June 8, 2012
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
LONG
POND, Pa. -- For an eloquent explanation of the difference new pavement
at Pocono makes, just ask five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and
two-time Pocono winner Jimmie Johnson.
The
new asphalt has made a dramatic difference in speed at Pocono Raceway,
which in turn has changed the way Johnson and his fellow drivers
negotiate the 2.5-mile triangular track.
"You're
in the gas a long time," Johnson told the NASCAR Wire Service. "I'd say
the corner that is most apparent for that is Turn 3. You're in the
throttle well before you ever see any part of the straightaway, and you
make up time on throttle around here.
"We
certainly are getting into the corners deeper and rolling the center
faster, but the thing that stands out to me the most is how soon you're
wide open. Then, if you're shifting, how quickly you need to grab fourth
(gear). It's a considerable distance from last year when we were
shifting."
Despite the increased speed, though, Johnson said a lap at Pocono isn't uncomfortable.
"Even
though we're going so much faster, the comfort is there in the cars,
and that's why we're able to lay down these laps," Johnson said. "Then
the tire is holding up, so then again, I think it speaks to the
tire/asphalt combination and how important that really is that those two
materials agree with one another."
As
far as Johnson was concerned, there was plenty of agreement where the
rubber met the road on Friday afternoon. His No. 48 Chevrolet was fourth
fastest in the first Cup practice at 178.678 mph.
QUALIFYING NECESSITIES
During
two days of testing Wednesday and Thursday at Pocono, the quickest
drivers posted lap speeds of nearly 180 mph. Mark Martin's best lap
(50.142 seconds) was more than two seconds faster than the track
qualifying record set by Kasey Kahne in 2004 (52.164 seconds).
So,
given the increase in speed, what will it take to win the pole for
Sunday's Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR? Clint Bowyer didn't have a
specific number, but he had a definite idea.
"I don't know -- something the size of grapefruits, I'd say," Bowyer told the NASCAR Wire Service.
HARD TO FIND TROUBLE AT POCONO
It's
been an unusual week for drivers and their teams at Pocono -- five days
at the same track versus a three-day weekend. Two days of testing
extended the stay, but Matt Kenseth wasn't worried about his crewmen
getting into trouble during an extended visit to the quiet, bucolic
mountains of Pennsylvania.
"I'd
be more concerned about my team if we were in Vegas for five days,"
Kenseth said. "I don't know what they're going to do here -- hike
themselves to death? I'm not too worried about those guys.
It's
been all right being here. There's not a lot going on. I've enjoyed the
couple days of testing, and it's been fun to get on the track and try
some stuff. We don't get to test at any places we really get to race, so
I've enjoyed that."
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