Blazing Into Kansas
September 26, 2006
Denver, CO- Furniture Row's Cup and Busch program heads to Kansas International Speedway this weekend.
Sunday’s event marks the sixth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Kansas, which hosted its first series event in 2001.
Cup driver Kenny Wallace and Busch Driver Jerry Robertson will need to approach Kansas with caution.
Drivers, who read asphalt like text, say Kansas has its own quirks and personality.
The following includes some helpful tips for the drivers and crews to take to the track.
Kansas’ 1.5- mile, banked track does not guarantee transferable set-ups. Furniture Row® must tune their aerodynamics and chassis in concert, and for a particular locale. Otherwise, they can expect hit-or-miss performances. Turn one historically presents the track’s biggest obstacle. A tricky corner, turn one demands precise entry. Staying low on one, and having confidence in the car’s set-up translates to a solid start for a good lap.
Kansas is also one of the two youngest tracks on the series circuit.
As the track surfaces weather, racing grooves develop, which correlates to more options to run faster, and negotiate traffic. Look for drivers to experiment with more lines than in the past.
In addition to maneuvering quirks of the track, the #78 team will also take lessons learned from Dover to add to their arsenal to make this weekend's effort successful.
Unfortunately, the Cup program failed to qualify with driver Kenny Wallace last weekend at Dover. However, both knowledge and experience were gained in the process.
Crew Chief Joe Garone explains the situation at Dover.
"We had an issue on Kenny’s qualifying lap. The car was bottoming against the track.
Kenny drove the car six tenths faster than he did in practice, and the extra G force generated by this speed forced the car to travel further than I had adjusted for. This was a mistake that won’t happen again."
For Kansas, we are back in Kenny’s favorite car which has been named BLAZE. We will be ready for a good qualifying run on Friday.”
Jerry and the Busch team will be ready as well. Jerry is anxious to get back behind the wheel and will have a good qualifying run. We’re all looking forward to having a good weekend of racing.”
Furniture Row® Companies is one of the largest family-owned specialty home furnishings and bedding retailers. The company is comprised of five specialty store brands including: Sofa Mart®, Oak Express®, Bedroom Expressions®, Denver Mattress Co®, and Big Sur Water Beds®.
