[VIDEO] Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor Helps NASCAR’s Alex Bowman Prep For Daytona Road Course

One of the new tracks to appear on the NASCAR schedule this year is the road course at Daytona International Speedway. But because of COVID restrictions, drivers will have had hardly any time at all to actually drive the course before the race on Sunday. But that’s not stopping Hendrick Racing driver Alex Bowman from learning the ins-and-outs of the track from a fellow Chevrolet driver, Jordan Taylor.

Bowman, who drives the Axalta No.88 Camaro ZL1 1LE recently spent the day with the C8.R No.3 driver Jordan Taylor at Chevrolet Racing’s “Driver-in-the-Loop” simulator located outside Charlotte, North Carolina.

The NASCAR race at Daytona will be 65-laps around the same road course as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, a course that Taylor knows very well. In fact, Jordan has already competed at the facility twice this year with teammate Antonio Garcia and the duo took the checkered flag for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 on July 4th.

However, the course at Daytona for NASCAR will see a change with the addition of another chicane leading out of the high bank at Turn 4, which adds the 14th corner to the circuit while increasing its total length to 3.57-miles. With NASCAR having curtailed practice sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic, preparation is key.

“Jordan really helped with entry to Turn 5,” Bowman said. “His entry in there was quite different than how I was approaching it. Some of the braking zones were a little bit different. Then some line stuff and some rain stuff as well. Having his knowledge is super helpful. He’s a really good guy and I really appreciate his help. The rain will be the biggest thing. I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing in the rain, so being able to have an idea of what to expect there is a big help.”

As Bowman drove the NASCAR Camaro in the racing simulator, Taylor offered advice and feedback on the various corners. The simulator can replicate much of how a track will feel to the driver, however, there’s no experience like someone who has done it a thousand times.

“When you look at it on a track map, it looks pretty basic but each corner has little tricks that can help you,” Taylor said. “They’re going into this race with zero practice and zero laps on this track, so they need as much preparation as they can get. From my side, I bring some experience from that track that I can give him – little tips that maybe would take them a session or two to figure out. Hopefully, they can hit the ground running when they show up for race day.”

Jordan was also asked about the major differences between the Corvette C8.R and the NASCAR Camaro ZL1 1LE:

“The two cars are very different. The Corvette C8.R is designed more for this type of racing where the Cup car is obviously designed for the ovals. So when it comes to a road course, it doesn’t handle that quite as well with braking performance, traction and overall grip level. From a driving point of view, it was fun to drive both. It was eye-opening to see what the Cup guys go through on a road course. They really have to throw it around a bit. There are no driver aids so it’s all up to them on how they get around there. There aren’t too many similarities in driving style, but the way you drive the track is going to be similar – the tendencies, the trail-braking, which curbs you want to use and which ones you want to avoid.”

NASCAR’s Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona Road Course will begin at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, August 16th.

Source:
HendrickMotorsports.com

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