Ever wonder why NASCAR racers don’t dance in the rain?
Almost every form of motorsport running exclusively on slick tires is at Mother Nature’s mercy, because when it starts raining, drivers can easily become passengers, especially in NASCAR.
Most tracks in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series are counter-clockwise orientated “ovals”, with turns in only one direction: Left. NASCAR jokes aside, a Sprint Cup Series vehicle is developed and tailored, beginning with spring rates, suspension geometry, brake proportioning and ending with aerodynamic components, to turn left – with various pending setups on each individual track, depending on the turns and banking size.
So, due to the specific setup and tight configuration, a NASCAR racer doesn’t leave too much room for correction, even in damp conditions, more so if it snaps at ~170 mph (273 km/h). Still, Kyle Busch could state otherwise.
While running through Friday’s practice at Kentucky Speedway, the 31-year old driver’s Toyota snapped after losing rear tire grip. Even so, Busch reacted immediately, catching the car in a drift, but here’s where things get interesting. In similar scenarios, it is easy to over-correct cars and make them spin the opposite direction, but Kyle Busch skillfully timed the entire maneuver perfectly, avoiding crashing into the wall.