Brad Keselowski, who has had the same tough season as Chris Buescher, made some noise this week about NASCAR’s practice schedule. He points out that the team is no longer relying on simulation technology as they are not getting enough real-time time on the track, and appears to be pushing for longer training sessions. Dale Earnhardt Jr. chimed in and shared the same opinion, saying beginners in particular would benefit from more practice. But when Chase Elliott joined the conversation, Junior appeared to be reconsidering his position.
Did Dale Earnhardt Jr change his firm beliefs after listening to Chase Elliott?
After some team owners quietly hinted to reporters that they were open to more practices, Brad Keselowski said cutting back on practice time won’t actually save the team money. he claimed. He openly supported the idea of making sessions longer. Dale Earnhardt Jr. echoed this sentiment on his own podcast, agreeing that more practice could be beneficial.
“The team could have saved money by not practicing, but they spent that money elsewhere, okay! And the team had money they could use to race. If you do, you’ll spend all of it. If you save a little money here and there, they’ll still find a way to spend that money. ” “It can’t be helped. So when you get back to practice, there might be some grumbling and complaining, but they’ll find a way to make it work. Somewhere to cover the costs of practice. You’ll find a way to save money elsewhere. …………] So why not exercise to save money?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointed out that more training could help young drivers get a better feel for the track and their cars. This allows you to fine-tune what’s not working well before returning to the course for a second practice. But when he broached the topic with Chase Elliott, Elliott tended to cut his practice sessions short. Despite being part of a high-performance team like HMS that can adjust quickly, he didn’t see the need for longer training. Elliott explained: I certainly understand how they look at guys who have part-time schedules, or guys like Shane (van Gisbergen) who run Xfinity full-time and host Cup races here and there. . ” “But if you look at the whole discussion as a whole, if you look at short tracks across the country, they have dirt track races every Friday and Saturday night, and you literally do five hot laps before the race drive. “Well, I think we should be professional and we should be at the top of our class. Why should those trying to improve their positions be given an hour and a half when there are only five laps left? ”
Chase Elliott’s perspective really changed the way Dale Earnhardt Jr. thought. Dale admitted. Hey, I’m glad you convinced me to change my mind. ” But Chase Elliott isn’t the only one who thinks a short workout is enough. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell think the same thing, but for different reasons than Elliott.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Michael McDowell see things a bit differently from Dale Earnhardt Jr and Brad Keselowski
While Chase Elliott argues that top Cup drivers should be able to handle limited practice because they’re supposed to be the best of the best, Stenhouse and McDowell worry that more practice mainly helps the big teams. Stenhouse pointed out that if NASCAR extends practice times, the larger teams with their multiple cars can explore different strategies and gather tons of data, something not all teams can do. He believes the short 20-minute sessions prevent these teams from fully exploiting their resources, which levels the playing field a bit.
McDowell agrees, emphasizing that longer sessions allow wealthier teams to perfect their setups with extensive back-end support. “I think no practice for us or the limited practice for us has been a huge help of keeping us beating a few more cars than we would on a given weekend,” he added.
Well, whose camp are you in? Are you all for Keselowski’s push for more track time, or do you side with Elliott’s take on professional readiness?
