KIDWCKED
02-16-2011, 10:58 PM
c/p from foxsports by Lee Spencer
Updated Feb 16, 2011 2:36 PM ET
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
NASCAR has opted for a smaller restrictor plate at Daytona International Speedway after speeds exceeded 206 mph Saturday in the Budweiser Shootout, it was announced Wednesday.
The new plate measures 57/64ths, a 1/64th reduction from the plate that was used Saturday night.
Doug Yates, co-owner and chief engine builder for Roush Yates Engines says there were a lot of unknowns going into Speedweeks that became apparent Saturday night. He believes the change will shave approximately 2 mph off the speeds.
“I think with the track being new and the nose being new, it was tough to know how fast we were going to run,” Yates said. “The speeds in the Bud Shootout were well beyond what we expected.
“I think the change is good. We’re turning a lot of RPM and exceeding the design of the engine, The change will give the engine builders a bit of relief.”
Yates said the engine RPMs in the Shootout ran 9100 to 9200, which was “more than we’d like to see." However, even in qualifying, RPMs were reaching the 8200 range.
Although Kasey Kahne was the only driver to experience an engine failure on Saturday night – eight laps into the race – Yates says there was no way cars could continue the speeds and tandem drafting for 200 laps.
“All of our testing shows that 9000 was the limit – we weren’t the only ones,” Yates said. “If we had to do that for 500, I’m sure we’d have problems.”
Updated Feb 16, 2011 2:36 PM ET
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
NASCAR has opted for a smaller restrictor plate at Daytona International Speedway after speeds exceeded 206 mph Saturday in the Budweiser Shootout, it was announced Wednesday.
The new plate measures 57/64ths, a 1/64th reduction from the plate that was used Saturday night.
Doug Yates, co-owner and chief engine builder for Roush Yates Engines says there were a lot of unknowns going into Speedweeks that became apparent Saturday night. He believes the change will shave approximately 2 mph off the speeds.
“I think with the track being new and the nose being new, it was tough to know how fast we were going to run,” Yates said. “The speeds in the Bud Shootout were well beyond what we expected.
“I think the change is good. We’re turning a lot of RPM and exceeding the design of the engine, The change will give the engine builders a bit of relief.”
Yates said the engine RPMs in the Shootout ran 9100 to 9200, which was “more than we’d like to see." However, even in qualifying, RPMs were reaching the 8200 range.
Although Kasey Kahne was the only driver to experience an engine failure on Saturday night – eight laps into the race – Yates says there was no way cars could continue the speeds and tandem drafting for 200 laps.
“All of our testing shows that 9000 was the limit – we weren’t the only ones,” Yates said. “If we had to do that for 500, I’m sure we’d have problems.”