Tweet
USA TODAY link.
Toyota, once a whistle-blower in CART when they were getting beat, is at it again. There is a quote on Jayski, but the real story is here in USA TODAY link, and on their racing page in Friday's paper. Lee White charges that the Edwards team and Roush Racing did it intentionally and benefited by increased downforce. Later today Jack Roush will demonstrate how the cover could have come off at the track. From the USA TODAY:
I just have to wonder, the highest finishing Toyota was 9th, does White think the other 7 teams were cheating too?
Also interesting to note that Toyota does what appears to be full-car wind tunnel testing in Europe, when there are several facilities in the US and Canada. Must be an F1 facility. If they are going to that extreme, I wonder just how much money Toyota is spending to win in Cup.
Toyota, once a whistle-blower in CART when they were getting beat, is at it again. There is a quote on Jayski, but the real story is here in USA TODAY link, and on their racing page in Friday's paper. Lee White charges that the Edwards team and Roush Racing did it intentionally and benefited by increased downforce. Later today Jack Roush will demonstrate how the cover could have come off at the track. From the USA TODAY:
The general manager of Toyota's Sprint Cup program said Carl Edwards' team knowingly caused a lid to come loose on an oil tank in his Ford because it increased the car's speed during Sunday's victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Edwards was penalized 100 points by NASCAR for the missing cover.
Roush Fenway Racing has denied the infraction was intentional, saying a bolt broke because of a vibration. The team said it wasn't certain it achieved a gain in performance. Lee White, GM for Toyota Racing Development, said the manufacturer's testing at wind tunnels in Germany revealed removing the cover on the oil tank (located in a steel box behind the driver's seat) resulted in 170 extra pounds of downforce, the aerodynamic measurement of keeping a car glued to the track.
White also said video of a pit stop showed a member of Edwards' pit crew pulling on a right rear fender to open a 3-inch gap to an inner panel. Toyota testing showed that would create about 70 pounds of downforce, White said. NASCAR said the only issue with the car during inspection was the lid.
White said Edwards, who has won the last two Cup races, "was eating cars getting onto the straightaways anywhere he wanted to go" because of the extra 240 pounds of downforce, a roughly 20% increase to the 1,200 pounds of downforce typically generated by a Cup car.
"If you have 21% more downforce, that's like having 50 (extra) horsepower," White said. "There's absolutely something going on there where someone knew what they were doing.
"I must applaud NASCAR. Given the safety implications of opening that oil tank to the driver, the penalty could have been more severe."
White was skeptical of a bolt failure. "I guarantee you the cover bolts didn't fall out, because if they fall, the engine leaks and you can't run," he said. "If you want something to fall off, you fix it so it can."
Removing the oil tank cover would help improve downforce by changing the airflow around the car."
"Fox analyst Larry McReynolds, a Cup crew chief from 1985 to 2000, said teams have worked to enhance airflow for years. "Because if there's a half of a 10th of a second to be gained, you'll do it," he said.
But McReynolds added, "Nobody knows if Bob Osborne (Edwards' crew chief who was suspended for six races) did it intentionally.
"I hate it for the team and the sport," McReynolds said. "As much as people believe differently, NASCAR doesn't enjoy this. There's always the question of whether it's intentional, and NASCAR can't get into that.
"If you put the cover on the last part of the race, does Carl Edwards still win? I tend to believe yeah."
Edwards was penalized 100 points by NASCAR for the missing cover.
Roush Fenway Racing has denied the infraction was intentional, saying a bolt broke because of a vibration. The team said it wasn't certain it achieved a gain in performance. Lee White, GM for Toyota Racing Development, said the manufacturer's testing at wind tunnels in Germany revealed removing the cover on the oil tank (located in a steel box behind the driver's seat) resulted in 170 extra pounds of downforce, the aerodynamic measurement of keeping a car glued to the track.
White also said video of a pit stop showed a member of Edwards' pit crew pulling on a right rear fender to open a 3-inch gap to an inner panel. Toyota testing showed that would create about 70 pounds of downforce, White said. NASCAR said the only issue with the car during inspection was the lid.
White said Edwards, who has won the last two Cup races, "was eating cars getting onto the straightaways anywhere he wanted to go" because of the extra 240 pounds of downforce, a roughly 20% increase to the 1,200 pounds of downforce typically generated by a Cup car.
"If you have 21% more downforce, that's like having 50 (extra) horsepower," White said. "There's absolutely something going on there where someone knew what they were doing.
"I must applaud NASCAR. Given the safety implications of opening that oil tank to the driver, the penalty could have been more severe."
White was skeptical of a bolt failure. "I guarantee you the cover bolts didn't fall out, because if they fall, the engine leaks and you can't run," he said. "If you want something to fall off, you fix it so it can."
Removing the oil tank cover would help improve downforce by changing the airflow around the car."
"Fox analyst Larry McReynolds, a Cup crew chief from 1985 to 2000, said teams have worked to enhance airflow for years. "Because if there's a half of a 10th of a second to be gained, you'll do it," he said.
But McReynolds added, "Nobody knows if Bob Osborne (Edwards' crew chief who was suspended for six races) did it intentionally.
"I hate it for the team and the sport," McReynolds said. "As much as people believe differently, NASCAR doesn't enjoy this. There's always the question of whether it's intentional, and NASCAR can't get into that.
"If you put the cover on the last part of the race, does Carl Edwards still win? I tend to believe yeah."
Also interesting to note that Toyota does what appears to be full-car wind tunnel testing in Europe, when there are several facilities in the US and Canada. Must be an F1 facility. If they are going to that extreme, I wonder just how much money Toyota is spending to win in Cup.
Comment