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Testing report

NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers praise Watkins Glen repave during tire test

Five NASCAR Sprint Cup teams got the first look at the brand new surface at Watkins Glen International this week.

Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Watkins Glen International

Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Trevor Bayne, Roush Fenway Racing Ford
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Watkins Glen repaving
Race winner Joey Logano, Team Penske assists with the start of repaving work
Watkins Glen repaving
Watkins Glen repaving
Watkins Glen repaving

Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Trevor Bayne all took part in the two-day tire test, which doubled as a first glimpse at the completed $12 million dollar repaving project at the famed road course.

WGI repave met with positive reviews

"I'm surprised at how well the cars move around on the new surface. For the surface to allow us to move around like we are, I'm really excited about that," Carl Edwards told Motorsport.com. "I was nervous that it was going to be really knife edge and really hard to drive. 

"I haven't been on all the tires, but a couple times, I've gotten pretty sideways and been able to correct it easily. And sometimes with a new surface, that's tough."

"With the curbing the way it used to be, there were some real tough spots that you had to get just right and they kind of smoothed some of that out, so it's a little more forgiving," Edwards added when asked if there was anything in particular that stood out to him.

Joey Logano said that track officials did an "awesome job" with the repave, the first at WGI since 1989. "Every time you go to a track after a repave, the nerves automatically go up. Watkins Glen has always been a great race track in the past, the last thing you want to see is it not be as good. But after showing up and doing a few laps here, it's still Watkins Glen. It's a lot of fun."

Deciding on a tire compound 

Of course, teams are not just at WGI to get a feel for the new surface. Goodyear is testing various tire compounds ahead of this August's NASCAR race weekend. And as Kasey Kahne notes, what they bring could be significant in what kind of show the fans see in upstate New York.

"I think (the racing) depends a lot on the tire. I think it's going to be very tough to pass. To me, on repaves when the track is smooth and fast and grippy, it's all to do with the tire if you're going to have good racing or not. I think Goodyear knows that.

"Yesterday, we tried four or five different compounds, but now we've narrowed it down to three, at least for myself. I was on the control tire this morning, which I think was last year's tire."

In regards to the kind of racing this new surface will produce, Edwards believes that we that we can expect some more mistakes, especially down in the always treacherous bus stop chicane.

"Even by myself a couple times, the bus stop has been pretty exciting. We'll be going faster, so harder on the brakes and it will make it a little more dynamic, so you'll see some guys  having more trouble down there. That bus stop gets narrow."

Getting a jump on the competition

Those who got the opportunity to test here this week are also getting a slight jump on the competition, which puts them ahead for practice that weekend. As for what each organization is taking from this test, it depends on who you ask, but Kasey Kahne had the following to say:

"I think for myself and my teammates at HMS ... It's the differences with the track. The braking (and) the gear ratios are two things we can definitely understand better than just coming here and not knowing. And the feel of the track, which I don't think has changed. It's really similar, smoother, but overall, it feels like the same Watkins Glen."

Kahne also noted that because of his need for improved results at the Glen, any bonus track time he can get is valuable. "It's been a good couple of days for me to be able to be here and try to figure this place out better, it's always been a tough track for me."

In fact, of the five drivers participating in the test, three of them have never won here. 

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