Iowa Speedway test worthwhile for NASCAR drivers

NEWTON - Testing isn't always the most fun for NASCAR drivers.

It involves almost exclusively single-car runs and is typically an all-day affair. But despite the - in some, but not all cases - boredom and repetitiveness, a test at a NASCAR-sanctioned track is extremely advantageous for teams and drivers.

NASCAR allows open testing, but only at tracks where no NASCAR national series run. The tests, like Tuesday's at Iowa Speedway, that are at tracks coming up on the schedule are rare and very valuable.

'There's definitely no disadvantage to it, it's definitely helpful,” said Richard Childress Racing driver Brian Scott. 'I feel like when we come back here in two weeks for the race, we're really going to be able to see how big of an advantage it was.”

The reason for the test, according to NASCAR Nationwide Series Managing Director Wayne Auton, was to get confirmation on how the Goodyear tires would take to the patches of asphalt put down during the off-season.

Five patches were put down in the turns, two in Turns 3 and 4, and three in Turns 1 and 2, which were a bit smaller. The patches fixed degradation on the surface, much like what happens when a pothole develops on the highway. With the harsh Iowa winter weather, moisture can get under the surface and compromise certain spots. The patches were a preventive measure, and only the fault of nature.

Both NASCAR and Iowa Speedway officials were happy with how the track took rubber and are confident the racing will be as good as ever.

'From what we've heard from the teams, it went very well,” Auton said. 'Bob Harrington and Tyler Clement and the whole staff here and Iowa Speedway have done a heck of a job. Harrington, our specialist with asphalt, really worked it out really hard. The friction between the surface of the track and the patches we did was only one percent. I don't know how you get closer than that. And the drivers are telling me … as the day went on and we got some rubber to it, then that theory (of two different grip levels) went away. We're very pleased for today.”

Teams were curious about what the patches would be like. With the test being uniquely open to whoever wanted to come - Auton said NASCAR typically only invites certain teams, but opened this one up to one race team from each organization - the top teams in the series were well-represented.

Scott (RCR), Sam Hornish Jr. (Joe Gibbs Racing), Trevor Bayne (Roush Fenway Racing), Chase Elliott and Austin Theriault (JR Motorsports) and Brad Keselowski (Penske Racing) were all in attendance.

'It seems like mainly the big teams and the teams that are running up front and winning a lot of the races, they have a representative here,” Scott said. 'So the knowledge of whatever one team might gain here, when they go back they're going to share it with all the teams. There will be a lot of teams when we come back here that will have detailed information about what's changed and what's new and a lot of data from this test.”

It also doesn't hurt that Iowa Speedway is a favorite among the drivers. Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup Series and 2010 Nationwide Series champion was happy to be there, and he won't even be racing on May 18. He joked about being there for Ryan Blaney as Blaney will be in the No. 22 Ford for the race, and that 'I guess I'm his test driver.”

He had Iowa Speedway on his dream Cup schedule, posted on his blog, and loves getting a chance to turn laps on the 7/8-mile oval, no matter the reason.

'I like this facility a lot for a number of reasons,” Keselowski said. 'It's one of the few tracks that has a great balance between what the drivers like and what the fans like.

'It's a unique track in the sense that it's achieved a balance that's hard to find.”

The series will have another test on May 15 for all race teams coming to the weekend's race. The race on May 18 is set for 1 p.m.

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