Hoosier, ARCA Proactive in Analyzing Michigan Tires for 2013
Thursday, August 23, 2012 (BROOKLYN, Mich.) - Representatives from Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards visited Michigan International Speedway this week to conduct a second tire test on the two-mile oval's surface, paved last October and competed upon for the first time this June. |
The pavement project was Michigan's fourth after opening in 1968, and the track's first since 1995. CGH Motorsports driver Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in the June race and has been Hoosier's primary test driver this season, was ARCA's driver representative at the test. As occurs after any new pavement project, Michigan's oval proved much faster than it had previously been when ARCA cars took the track in June. Not only did Cale Gale's 2011 qualifying record at the track fall, but three drivers topped it - including Menards Pole Award winner Joey Coulter (192.149 mph), who beat Gale by nearly a half-second, or over 2.5 mph on his best lap. But one race - especially the first for any stock car on the new surface - was not enough to give Hoosier and ARCA the clearest picture. To understand fully the best tire compounds to use as the track ages and to understand the pavement's development over time, continued testing and analysis is necessary. "The track has evolved from when we raced here to our observation today, but very slightly," said Doug Barnes, Hoosier product manager for the ARCA Racing Series. "We're working to resolve the heat issue we saw here on the new track, and we've been successful. We've got some options to look at. We haven't determined exactly the compound, but we've narrowed it down quite a bit and we're pretty close." Using Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports - who in 44 starts and multiple tests since 2009 have become ARCA veterans - for the test is a smart and strategic move for Hoosier. "Chad's becoming seasoned at these tracks as much as he's run in the ARCA Racing Series," Barnes said. "He knows these tracks; it's not his first time out. It's that, and his team is very professional. Kevin Reed, his crew chief, is awesome with sharing information and giving us what we need. He's really taken care of our agenda. He's not on his own plan, which is very helpful. They give us good feedback, listen to us, and go the direction we want to go. That makes all the difference in the world." Hackenbracht is proud to carry the banner for ARCA in Hoosier's development at Michigan and other tracks. He also tested at Pocono, which also received a new pavement job this year, and he will be at Kansas in September for a day and night test to simulate the conditions ARCA teams will experience for the season finale on Friday, October 19. "It means a lot," he said. "It shows that obviously as small as we are, we're looked upon as being one of the top teams. It's a compliment to us. It helps for seat time, which is key in these cars." As for the specifics on Michigan, Hackenbracht said the track has kept its quick profile. He thinks Michigan will continue to be fast when ARCA returns for its 32nd race on the track next summer. "There was a little bit of difference in speed this week, but we were still comparable through the corners," he said. "The track's lost a little bit of grip, but it definitely hasn't slowed down like other places have." Based in Lakeville, Ind., Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. produces the Official Tire of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and is part of one of the longest-standing sponsor relationships in ARCA's 60-year history. Hoosier has participated as a supplier for ARCA-sanctioned events since the 1960s and has been the exclusive tire provider for the ARCA Racing Series since 1995. Hoosier Racing Tire is accustomed to preparing different tire compounds for the wide variety of tracks - speedways, short tracks, dirt tracks, and a road course - on the annual ARCA schedule. 2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards' 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com. The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 26 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.375 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series visited Alabama's Mobile International Speedway and Minnesota's Elko Speedway for the first time. Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events. CONTACT: Griffin Hickman, ARCA Don Radebaugh, ARCA |
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