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NASCAR Cup

Dodge seeks a 10th win at Atlanta

Edited: Aug 29, 2012, 2:11 AM

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Brad Keselowski, Penske Racing Dodge

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

FROM THE ENGINEER – RACING AT ATLANTA

"Even though the mile-and-a-half track is the backbone of the Cup Series, there are six mile-and-a-half tracks in the Chase, the Cup series hasn't visited one in eight weeks. So Atlanta this week will be an important test for any team that hopes to have success in the Championship run. Engineering advancements made this summer in testing should find their way into the Atlanta setups and it ought to be an interesting 500 miles. Some teams that struggle in Atlanta might still be gaining valuable experience for the Chase." Howard Comstock, SRT Motorsports Engineering

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Atlanta, probably as much as anywhere we go, places a huge emphasis on strategy. With new tires giving you so much of an advantage, you want to make sure you maximize that ‘sweet spot’ as much as you can. But fuel mileage can come into play as well. It can be somewhat hectic and nerve-wracking at times for a crew chief, but it’s a lot of fun to go head-to-head with the other crew chiefs that way. We’ve really improved our mile-and-a-half program recently. That last time we visited one, Brad and the Miller Lite Dodge ended up in Victory Lane (Kentucky). A fourth win of the year would be nice on Sunday night.”

Paul Wolfe, crew chief, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger, on Atlanta Motor Speedway

DODGE QUOTES

“I like the fact that Atlanta is a very slick racetrack. You come in to put tires on and you are almost three seconds a lap faster. That’s huge! A guy that will come in and pit one lap earlier than you do will gain almost half a straightaway on you. That puts pit strategy into focus. It’s just a fun place to race. I’ve had a lot of success running the high line at Atlanta. I don’t really think of myself as a driver that prefers the top, but I’ll definitely search around to see where my Miller Lite Dodge is the fastest. That’s why we love racing at Atlanta. You can go wherever your car is working the best.

“For us right now, it’s all about going for wins. We can take some chances and experiment a bit knowing that we are pretty safe as far as making the Chase. We want to go in with the most wins, or at least tied for the most wins. Every point is critical. You look at last year, Tony (Stewart) and Carl (Edwards) tied in points after Homestead. That’s how close it can be so we want all the points we can get before the Chase starts.”
Brad Keselowski, No 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger

“Just like always at Atlanta, it’ll be important to hit your marks and get a good rhythm going, but it’s also a track that you can search and find a good line to get around the place. Atlanta is unlike several of the tracks we’ve been racing on recently where there was just one fast groove that you needed to stay in. Atlanta is a track where you’ll likely see several different lines working during the course of the race. I really enjoy that aspect of racing there. You can race all over the track – from up at the top to down on the bottom.”
Sam Hornish Jr., No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger

Source: SRT Motorsports

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