As NASCAR teams gear up for the Sprint Cup Series race hosted at Bristol Motor Speedway this week, one thing they won’t have to worry about is their engine belts. Despite many changes to racecars in recent years, including the Gen 6 body makeover for the start of the 2013 Sprint Cup season, the Gatorback Poly-V belt has remained the preferred belt of race teams, said the company.
Perhaps nowhere is belt performance under greater scrutiny than at the Bristol Motor Speedway, often called the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” due to its short yet grueling track. Veyance Technologies, manufacturer of Goodyear Engineered Products and Gatorback belts, is a longtime partner of the racing industry and works closely with NASCAR Sprint Cup engine builders and race teams throughout the year to deliver the high-performance belts demanded by the Bristol racetrack, and the sport in general.
“More than any other race, Bristol demands the highest degree of belt durability and performance, and we’re proud that our Gatorback belts have stood up to the harsh conditions year after year,” said Mike Gregg, chief development engineer for Veyance’s NASCAR belt program. “After working with race teams for so many years, we are able to take the same technology that works in racing and apply it to our belts used on passenger and light truck vehicles.”
Gregg added, “The Gatorback Poly-V belts supplied to NASCAR are the same straight-from-the-shelf belts used by motorists driving to and from the track. Our development team works very closely with NASCAR engine builders to advance belt technology, completing the track-to-street connection.”
Among their contributions to the racing industry, Gregg and Gatorback belts were behind the significant 2002 rule change that allowed racecars to use Poly-V belts to prevent “rollover,” previously a major concern for racecars as additional heat built up under the hood.
Veyance began supplying belts to NASCAR in 1985 and continues to offer race teams technically advanced automotive belts, according to Gregg. To learn more about Gatorback and its racing heritage, visit www.goodyearep.com or contact your local sales representative.
