ESPN Analyst, Two-Time NASCAR Champion Crew Chief Andy Petree on Racing at Kansas Speedway

The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup is on ABC

September 25, 2007:

Q - Kansas Speedway seems to be a track that has produced more and more competitive racing each year. Has the track changed or have race teams adapted to it better?

“I think the track has matured a lot. When they first built the racetrack and it was brand new asphalt, the groove was right on the bottom. But, as it ages, it moves up the racetrack. Now it’s by far the best it has ever been. The drivers and teams have learned how to make the cars adapt to the racetrack better, but mostly it is the track that has aged and worked itself in that has made the difference.”

Q - Is the basic setup for Kansas Speedway similar to what teams run at some of the other 1.5-mile tracks like Chicagoland, Atlanta and Texas? And does that make it an easy setup?

“Absolutely, it is very similar to Chicago, Atlanta and Texas. It’s never easy because you still have 43 guys out there racing and trying to beat each other and trying to get that extra edge. Kansas is very similar to Chicago and the other intermediate tracks. The baseline is very similar, but when the teams get there, they are always tweaking the car and trying to get that little edge nobody else has.”

Q - Aero push is always a topic of discussion in NASCAR. What is it, and can it happen on ANY type of racetrack?

“Aero push is real and more prevalent on the flatter, high-speed racetracks. At Indianapolis you will see it the most. For the banked racetrack, you still have it, but not nearly as much. At Kansas the average speed is going to be 180 mph. At that speed you are carrying about 2,000 pounds of extra force on the car, which makes it stick to the track better. The aero push is the extra pressure that the air puts on the hood of the car, making it stick to the asphalt better. All that downforce will make it go faster through the corners. Anything you do to disturb that air – like getting close to someone’s bumper – means you have less force working for you on the hood of the car and so the car doesn’t want to make the turn. That is what we mean by getting clean air; they want that clean, undisturbed air to help them stick to the racetrack. The slower racetracks have a lot less of that effect; Martinsville does not have much of it. Kansas has more than one groove, so guys can find a clean spot.”

The Third Race in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup is Sunday on ABC; ESPN2 continues season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series on Saturday

The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup continues with Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. ESPN on ABC will have live coverage of the Kansas event and all 10 races in the Chase. The Kansas telecast begins at 1 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

On Saturday afternoon, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live racing from Kansas Speedway. The telecast of the 300-mile race is presented by Principal Financial Group and begins at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Brent Musburger will be the Kansas telecast host, while Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Wallace is the only national TV analyst who has competed in the Chase as a driver. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in NASCAR’s Busch and Truck series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN on ABC has comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup” championship on ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. For the first time in the history of televised motorsports, all programming is produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, SportsCenter, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.

Source: ESPN