NASCAR WCUP: Steve Park Hopes To Avoid Martinsville Heat
13 April 1999
Park Used Cooler Lid On Floorboard Late in September Race To Cool Heels This Race Pennzoil Crew to Use Ceramic Coating on Floorboard, Headers,Tailpipes#1 Pennzoil Monte Carlo driver Steve Park knows the opposite of heaven is a place about as hot as it was in Martinsville last time he and his Pennzoil Monte Carlo teammates raced on the flat half-mile track. Last September, the crew battled 90-degree temperatures in the pits and Park fought 150-degree temperatures inside the car as he drove from his 38th starting spot to the top-10 before electrical problems dropped him to 24th. It was the hottest he's ever been in a race car. Although temperatures will probably be about 10 degrees less this weekend, the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team has taken extra precautions.
Steve Park on Martinsville Heat:
"Martinsville is the hottest I've ever been in a race car. I told my crew last year that I was burning my heels. For a while I had to use the accelerator and brake without touching the floorboard because it is so hot. The guys dumped ice on me and we even put the lid of a cooler on the floorboard to absorb the heat. The heat from the engine exhaust passes right under my feet so temperatures sometimes reach as much as 1,300 degrees. I know they call us drivers hotfoots but that was going a little far.
"This weekend should be better. First, I don't think it will be as hot. Secondly, my Pennzoil crew is using a ceramic coating on the floorboard to keep my feet from burning. They even put a thick heat shield coating on the headers and tailpipes to prevent as much heat coming up through the floorboard. They say the coatings should reduce the amount of heat by about fifty percent. Guess we won't know until we get into the race, but I hope they are right."
Obstacles Other Than Heat?
"If you survive the heat, the key to Martinsville is handling along with the brakes. Those corners are so sharp that you have to figure out a way to make the car roll through the center of the corner without messing up your tires. You can go fast here if you use a lot of brake, but your day isn't going to last long. You almost go slower to last longer.
Steve Hmiel - Technical Director, Dale Earnhardt Inc.
"It used to be whoever had the best brakes won Martinsville, but these days the brakes are better than what they once were. You still have to make sure your brakes last, but you also have to make sure you have the handling right or it will be a long day."
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