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Not like Michigan California places a premium on excellent handling
Posted: Monday April 24, 2000 02:09 PM
Just about everybody talks every week about how excited they are about heading to wherever we are going that week, no matter what track. In all honesty, everybody on this Mobil 1 Taurus team really is excited about going to California. Besides the fact that we're coming off a series of really good runs and pretty decent finishes, California has been a great track for this team. The Hendrick group has the only team that have scored more Winston Cup points at California than we have, and they haven't done it by much. The way we've been running, the way this team is coming together and the history we have at California tends to make us feel really good about this week. You tend to do well at tracks you like, and California is one of the tracks I really like. I don't think I'm in the minority there but I really like the place. It's a good, "racey" track and it's fun to drive. That means a lot. California is a little like Michigan but not as much as you might think. It's a lot like the difference between Daytona and Talladega. Those two are close to the same length and same layout but how you approach them with a race car is totally different. Michigan and California are pretty much the same way. In this case, Michigan is the "speed" track and California is the "handling" track. You still have to handle at Michigan and you still have to have plenty of horsepower at California but your approach to them is a lot different.
This has turned into a really big race pretty fast, and maybe that adds a little extra pressure on people. Generally, since they all pay the same amount of points they are all equal, and you can't afford to be a "specialist" on any single kind of speedway. The greatest plate racer in the world isn't going to do well in the points if he can't run the short tracks pretty well, and the greatest short track racer in the world had better be able to perform on the speedways. You can almost break California off with a couple of others into its own group. California, Michigan, maybe Las Vegas, as a group of tracks where you have to run pretty well too. Those would be five really key races. California is key from a points standpoint because of what can happen there. You don't usually have a lot of cars falling out of the races so if you do have problems, it can cost you a lot. If you run up at the front, you can pick up some points on a lot of people. In general, California is not a "make you-or-break you" kind of race but it can play a big role in the rest of your life for the rest of the year. It's a "speed" track from the standpoint that you move around the place pretty quickly. You go well over 180 miles per hour there, and that's a pretty stout pace. But to get that kind of speed you have to be handling. You need the horsepower but you have to be handling. Michigan gives you several different lines and you don't get that many to choose from at California. For the most part, lower is better. Maybe your left wheels at the edge of the apron isn't always the place to be but down there in that direction is a pretty good spot. If you are looking to pass, you look to go low. If you're looking to protect your position, you look for the guy behind you to go low. Because the line is where it is, it does usually make for a pretty good race. The lowest possible line isn't always the fastest but it is the passing lane. So it makes it easier to pass and harder to hold your spot. You have to run hard, run well and think your way around the race track. You can afford to wait a few laps to set a guy up to pass him. You don't have to jump all over the first thing that looks like a chance. California has always had a good race and it's always been a good race for me and this Mobil 1 team. We're pretty excited about getting back there and getting back into the thick of things again. Jeremy Mayfield is in his third season in driving the Mobil 1 Ford Taurus on the Winston Cup circuit. His column appears weekly on CNNSI.com.
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