NASCAR Testing at WDW Speedway today

[Mr Bill]

Not sure if any other drivers are there, but Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick are all at WDW Speedway testing today.

 

[wdwmagic]

Good stuff, thanks

 

[RSoxNo1]

There will also be Nascar Teams at the speedway on February 8th and 9th.

 

[DisneyParksFan1]

So they are actually racing there? Or...?

 

[RiversideBunny]

Testing what?

 

[007mickey]

Testing what?

Could be a number of things. If Goodyear is involved they might be testing tires. Otherwise they are probably just testing new cars the shops have built or old cars they have tweaked for this years season. Each car they build can react differently than another. Every car they build is typically built for a particular type of track (short track, super speedway, road course, flat bank, high bank, etc.)

 

[krankenstein]

They just announced that the Cup Series would replace the current wing with a more traditional spoiler in late March or early April. My guess would be that is what the teams were/are testing since Phoenix is fairly similar to WDW speedway and it will be one of the first tracks they race at after the implementation of the change.

 

[Chevross]

So they are actually racing there? Or...?

Just testing. No racing at all.

 

[The "Pro"]

Are you able to watch the testing sessions?

 

[krankenstein]

Are you able to watch the testing sessions?

Depends on the track and the type of session. I wouldn't expect you to be able to at WDW due to the lack of a grandstand.

 

[The "Pro"]

Did the Nascar Truck Series race there in the past?

 

[krankenstein]

Did the Nascar Truck Series race there in the past?

Yep! The Camping World Truck Series (Craftsman Truck Series at the time) held its season opening event at the WDW Speedway in 1997 and 1998. The IRL also raced at the track from 1996 - 2000.

 

[scpergj]

They just announced that the Cup Series would replace the current wing with a more traditional spoiler in late March or early April. My guess would be that is what the teams were/are testing since Phoenix is fairly similar to WDW speedway and it will be one of the first tracks they race at after the implementation of the change.

Adding to the above, NASCAR has a ban on all testing at tracks where the series races, so this will give teams a good opportunity to shake down new chassis, test new suspension setups, and that sort of thing.

 

[PhilharMagician]

Yep! The Camping World Truck Series (Craftsman Truck Series at the time) held its season opening event at the WDW Speedway in 1997 and 1998. The IRL also raced at the track from 1996 - 2000.

With no grandstand? What was done for spectators?

 

[krankenstein]

With no grandstand? What was done for spectators?

They used to bring in temporary grandstands (i.e. not bolted to the ground) when a race was happening. My guess is they were from WWoS, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Andrew54]

It would be neat if they had an off season race there, kind of like the all star race.

 

[PBarton]

Testing what?

Right turns??!!?!?!

:lookaroun

 

[Flight Safety]

Right turns??!!?!?!

:lookaroun

Lol. No, actually left turns... Being a huge NASCAR fan myself, and an even bigger WDW fan I wish they would host a weekend there. Even if not Cup series, Nationwide would do.

 

[PhilharMagician]

I wonder if the track will expanded for exibitions in the future with ESPN taking a foothold in WDW?

 

[krankenstein]

I wonder if the track will expanded for exibitions in the future with ESPN taking a foothold in WDW?

I HIGHLY doubt it. The WDW Speedway is in a region they aren't looking to expand into. Honestly, this region is pretty saturated right now in terms of NASCAR venus.