What did Jimmie Johnson suggest will improve racing?
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Bristol Motor Speedway’s experiment with a sealant on the track might be worth trying at other venues, six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson said Friday.
The application of a sticky substance known as VHT on Bristol's lower groove has altered the racing line – at least to start the weekend – at a track where the high lane had been dominant in recent years.
If successful, Johnson believes it’s worth trying at 1.5-mile tracks that sometimes have lackluster races.
“I know it sounds crazy, but if you pick a mile-and-a-half (track) that’s boring and you don’t have an outside lane, if they could put down a two- or three-foot-wide strip in one or two slots around the middle groove or the high line, you’ll see people all over the racetrack,” Johnson said.
Johnson pointed to what Pocono Raceway did in 2008 before the track was repaved. In that situation, a 15-foot-wide strip of new asphalt was inserted into Turn 3 as a repair – but drivers quickly realized it had added grip, so they changed their racing line to run there.
Applying the substance, Johnson theorized, could do the same thing. NHRA tracks have used it for years, and Johnson called Bristol's experiment a “simple, easy thing to do.”
He said after frequent changes to aerodynamic rules and tires, the track surface could be the next area NASCAR tries for an improved show.
“If you put some strips through corners of tracks where it’s single-file (racing) – just give it a chance, give it a try,” he said. “There’s no downside. I think we can do some subtle things there. We can create more competitive racing, better racing.”
It remains to be seen how the sticky strip will work at Bristol, but it had the intended effect during Wednesday night’s Camping World Truck Series race and seemed to work in Friday’s Sprint Cup Series practice session as well.
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