Every driver has their favorite tracks, and on that list is always their “home track”. For Brandon Gdovic his home track on the NASCAR schedule is Richmond International Raceway, where this past weekend he was behind the wheel of the No. 55 WindStax® Wind Power Systems Chevrolet Camaro for Viva Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250. With a long day that started with practice at 8:15 a.m. and a race that didn’t end until after 9:00 p.m. that evening, there were a number of changes that took place over the course of a full day such as ambient and track temperatures, which affect the car’s handling and set-up.
At a track where set-up is so important, getting it right ensures the driver is able to get the most out of his machine. For Brandon Gdovic, those moving targets, combined with this being his second race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, made for an action packed day for the young Virginia native. “Practice went well throughout the morning, and we made good progress on the car until we put on a bad set of tires towards the end. The car was fast on older tires, and we were able to run similar times as the Top-10 cars under similar conditions.”
Gdovic continues, “When we put on a new set of tires, the car all the sudden felt completely different from what it did on the first set, so we had to go back to where we were with the set-up on the first set of tires. For Qualifying, I know I didn’t get everything out of the car, which kept us from moving onto the second round. Our mock qualifying run in practice just didn’t give me a good feel for how far I could push the car due to the difference in the way the tires felt.”
For the race, Brandon would start in 29th position on the grid, and quickly was inside the Top-25. As the sun went down the track conditions changed dramatically, and many drivers including Brandon, were hanging onto very loose cars. This meant getting the most out of what you had to work with until you could get back to pit lane to make adjustments to improve the car. In the end the No. 55 WindStax® Wind Power Systems Chevrolet Camaro would cross the line in the 30th position, another clean race for Gdovic, and valuable points for the Viva Motorsports team.
“Once the race started, the car was loose everywhere and Mark Setzer and the Viva Motorsports team worked on it throughout the race,” Gdovic explained. “At one point we went a little too far on an adjustment and the car got very tight. The right front tire started coming apart so we lost a lot of time and two laps having to pit under green and out of sequence.”
“Overall, although the conditions made the car a handful all race long, it was a great experience and I learn a lot every time I’m behind the wheel. Viva Motorsports did an excellent job fielding the car for me. Thank you to WindStax® Wind Power Systems for the opportunity and continued support,” states Gdovic.
Viva Motorsports PR
- TEAM CHEVY NASCAR RACE ADVANCE: Talladega Superspeedway - April 17, 2024
- American Sprint Car Series Starts New Chapter at Super Bee Speedway - April 17, 2024
- Big Machine Racing – ‘Dega here we come - April 17, 2024