Lower than usual temperatures and humidity made track conditions ideal for the debut of NASA Southeast’s two new Spec Z cars, which drew attention from participants and spectators alike.
Two newly built 350Z Spec Z racers ran in the Thunder race group and put on a good show. Clark Crawford from Nashville, Tenn., and John Evans from Atlanta spent the weekend chasing each other around the world famous Road Atlanta.
Crawford won Saturday’s race and in the process established the initial Spec Z track record. Crawford is a long-time Datsun and Nissan road racer, with more than 30 years of racing experience. Clark is the owner of Z-Cars by Clark Crawford and Clark Crawford Racing.
Evans, who is the NASA Southeast Spec Z regional race director and long time Z-Car owner, won Sunday’s event. Both drivers improved lap times throughout the weekend, although the veteran racers are still tuning the new cars and BFGoodrich R1 spec tires for maximum performance. Expect lap times to continue to fall as they begin to get their cars dialed in.
Evans also spent time with potential Spec Z racers, explaining the generous support program provided by Nissan and BFGoodrich, and the technical issues related to building a competitive Spec Z.
Spec Z Class Rules
http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/spec_z/NASA_SZrules_2012_v2-1.pdf
Nissan and BFGoodrich Contingency Programs:
http://www.nasaproracing.com/contingency
For more information on Spec Z in NASA Southeast: SpecZ@nasa-se.com