ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 11, 1997 TAG: 9704110026
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: AUTO RACING NOTES
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER THE ROANOKE TIMES
Gary Nelson, NASCAR's Winston Cup director, held yet another comparative test this week for the three manufacturers in the series - this one on the race track.
Pontiac driver Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet driver Sterling Marlin and Ford drivers Mark Martin and Ted Musgrave spent Tuesday on the track at Daytona International Speedway testing a variety of configurations for NASCAR, mostly related to aerodynamics.
``We tried a lot of things in a short amount of time,'' Nelson said in a statement released by NASCAR. ``The two main combinations we experimented with aerodynamically were low drag combined with low downforce and high drag combined with high downforce.''
The variations were achieved by manipulating spoilers and air dams.
``We never took the [restrictor] plates off,'' Nelson said. ``We tried several different sizes, but we never took the plates off.''
Nelson said the tests were a result of suggestions by teams that NASCAR actually test cars in racing conditions as well as in the wind tunnel and on a chassis dynamometer.
``Some things worked better than others, but the time wasn't wasted,'' Nelson said.
As to possible rules changes, he said: ``We always keep our options open. But we would rather stay with what we have than do something that hasn't been researched.''
FORD VS. CHEVY: Ford driver Ricky Rudd said he agrees with Ford Winston Cup manager Preston Miller's verbal attack on the recent NASCAR wind-tunnel tests.
``I don't think they took the right Chevrolet to the wind tunnel,'' Rudd said. ``I've seen a Chevy built by one of the Ford teams [driven by Rusty Wallace] that made tremendously more downforce than the Chevy [of Terry Labonte] that they took to the wind tunnel.
``I don't think it was a fair choice of cars. I don't think the best Chevrolet went. I think the best Ford went and the best Pontiac went, but I don't think the best Chevy went to the wind tunnel.''
The tests prompted NASCAR to make another rules change detrimental to the aerodynamic performance of the Fords.
VALVOLINE RE-SIGNS WITH ROUSH: The Valvoline Company, which has sponsored the Roush Racing Ford Thunderbirds driven by Mark Martin since 1992, has extended its contract by three years. The company will sponsor the car through the year 2000.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB