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Friday, 13 March 2009 08:38 |
 Four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams headed to the "Lady In Black" Wednesday afternoon to participate in a Goodyear tire test on the two year old racing surface. Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler and Denny Hamlin represented each manufacturer and took part in the one day test at the historic speedway.
"This is a place I got to come to as a kid and watch races because it is not far from where I grew up so to come here and have a chance to win this race is a dream come true," said Elliott Sadler, driver of the No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge. "I love that we race here, I'm glad it's a night race, it's a great event for us and since we only come here once a year we put a lot of effort into running well here because Darlington is still a huge cornerstone in our sport and represents where we've been and how far we've come."
Another driver who will be looking for his first Darlington victory when the series heads to the track on May 9, 2009 is Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick. The only Chevrolet team at the tire test, Harvick knows how important a win at the track "Too Tough to Tame" would be.
"Well obviously this is a very historic race track that we go to," Harvick pointed out. "It still has a lot of the characteristics that it's had for a number of years so to come here and race as a driver in NASCAR, I think that's something special to everyone in the garage. This is an exciting place for us to race at and to win would be really cool. We've been close a couple of times and it would be nice to finally win one."
After the day of testing, the four drivers that participated in the event gave the track and Goodyear's choice of tire good reviews. Last season Goodyear caught a lot of flack from drivers and media alike on a number of occasions after poor tire wear resulted in bad racing. One of the toughest jobs in all of racing, Goodyear has shown in 2009 they are committed to providing the best product that will result in the best racing.
"It's tough to build tires for our series," Labonte, driver of the No. 96 Ford Fusion explained. "I say, overall, in the whole thing, they're definitely the first one somebody's going to point the finger at when something happens."
"They repaved the track last year and you hated to see it in one way but they did a great job and it's still the same Darlington," Labonte went on to say. "Speeds have picked up, the surface is smoother but the racing is still great and it still means the same thing to win here."
"Darlington is a great racetrack for me, I always run well here," Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota commented. "It's a great race track, I love running here and it's got so much history. You hated to see it get paved but they did a great job doing it and it still promotes great racing. It's a great track with great history and you love to win here no matter what car you are in."
With two wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, Hamlin is also looking for his first Cup win at Darlington. Commenting on the criticism Goodyear officials have had to endure of the last year, Hamlin argued things are starting to get better.
"I think they're listening more to us now than what they have in the past," Hamlin added. "They're trying to get us comfortable because they know the more comfortable we are, the more side-by-side racing they're going to see."
With NASCAR's ban on testing implemented for the 2009 season, each Goodyear tire test is beneficial for everyone involved. Teams that are able to participate in these tests have a bit of an advantage heading into the Mother's Day weekend race, while Goodyear and NASCAR benefit by ensuring the tire brought to the track that weekend will provide the best racing possible.
One of the toughest and most historic tracks on the NASCAR circuit, Darlington Raceway has always provided the backdrop for great racing. With a still new racing surface and racing under the lights, this year's Southern 500 is sure to be one for the books.
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