R&J Racing looks for fast start,
faster finish at UAW-Ford 500
TALLADEGA, Ala. - As far as Tony Raines is concerned,
his job during this Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 at the Talladega
Superspeedway is simple: Push the gas pedal to the floor
and enjoy the ride.
"The driver doesn't have a lot to do at Talladega, especially
during qualifying," the driver of the BoSPOKER.net Dodge
said. "It's all car, all engine. You hold it wide open
and enjoy the ride."
The R&J Racing team is happy to be at the 2.66-mile
speedway because it already has a good record at the restrictor
plate racetracks and it's one of the few non-impound events
on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series schedule.
At most speedways, cars are impounded after qualifying
and teams aren't allowed to make significant adjustments.
As one of the teams that doesn't have an automatic exemption
into the starting lineup, the BoSPOKER.net Dodge must
race its way into the race during time trials. Instead
of concentrating solely on qualifying, the team now can
divide its preparation between qualifying and the main
event.
"We like the non-impound races," said crew chief Glenn
Darrow. "When we go an impound race, we have to get the
car qualified first. That's our only priority until the
race starts. And once the race starts, then we have to
make our race setups during the race. It's not an easy
thing to do. It means you start an impound race behind
and you spend the first half catching up.
"At least at Talladega, we can get the car qualified
first then change it over to a race setup before the race
starts. That puts us on an even playing field with everyone
else."
The R&J Racing Dodge started the season with a 10th-place
finish at the Daytona 500. That, too, was a non-impound
race and it, like Talladega, is the only other racetrack
that requires the use of a restrictor plate to reduce
speeds for safety reasons.
"I like restrictor plate racing," Raines said. "It's
all a matter of picking the right line of traffic, picking
a good drafting partner and not making any mistakes. There's
always a big wreck at Talladega because you stay side-by-side,
nose-to-tail all afternoon. If you're lucky, you'll pick
the right line and stay out of trouble."
Darrow said there's a lot of attention spent on the
car body and the engine at Talladega. With Ernie Elliott
proving the engines that means his crew only needs to
focus on making the BoSPOKER.net Dodge as sleek as possible.
"You fill it full of water and go fishing," he said. "You
want a car that can cut through the wind."
And to do that, all Tony Raines needs to do is push
the gas pedal to the floor and enjoy the ride.
BoSPOKER.net Fast Facts
- The UAW-Ford 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway will
be Tony Raines' fifth race since joining R&J Racing
in August.
- In four starts with R&J Racing this year, Raines
has won $280,900.
- Pole qualifying for the UAW-Ford 500 is Friday at
4 p.m. on Speed and MRN radio.
- The UAW-Ford 500 will start at 2:30 p.m. It will air
live on NBC at 1:30 p.m. and on MRN radio at 1:45 p.m.
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