I think the way to solve the "pack" problem is to first realize why the cars
run in packs. The problem is that all of the cars can run Daytona and 'Dega
all out on the entire track because of the high banking. Since they never
have to lift their foot off the pedal, it comes down to which cars are
faster, but with the restictor plates making all things being equal nobody
can pull away and the aero draft is just a byproduct of this. Since the
cars are always going all out, handling tightness or looseness or tire wear
is not as important at these tracks so those element is out of the equation.
The key to breaking up the packs is to make it to where the driver has to
lift in the corners. This could be done by removing the high banking from
the track (not likely to happen), letting the cars go faster by removing the
plates, (also not likely to happen), or going to a different tire with less
grip that would cause the drivers to have to slow down around the corners or
any major adjustment in the cars' handling characteristics that would force
the drivers to slow down in the corners.
Once you enter a little more driver skill into the equation, the better
drivers/teams can start to pull away from the not so good driver/teams.
-Tim
Just for the record, I'm all for keeping the way it is and having pack races
4 times a year. Is the current "pack" racing really broken?
> > Did you catch the blurb from one of the announcers? "We have to run
> > restrictor plates here or the cars would be running 230." Here's a news
> > flash. The cars SHOULD be running 230. If the current crop of million
> > dollar spoon fed prima donnas don't want to drive Tally at 230 put
> > drivers in the cars who do.
> > I think the late Dale Earnhardt spelled out my views on restrictor
> > plate racing best.
> > "This is not racing".
> I'm with him, but uncapping the cars and letting them run 230 is a bad
idea.
> Something needs to be done that allows them to hold the speeds down but
also
> allows a car on its own to run nearly as fast as a car in the draft.
Maybe
> skinnier or harder tires? Power reduction isn't the way, and I don't
think
> aero is either, because adding drag just makes the cars even better as a
> draft.
> Maybe a maximum rollout? One that would allow, say, 205mph laps at the
> typical near-valvefloat RPMs of an unrestricted engine? Allow teams to
run
> shorter ratios if they want, but nothing taller...
> Just ideas.
> Milhouse
