Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards are wary of the Autodromo chicane. Credit: Autostock

Drivers see danger zone at Autodromo chicane

MEXICO CITY -- Forget all the warnings about drinking the water and going to the wrong side of town in Mexico City.

Just watch out for the chicane.

This winding section on the front straightaway of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course, where NASCAR's Busch Series makes its second appearance Sunday, is designed to slow down cars heading into the first set of sharp turns.

J.J. Yeley had a pair to top-five practice runs Friday, including the best speed in the first session. Credit: Autostock

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The problem is nobody slows down -- at least significantly -- making it arguably the most dangerous section of the track.

Jamie McMurray calls it a "death trap.'' Other drivers aren't quite so dramatic, but agree that portion of the 2.518-mile track is the most likely place for somebody to get hurt.

"It's likely to be a huge wreck there,'' Carl Edwards said. "It looks fine at normal speed. But at a real high speed that last set of curves, it's like driving through a single garage door at a 100 miles per hour.''

Edwards should know. He crashed so hard there during practice last season that he had to be taken to the hospital.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said the sight lines were changed going into the chicane to prevent such incidents. He said the chicane reduces speed by about 15 miles per hour.

Most drivers haven't noticed the difference.

"Man, it is really dangerous. It really is,'' said Denny Hamlin, who had the second-fastest lap during Friday's first practice. "It almost seems like it would be safer to let us go straight. You're going a little faster at the end of the straightaways, but it really wreaks havoc on guys trying to pass through there.''

Hamlin said the problem is a driver behind another car can't see the elevated steel curbs. That's what happened to Edwards last year.

"The guy ahead of me decided at the last second not to go though the last set of curves,'' Edwards said. "I was closing so fast that I couldn't follow him. I lifted a little bit and at the last minute I turned to the right and bounced the left rear over.''

Chicane's are used on road courses to slow down cars on the fastest part of the track. They are designed with elevated steel curbs to help keep the cars on the track. Many drivers were going right past the curbs through the chicane.

"I don't like it,'' Michael Waltrip said. " It's pretty wild to go sliding through there.''

J.J. Yeley, who had the fastest lap during the first practice, said the chicane needs to be more like that at Watkins Glen in New York, where drivers have to downshift.

"That is definitely the fastest part of the racetrack and it's not a very wide front straightaway,'' he said. "The steel ramps are pretty substantial. If you hit one the wrong way you can get your car in the air. If there is a long line of cars, there could be a heck of a wreck and somebody could get hurt.''

Several drivers suggested eliminating the chicane altogether.

"In qualifying trim I didn't let off going through it,'' McMurray said. "I don't know what the big deal would be if it wasn't there.''

Edwards does.

"I don't know how to tell NASCAR to fix it, but if they took it out they'd open a whole other set of problems,'' he said. "They'd have them three-wide going down the straightaway into the first turn. That could really cause problems.''

Waltrip had the easiest solution.

"You can always slow down if you want,'' he said.

Pemberton likes that suggestion.

"We don't think it's a problem,'' he said. "We had very little problem with it during the race last season and don't expect it to be this year.''