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Motorsports Venues - Hoosier Tire Conducts One-Day Test At MIS


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BROOKLYN, April 12, 2012: ARCA officials were happy with the repave at Michigan International Speedway after a one-day Hoosier Tire Test.

And boy is it fast.

That theme is the same as last week’s Goodyear Tire test. The five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers reached speeds over 215 mph during their test a week ago.

As with today's test, if speeds hold for June and August, MIS will be known as the fastest racetrack.

Driver Chad Hackenbracht of the CGH Motorsports racing team tweeted that his top speed was 212 mph heading into turn one. He was also impressed with the surface after the repave. He is looking forward to coming back to MIS for the race in June.

“It went great,” Hackenbracht said. “We are the first ARCA car here. The track is really smooth. It has a lot of grip. We did not venture away from any of the lines really, mainly stuck in the second groove and that is where we stuck all day. We did not see if the top had any grip or not, but I am sure since it did in the past it will again.”

Hackenbracht spent the eight-hour session testing different compounds of Hoosier Tires to help the company bring the best tire back for the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 on Friday, June 15. While he was providing critical data back to Hoosier Tires, Hackenbracht was impressed with the speeds of the track.

“It (the speed) is awesome,” Hackenbracht said. “I thought we would be straightway speed equal to the Cup cars, but 212 is still getting with it pretty good. Our corner speeds are all really good, I think our average speed around for a lap was 194. It was moving pretty good. I don’t see any harm in it. We did a little test for ARCA with a taper spacer and were actually wide open all the way around. That was a different feeling. We went about a second, two seconds slower, but it is fun to have all the speed.”

Hoosier Tire officials carefully studied durability of each tire and continued collecting data to ensure it brought the safest tire to the track. Hoosier and ARCA officials have worked well in adjusting to the repave at other tracks and today’s session was another opportunity to work together to improve the series.

“This is the responsible thing for us to do as the sanctioning body with our tire partner,” said Ron Drager, president and CEO of ARCA. “Hoosier builds great tires and adapts well, and together we’ve prepared successfully for similar changes at other facilities in the past. We appreciate Michigan International Speedway’s commitment to improving its world-class facility, as well as their assistance in allowing this research and development to take place before we return for our open test in May and the race in June.”

This is the fourth time the racetrack has been repaved. The track was built in 1968, and repaved in 1977, 1986 and 1995.

During the latest project, 22,000 tons of asphalt was placed on the surface, enough to construct about 5 ½ miles of a two-lane county road.

Milling of the race track began last August and took approximately three weeks to complete. Three-quarters of an inch of asphalt was taken off the top during the milling process.

The project required three inches of total pavement laid down.

The track was paved in two layers with each layer 1 ½ inches thick for a total of three inches. Therefore, the track is now approximately 2 ¼ inches higher than it was previously.

Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike.

All tickets are on sale at http://www.MISpeedway.com or by phone at 800-354-1010.