NASCAR International’s Jason Simmons talks through the changes that will be made to the NASCAR Brasil cars for the race at Circuito dos Cristais oval next weekend.
NASCAR Brasil Series is continuing preparations for the inaugural race at the Circuito dos Cristais, the 0.776 mile oval in Minas Gerais that will host the championship’s season finale on 15-16 November.
While NASCAR Brasil had previously hosted oval races at the outer ring of Goiânia’s Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna, Circuito dos Cristais is the first on an oval that’s purposely built for NASCAR.
Given the different characteristic of Cristais’ oval compared to Goiânia’s oval, there are plenty of changes that NASCAR Brasil will make to all cars that will take part next weekend.
NASCAR International’s Jason Simmons spoke to NASCAR Brasil’s media team to explain what will be changed for the Cristais round, as seen through a social media post published on 7 November 2024.
“Basically, the suspensions, the weight distribution, the tire pressure will need to be adjusted in a way that helps the car turn to the left, rather than a more ‘neutral’ setting for road circuits,” Simmons said.
“Transmission and brakes won’t be a problem on the oval, as there will be fewer gear changes and less use of the brake pedal. However, there will be wear on the right-side tires, which the drivers will have to manage.”
NASCAR Brasil had already completed their first test at the Cristais oval in October. Beto Monteiro and series boss Thiago Marques completed both single-car and multi-car runs with positive results.
Simmons is ecstatic to see the V6-powered NASCAR Brasil cars roar down the oval built inside Autódromo Internacional de Curvelo’s proving grounds complex.
“The Curvelo oval is very similar to the short circuits we see all over the USA, which produce some of the best races,” said Simmons on the oval’s layout.
“The drivers can watch videos of races on short ovals in the United States. iRacing (an extremely realistic online racing simulation platform designed for professional drivers) will also be a very useful tool for preparation.”
“The configuration of the track, with a variable slope in one of the corners, will allow for many close side-by-side races.”
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Last Updated: 26 November 2024