Transitions at Nashville

[pballance]

I have been asked by several people about the transitions from the oval to the road course at Nashville. I have attached a video from last year that will illustrate the transition. FWIW, I stay low on the banking and that appears to be faster for me. I am not so fast and make plenty of mistakes but I had 1 and 2 finishes last year. YMMV.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKJFSwWdQZ0[/ame]

Here is one from a DSR lasts month that I think set a new track record:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFBPqYCyVks&feature=channel_page[/ame]

[Cobrar05]

You are suggesting we all run on the apron of the race track?

[JeffYoung]

It's ok to run the apron there, no grip issues.

The transitions are manageable, but if you do them wrong you can really hurt the car. I destroyed a ball joint and cracked an intake manifold fitting (the strut bar flexed and hit it) there.

It's not just the transition off the banking into 1 that is a problem though (it can be, but it is pretty manageable). There is a series of left/rights right before the entrance to the back straight that have brutal curbing, and the chicane on teh back straight is rough if you do it wrong as well.

[pballance]

Actually the apron is the shortest distance around the track

But, no I am not suggesting running the apron but you can use the apron for passing w/o any issues.

I think most of the people that have issues with the transition are going too deep on the banking before turning in towards turn 1. The area I am talking about is the arc you have to drive before you get to 1. I don't know what to call the area, when I worked the track we called the flag station near there Alpha.

Now the gators at the exit of the infield onto the back straight are a different matter. Please correct me if I am wrong, gators, rumble strips, whatever are put there to provide an incentive to drivers to keep their car on track not provide additional racing surface. Yes, I know many places you can drive right over a rumble strip w/o any consequence and it makes for a faster corner. At NSS, you will pay a price for getting too far onto the strips. I know I ripped a brake duct off last year but it was my fault.

Rob, Come on over and have fun with us. The track may not be as challenging as Barber, CMP, RA, etc but it is fun and the hospitality is great!!

[Cobrar05]

My nieces are in a dance competition in Gatlinburg that weekend. So, I am booked.

I have to say, though, that track sounds brutal. Daytona and Lowe's configure a road race course that runs the banking thru at least one end which cuts down on the number of required transitions.

That might be an idea.

[TomL]

Really, the transitions aren't that bad. Not much worse than Daytona (which are nowadays essentially nonexistent) and definitlely better than Charlotte/Lowes or Rockingham used to be. The curbing on driver's right as you go back up on the back straight is excessive, but the answer is just to stay off that curbing.

For your car, I'm sure the biggest drawback is the sloooow sections in the infield instead of the roughness of the track. It's not my favorite track, but I've run it every year and have always enjoyed a good, relaxed, friendly weekend.