Chris Ferguson(22) and Devin Moran(9) racing at Bristol in Friday’s feature
The Dirt Late Model racers who have come to the Media Center or who have been asked in the pit area over the past two weekends of the Karl Kustoms Bristol Dirt Nationals have almost to a man declared that the Bristol Motor Speedway is the fastest track they have ever competed on. Speeds on both the straightaways and in the turns at the high-banked half-mile are astounding. But as drivers will also say, speed on any race track tends to be relative depending on a number of factors such as the size of the track, whether running alone on the speedway or in a pack of cars, and track conditions.
In other words, drivers know they are going fast on the dirt-covered NASCAR facility, but in certain situations, it might not necessarily feel that way. However, each will say that when something goes wrong, the speed becomes readily apparent.
Another circumstance that allows those hearty enough to take on the historic facility comes when moving off of the track’s low lane into the high groove. At that moment, the speeds become more than just relative but strikingly real.
Following Friday night’s $50,000-to-win XR Super Series feature event, second and third place finishers Chris Ferguson and Devin Moran came to the BMS Media Center and discussed their use of the high line to gain positions during the second half of the 50-lap feature. While eventual winner Chris Madden was out of reach by the time Ferguson and Moran, along with fourth-place finisher Kyle Larson, moved to the outside groove, they were able to climb up the leader board.
Ferguson had fired off from the seventh position when the main event took the green flag while Moran started from tenth. However, an early restart had allowed Moran to jump into the top-5. Both then began to move up the rankings with Ferguson passing Moran for position on lap 40.
Both drivers pointed out that they would not have finished on the podium had they not moved up on the race track when they did. At the same time, there are perils involved with running up on the top of the track.
“I figured when that 6 car(Larson) was up there he was probably cleaning it off for us,” Ferguson explained after the race. “At the last second I could see my brother telling me to go to the top. But I’m not going to lie to you, and Larson probably doesn’t do this, but I kind of eased my way up there and as soon as I eased my way up there I knew there was something good. I got a better run on Devin than I thought I was going to and I drove under him down the front stretch. Luckily I got back to the top and got around him. When I drove in high and angled down I was probably 10mph faster on the straightaway.”
Moran had reservations about moving up on the track, thinking he might lose positions if he were to do so. But when he saw Ferguson make his move, he knew it was time to try. And when he did move up, the speed differential was startling.
“I kind of felt like it was locking down(on the bottom) and I knew there was a lot of brown up there, but when people tried it on last Saturday night it was horrible,” Moran recalled. “I wasn’t going to be the first one to try it but when I seen Fergie get under me I figured he got a run around the outside. Props to him for doing that because it’s sketchy up there doing it like that. You feel like you’re going all out on the bottom then you move up and it’s like you were at 110 percent and then you go to 120 percent. I feel like the track crew did an excellent job, I don’t see how they could do any better.”
Devin Moran(9) used the high lane to pass Scott Bloomquist(0)
As the feature race wears on, more dirt is pushed up to the top which is why having cars move up to blow that lane off is important.
“The biggest problem is that top still crowns off some,” Moran added. “The most banking on the race track is still the very bottom. That’s what makes it sketchy to run the top. Hopefully they can work on that a little bit more but there’s only so much they can do. If they keep working on it I think it will get better and better.”
Ferguson echoed that sentiment.
“This ain’t the place where you just go up there and automatically blast it,” Ferguson declared when asked if it would have helped for more cars to move up earlier. “I think it would have helped the entire field and it would have helped me because I probably wouldn’t have been the first one up there, you’ve got Sheppard and he’s one of the best there is up around the fence, it might have made it a little better race overall. I think it got better and better, it was better at the end. There’s no doubt in my mind, it would have helped. It worked out for me that someone did move up and I’m thankful for that. I knew if there was anyone who was going to try it, it was going to be the 6 car.”
The winner of last Saturday night’s $50,000 feature added that the adrenaline rush from the speed brought on by running the top lane was still pumping even while in the Media Center.
“Like Devin said, you think you’re going fast when you’re around the bottom deep into the feature then all of a sudden you pick up a gear around the top. It’s pretty exhilarating, I’m still feeling a little flustered right now.”
Chris Madden makes it two straight Friday triumphs at Bristol
Respond to this post on Twitter by following @RichardAllenIDR and @MichaelRMoats or by liking the InsideDirtRacing.com Facebook page.
Also, NASCAR and pavement racing fans can check out InsideCircleTrack.
