Helton: Running the boot at the Glen not out of the question
(August 12, 2011)
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.—When Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton traded cars for an exhibition run at Watkins Glen International in June, Stewart got to run the boot, a .95-mile section of the road course that isn’t used in NASCAR races.
Stewart immediately suggested that NASCAR should start running that boot-shaped section, which would stretch the course to 3.40 miles, and track president Michael Printup endorsed the recommendation.
According to NASCAR president Mike Helton, running the boot isn’t off the table.
“From time to time, we look at the possibility of doing that, because I think the boot is part of Watkins Glen,” Helton told Sporting News on Friday at WGI. “Historically, it’s not part of the NASCAR race here, but it is part of Watkins Glen, and as a series that runs here, we from time to time look at that possibility.
“Today it would be easier to make that shift than it might have been 10 years ago for us. It’s not on the table right now today, but the conversations about that possibility certainly are.”
Four-time Watkins Glen winner Jeff Gordon wouldn’t mind seeing the boot added to the NASCAR course.
“I’ve never run the boot, (but) I’ve heard great things from other drivers that have run it,” Gordon said. “I know Jimmie (Johnson) has run it in the prototypes (Grand-Am), and he likes it. Tony has mentioned the same thing. What I do like about it is that it offers—and I’m not exactly sure—but at least one more passing opportunity, if not maybe two.
“I think sometimes that’s one of the things that we miss on the road courses as we shorten the tracks up. Particularly Sonoma, when they took out that inner loop, to me, it took away the best passing zone that we had on that racetrack, and I miss that and the challenges that came along with it. The boot, I think, could be a lot of fun and could be interesting to run here.”
By Reid SpencerSporting News NASCAR Wire Service
No comments:
Post a Comment