn’t always what wins races.
If Sunday’s event turns into the kind of long green-flag battle many teams expect, the driver celebrating in Victory Lane may not be the one with the fastest car.
He may simply be the one whose team stretched a tank of fuel a little farther than everyone else.
Continue reading...
Denny Hamlin won the pole but will drop to the rear after repairs following a practice incident. William Byron will also start at the back because of a mechanical issue discovered after qualifying.
But while fans focus on who starts where, crew chiefs may be paying attention to something entirely different.
Fuel mileage.
At Michigan International Speedway, one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks, races often come down to more than raw speed. Long green-flag runs, limited caution periods, and high fuel consumption can quickly turn Sunday’s race into a strategy battle, forcing teams to make difficult decisions from the pit box.
Several crew chiefs told NASCAR.com this week that fuel management could become one of the biggest storylines of the race.
Crew Chiefs Expect Fuel Strategy To Matter
Brian Wilson, crew chief for Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford, said teams will be constantly evaluating how cautions impact their fuel windows throughout the afternoon.
“I think there are certain things that you can do, setup-wise,” Wilson told NASCAR.com. “Obviously, you want to start full of fuel is the biggest thing — making sure that the driver understands ways that he can save fuel throughout the race.”
Wilson believes the biggest strategic decisions may come when teams are forced to choose between track position and fuel conservation.
“Some of the debate I think is going to come down to if you have early cautions, or cautions hit at the right point, do you want to wait on fuel? I think that’s probably the biggest question for a lot of guys.”
Michigan’s wide racing surface allows multiple grooves and plenty of passing opportunities, but track position still matters. That leaves crew chiefs balancing aggressive strategy against the risk of running short when the race reaches its closing laps.
“You know, typically you don’t have a lot of (pit) stops here,” Wilson said. “You try to stay out, hold on to the track position, maybe four stops on average, so a lot of times you’ll have to make sure you’re full or close to full, or get as much as you can in those situations to open up the playground.”
A well-timed pit call can completely reshape the running order, especially if a caution falls at the right moment.
Tire Questions Add Another Variable
Fuel won’t be the only concern.
Goodyear brought a new right-side tire combination to Michigan this weekend, creating another layer of uncertainty for teams trying to prepare for Sunday’s race.
Practice already produced several tire-related issues, including problems for Austin Cindric, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell.
Travis Peterson, crew chief for Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, said teams are still learning exactly how the tire will behave over a long run.
“I mean, maybe a little bit more wear than we’ve had here in the past, but lap times are probably still a little flat,” Peterson said after qualifying. “I don’t know that we ran enough laps to fully see.”
While Peterson doesn’t expect a dramatic difference in performance, the unknowns surrounding tire wear could influence how aggressively teams manage both fuel and track position.
There is also added motivation for manufacturers. The annual Michigan Heritage Trophy goes to the winning manufacturer, creating another point of pride at a track located in the heart of the American auto industry.
Toyota has won the last two Cup Series races at Michigan. Ford, meanwhile, is chasing its next milestone victory on home turf.
“Obviously it’s in their backyard. They don’t have to put pressure on us,” Wilson said. “We want to have a very solid and strong race for Ford.”
Michigan is known for speed, but speed isn’t always what wins races.
If Sunday’s event turns into the kind of long green-flag battle many teams expect, the driver celebrating in Victory Lane may not be the one with the fastest car.
He may simply be the one whose team stretched a tank of fuel a little farther than everyone else.
Continue reading...
