ESPN Analyst, Championship Winning Crew Chief Tim Brewer on Racing at Texas Motor Speedway

October 30, 2007 --
Q - What are the subtle differences that teams have to change on their cars between Atlanta and Texas, even though the tracks are very similar?

“On paper they might be similar but there are still a lot of differences in the racetrack and the setup is quite a bit different. Both racetracks are very intense because they are both high speed tracks. Shock absorbers are a big part of getting through the bumps and having your car drive extremely well because of the intensity in speed.

“But, it’s really more of a difference in driver preference than car setup. It’s more of a driver’s attitude going into the race than the setup and having confidence in his abilities. Great race car drivers aren’t great at every racetrack.”

Q - Is tire wear as big of a factor at Texas as it was last week at Atlanta?

“You’re going to have tire issues in both places because anytime you’re running that fast on a racetrack you’re going to wear the tire down and you actually end up rubbing the binder away and running on stone. With asphalt you have rock, gravel and a binder or something that acts as an adhesive and holds it together. As the binder wears away and the stone and gravel are surfaced it becomes more abrasive. It’s always a concern and before the cars have had a chance to go on the track there is no rubber, no oil and it is relatively abrasive. The more laps that are run, the more rubber that’s laid down and the less abrasive it becomes. The tire wear gets progressively better as the day wears on.”

Q - What's something unique to Texas Motor Speedway that fans should watch for in the Busch and Cup races this weekend?

“I would keep my eye on Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. It’s a two-man race. If one runs hard, the other has to run hard. If one sits back, the other can choose how hard to run. It will be a great cat and mouse game between two really great champions.

“In the Busch Series Race you’ve got to watch Carl Edwards to clinch the championship. I would also be looking for Jack Roush and Richard Childress in the race for the car owner’s championship.”

ESPN on ABC’s Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Busch Series from Texas Motor Speedway

Only three races remain in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season as the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup continues Sunday, Nov. 4, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, for 500 miles of racing. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are going down to the wire in one of the closest championship battles in NASCAR history. ESPN on ABC’s live coverage of the event begins at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Brent Musburger will host ESPN on ABC’s coverage from Texas. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle play-by-play for the race telecast, joined in the booth for analysis by 1989 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Andy Petree. Wallace is the only national TV analyst who has competed in the Chase as a driver. Pit reporters will be Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little and Mike Massaro. Two-time NASCAR champion crew chief Tim Brewer will report from the ESPN DISH Tech Center. Suzy Kolber will host NASCAR Countdown along with analyst Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Busch Series and Truck Series, in the ESPN Pit Studio.

On Saturday afternoon, ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live racing from Texas Motor Speedway. The telecast of the 300-mile race begins at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

About NASCAR on ESPN:

ESPN and ESPN on ABC has comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, including the 10-race “Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup” championship on ESPN on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Busch Series all season. For the first time in the history of televised motorsports, all programming is produced totally in High Definition. ESPN’s comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR coverage extends to ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Deportes Radio, SportsCenter, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPNRadio, ESPN360.com and ESPN International, among other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period starting in 1981. The network's award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN was honored with 17 Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide World of Sports program in the 1960s.

Source: ESPN

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