Even testing is special here

INDIANAPOLIS – Nextel Cup testing sessions can be about as exciting as watching paint dry.

It's usually one of those "wake me up when it's over" activities.

Except when the testing is for the recently renamed Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, it takes on a whole different perspective.

"This is the race," said Alan Gustafson, the crew chief for Kyle Busch. The 29 year-old Gustafson hails from Ormand Beach, Fla., just a stone's throw from Daytona Beach. He grew up in the shadow of Daytona International Speedway.

"I love Daytona, but this is the race, in my eyes," he added. "You've got to have everything here – an awesome car, an awesome motor, a good body, a great pit crew, a great driver and a great team. This is it."

Gustafson's sentiments are echoed through the Nextel Cup garage.

Because of the importance of the race, this is the third consecutive and final week of testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the 12th annual Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on Aug. 7.

This race ranks alongside Daytona in importance for every team.

"This track is unique. It's unlike anywhere else we run," said two-time race winner Dale Jarrett, who won this race in 1996 and 1999. "Testing here is probably more important than anywhere else we race."

"This is Indianapolis, this is the spot. This is the track," Kasey Kahne said.

Steve Hmiel, crew chief for the Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr., speaks about the Speedway in terms of reverence usually reserved for hallowed ground.

"Man, this is Indy," he said. "When you walk in here, you've got the ghost of [Indy legend] Billy Vukovich walking around checking you out. This is huge!"

Because of the size and one-of-a-kind shape of the track, crew chiefs up and down the garage concentrate on two areas – aerodynamics and ride height.

Hmiel is looking to find more speed for the Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"This place has huge straightaways and although the corners are 90 degrees, they're not all that difficult like they were when we first came here 10 years ago," said Hmiel. "The biggest issue now is to get the car [lowered] down on the straightaway to get the drag down."

He said his team will accomplish that by working with different springs and shocks and adjustments to the front suspension. What it will mean is that there will be a compromise when the car goes through the turns, but Hmiel feels that the trade-off in handling through the corners is worth it.

"The straightaways are so long, they mean so much more," he said. "It's where you do all of your passing. Our goal today was to get the car down as low as we could on the straightaway without hurting the corner and we've done that pretty well."

Kahne's Evernham teammate Bill Elliott won this event in 2002. For him, Indy definitely is a special place.

"This race ranks right up there with winning Daytona and a championship and everything that went with it," Elliott said with a big smile on his face. "I like coming here. We'd like to win here again."

Elliott is running a limited schedule this season. That presents a challenge for crew chief Chris Andrews, especially in getting the team into a routine. But he credits the Evernham organization for helping his team overcome any difficulties they may encounter.

"We don't get week-to-week progress, Bill and I," Andrews said. "It's not like the other teams. We've got two new cars here at Indy – two different body styles, two different chassis configurations. We've learned a lot so far."

For Gustafson, he admits that you never are completely happy with the car.

"As you add downforce, then you want more motor," he said. "At some point you just have to a say 'OK, that's the best we can get it.' Especially given how the weather changes things here so dramatically."

Gustafson also is working with a driver who never has raced a car at the Speedway. That alone can present a whole other set of issues, but he's confident in Busch's abilities.

"If it was anybody but Kyle Busch, it would be pretty hard," Gustafson said. "On his first lap, he was right on pace with everybody else. He's pretty impressive."

"We're just looking to get Kyle acclimated to the race track and prove out some theories and see where we're at," Gustafson said. "This is one of those tracks we put high up on the food chain so you want to be fast."

During the Brickyard test sessions, each team has its own agenda and procedures.

Some use these sessions for finding and then fine-tuning their setup for race day. Others use them for precisely what they are called and test out new parts and pieces on their race car.

Working with some new parts was Tommy Baldwin, crew chief for Kasey Kahne's Dodge.

"We're working on some test pieces, the kind of stuff we normally don't a chance to get to on a race weekend," Baldwin said. "Today we're just messing around with some things and trying to find a few avenues we're looking for."

Baldwin added that on Tuesday, he'll work with Kahne on race setup but admitted that a big concern is that this track, more than most, is vulnerable to weather conditions.

"It can play games with your setup," Baldwin said. "In the morning you have it all figured out, then a few hours later, it warms up and everything changes."

Not much has been made of the diamond grinding done to the surface of the track since NASCAR raced at the facility last year.

Surface grinding caused problems during the Coca-Cola 600 after it was done at the Lowe's Motor Speedway prior to the race in May.

"It's a lot smoother, and there's definitely more grip," said Mike Skinner, who this season is regularly driving a Toyota Tundra in the Craftsman Truck Series. Skinner will be attempting to qualify a Dodge for Bill Davis Racing in the 400.

Tires and rumble strips

During the Cup race at Pocono in June, several drivers suffered tire failures when they ran over the rumble strips placed on the inside of the turns. Because of the extra stress being placed on tires due to aggressive front suspension setups, driving those rumble strips can be extremely dangerous.

For the upcoming race at Pocono Raceway, those strips have been removed.

But the Indianapolis Motor Speedway also has uncompromising rumble strips, most noticeably in Turn 1. Hitting them will definitely pose a problem.

"Just don't hit them and you'll be all right," Baldwin said. "But I've seen some guys with their valances and their fenders pushed in, so obviously they're running over them."

Gustafson admitted that Busch told him he had to try out the rumble strips "just once" to see what they would do

"I think he did and it peeled up our fender, so I think he'll stay away from them for the rest of the time we're here," laughed Gustafson.

Goodyear engineers also are on hand for the test, checking tire wear and temperatures and talking with crew chiefs to see if there are any problems with the tire they have brought for the race. A tire test conducted in April by several teams helped Goodyear determine which compound they will be using for the race.

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