VHT discussed for Dover International Speedway
VHT is becoming the new norm in NASCAR.
The chemical was in use this past weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was the first time we saw it used on an asphalt surface in the NASCAR ranks.
So what was the verdict? NASCAR claims it generated a mostly positive reaction from fans.
Dover International Speedway is a similar concrete surface to Bristol Motor Speedway. Track officials at Bristol have used VHT for the past few races. They were actually the innovators of putting it to use at the NASCAR level.
Related: Bristol Motor Speedwat Track Prep
Steve O’Donnell was a guest on Sirius XM “The Moring Drive” this week. He discussed the future of VHT in NASCAR.
Chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said the success of VHT has resulted interest across the NASCAR schedule. NASCAR is now being contacted by “a lot of interested parties” in terms of it’s usage at future NASCAR race dates.
“It’s something for sure you could see (at future races)”, O’Donnell said during his weekly “The Morning Drive” appearance on SiriusXM’s NASCAR Radio channel. He stated, “We have to break down what did we see from the asphalt application, what’s it doing to the track vs. the tire vs. the racing. There are a lot of things to digest.”
Steve continued, “Going into Dover, you’ve got that one-off where you ran it at Bristol on a similar surface. It is something we could look at and then beyond that have, we have to analyze what happens in terms of the asphalt surface.”
Gary Camp of Dover International Speedway states the interest is there for this coming weekend. He noted Dover VHT usage had been discussed, but insisted that no final decision had been made.
Camp appears to be leaving the decision mostly on the shoulders of NASCAR. Stating, If NASCAR believes the compound would enhance the racing at Dover, the track “would certainly be supportive.”
Goodyear is an important part of VHT usage. The window is fairly short but a decision wouldn’t require much lead time. Steve O’Donnell said he would be consulting with Goodyear this week.
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