Joe Nemechek and the #01 U.S. Army team will participate in a Goodyear tire test Monday, March 21st at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Nemechek will be the first NEXTEL Cup driver to circle the speedway since engineers used a combination of Global Positioning System technology and three-dimensional laser mapping to smooth the 1.5-mile racing surface.(LMS)(3-19-2005)
UPDATE: After several laps at Lowe’s Motor Speedway during a Goodyear tire test Monday, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series veteran Joe Nemechek believes track officials have achieved their goal of creating more side-by-side racing at the legendary 1.5-mile superspeedway. In preparation for the May races including the May 29 Coca-Cola 600 and May 21 NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, engineers recently used a combination of Global Positioning System technology and three-dimensional laser mapping to smooth the track’s asphalt surface. “It’s going to make for more side-by-side racing,” Nemechek said after climbing from his #01 U.S. Army Chevrolet. “The grinding has added so much more grip, and it’s not just around the bottom. It’s from the bottom to the wall, and that’s a very good thing when you are trying to race around the high groove. I’ve been running right around the bottom, trying to do the same thing every lap to give Goodyear some feedback,” Nemechek continued. “But I’ve slid up a little bit and there is still a lot of grip. It might even be faster up high.” With his Chevrolet in race trim, Nemechek consistently ran lap times close to Ryan Newman’s 188.877-mph track qualifying record.(LMS)(3-22-2005)
