Keselowski: 'Testing is like a lottery ticket'
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CONCORD, N.C. -- More than one dozen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams spent Wednesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, validating information gleaned from simulation programs while testing on a track and a tire that they will see approximately two months from now.
The open test, part of NASCAR National Series Unified Testing Program for 2015, provides one team from each Sprint Cup organization the opportunity to participate. It is the second open test conducted this season, following NASCAR's elimination of private team testing at the conclusion of 2014.
"Just being able to try things and look at the data acquisition and see exactly what it did," Keith Rodden, crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne said of the advantages of the test. "Because on a race weekend we don't get to run those sensors so you always have some questions.
"When I run tests, I try to make big changes, I don't try to 'Happy Hour' it and try to run fast. I don't really care what (speeds) we're running today … we're trying to make big picture changes, do things to the car to make it act differently. Being able to look at that data that comes right off the car when we come in is really valuable.
"The second part of that is being able to correlate your simulation tool to the actual track data. That's the biggest advantage."
Sixteen cars were on the track during the day-long session -- including one from each manufacturer running data-gathering wheel force transducers. In addition to Kahne, drivers participating were Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing), Aric Almirola (Richard Petty Motorsports), Joey Logano (Team Penske), Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates), Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), Brian Scott (RAB Racing), Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing), Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing), Michael McDowell (Leavine Family Racing), Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) and JJ Yeley (BK Racing).
A one-day Goodyear tire test was conducted on Tuesday, and Almirola was one of four drivers taking part in that session as well.
"We've just been running through a lot of setup things and a lot of aero stuff and a lot of things that we kind of came up with over the winter and we've had a lot of questions about, whether they were going to be better or not," the RPM driver said. "It's hard when the wind tunnel tells you one thing – sometimes the race track agrees and sometimes it doesn't, so we've just been kind of validating some stuff on the race track that we've seen in the wind tunnel … validating some stuff that we've been seeing in our new simulation software and kind of correlating that to the real world aspect at the race track.
"It's been a great test for us as far as those things are concerned."
Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR's Vice President for Innovation and Racing Development, said such open team tests were helpful to the sanctioning body, but primarily for the teams' benefit.
Three elements, he said, stand out. Unlike previous tests conducted prior to the '15 testing program, teams did not test at tracks where Sprint Cup races were held, and they tested on tires that likely wouldn't be used. That combination limited the amount of knowledge that could be gained.
"We've got a lot of cars on the track," Stefanyshyn said, "so we can really get our head around those and make sure those tires are going to work well."
Stefanyshyn also said such tests are able to be conducted in a more cost-efficient manner for teams "and we provide them with a higher level of service as they do all this."
Brad Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, wasn't testing, but was on hand at CMS Wednesday.
"You never know what you might learn or stumble across," the Team Penske driver said. "Testing is like a lottery ticket – you might win a $1 scratch-off, or you might get lucky and win $3-4 million."
There have been times, he said, when he departed a test thinking it had been a complete waste of time, but others that proved to be more valuable.
"I distinctly remember a test before the Kansas race (in '12)," he said, "and I really feel like what we learned at that test won us the championship."
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