Updated?Jun 14, 2012 3:00 PM ET
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BROOKLYN, Mich.
How fast is too fast?
Mark Martin topped the speed chart on the newly repaved Michigan Speedway with a lap of 201.089 mph in NASCAR Sprint Cup testing Thursday. But down the frontstretch, drivers were reaching 218 mph entering the corner. That?s five miles per hour faster than drivers were running last week at Pocono Raceway.
While NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said the sanctioning body did not expect to add a restrictor plate to slow the speeds as he expects they will go down over time, drivers did seem a little surprised by them.
Greg Biffle, who posted a lap of 199.253, doesn?t feel that the speeds are outrageous. The former points leader - Biffle dropped from first to third in the standings after engine issues at Pocono - believes ?a little action and controversy? is good for the sport. And recently, fans have questioned whether with all the safety innovations NASCAR has become a bit stale.
?Yeah, but we don?t want to kill anybody either.? Biffle said. ?We have to walk that fine line of not killing people and creating excitement. I think the biggest thing is that when people say that it is too fast or whatever ... that it makes it hard to race other cars at that speed. You look at the places we go, the absolute fastest, and sometimes those aren?t the best races to watch. Sometimes the tracks that are a little bit slower put on a little better side-by-side action and more bumping and grinding. I promise you that you aren?t going to bump somebody at 218 mph, I promise you that. It isn?t going to happen.
?Saying that, just because we are going that fast doesn?t mean it is going to be a great race. Just because the speeds are the thrill or excitement. TV tames it down a lot. Watching in the grandstands here and watching on TV at home is a lot different. It numbs you from that speed. High speed doesn?t always mean exciting racing. Sometimes a little slower speed actually could be a little more exciting and thrilling. You are seeing guys root and gouge and go.?
Still, he recognizes all the issues high speeds can raise.
?I have to admit that if I was on the other side of the game I would be a little bit nervous right now with the 218,? he said. ?Like you said, it is kind of late in the game. Who knew what it would do, that is the biggest unknown. We know it slows the car down a little bit but where do you start? Are these engines capable? That is a lot of unknowns.?
NASCAR, though, appears comfortable with the results as of now. During the first day of testing on the 2-mile track, 39 cars were over the qualifying record of 194.232 mph set by Ryan Newman in August 2005. However, the cars were running in race trim ? not qualifying trim. Asked if there was a speed that could generate lift off and get the sanctioning body?s attention, NASCAR Sprint Cup Director John Darby replied that, ?Yes there is, and no we?re not there yet.?
Drivers say that it is the handling of the car as much as anything that makes the higher speeds feel significant.
?It?s pretty fast,? said Clint Bowyer, whose best lap was 199.418 mph. ?Center corner speed is fast. It doesn?t feel any different down the straightaway if your car is handling good. At the start of practice I was a second off and it felt really, really fast. At the end of practice I was top 10 in speeds and it didn?t feel as fast because I had a good handle on the car, good balance. And that makes all the difference in the world.
?Let me tell you, when you?re fighting loose conditions and the thing snaps sideways when you?re running 200 miles an hour, it gets your attention pretty quick.?
Four drivers, Martin, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ,broke the 200 mph barrier for an overall lap speed.
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