Full Throttle

A testing session for the NASCAR [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/cup.jpg]NEXTEL Cup[/avatar] stars had barely gotten the green flag Tuesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when sheet metal met SAFER, repeatedly.

Series points leader Tony Stewart started the Tuesday crashfest 3 laps into his run and left the track with a headache in addition to bent sheetmetal. He was joined by Greg Biffle and Mark Martin among others. With the exception of Ricky Rudd who in so many words said, “What slippery track,” the racing surface that produced a record 22 cautions during the May race was universally criticized. The predominate theme Tuesday was the levigating procedure done in certain areas may have been the cause.

Wednesday was a brand new day, with the same results.

Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle crashed Wednesday night during a test session at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the second round of wrecks for the championship contenders.

Stewart, who wrecked three laps into his test on Tuesday, crashed moments after posting his fastest lap of the night. The Nextel Cup points leader blamed the crash on a cut right-front tire.

“I had just run a 28.88,” Stewart said. “I’m thinking ‘This is pretty good,’ and then I get to turn three and I’m thinking ‘This isn’t good.’ ”

Biffle, who is second in the points, crashed one hour into Wednesday’s session. His Roush Racing team then called it a day.

Do I have to paint you a picture?

Never mind… I won’t “paint,” I’ll use my trusty 64 box of Crayolas. Starting last year there were some complaints about a uneven surface at Lowes. Humpy brought in the levigating machines and attempted to smooth out the areas in question. May’s event, the first after the levigating, produced an evening of 22 caution flags. Again the “levigators” (sounds like an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie title doesn’t it?) moved in and produced the aforementioned testing crashes this week.

But wait… there’s another chapter to this tale. The U.S. Grand Prix was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June. That “race” produced an FIAsco that saw only 6 cars out of 20 take the green flag in protest over failing Michelin tyres and a practice crash. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was also levigated prior to that unmitigated disaster and many Nomex covered fingers were pointed at both Michelin and the newly “smoothed” track surface.

It would seem that levigating, truly is a “bad habit hard to break!”

And if your thinking what I’m thinking and thought this weeks crash-a-rama in New Hampshire was “fun.” Just wait til the road ragers get to Humpy’s place on October 15^th!

NASCAR, Auto Racing, Sports