When approaching treacherous turns at speeds roaring close to 185 mph, even the gutsiest NASCAR drivers grip their steering wheels a little tighter when tires begin to squeal and the rubber starts to burn. Attempting to maneuver around “Calamity Corner” at Daytona or through “The Tunnel Turn” at Pocono requires steadfast reliance on the products operating beneath a racecar’s shiny exterior. Nowhere is this more true than with a racecar’s braking system. On turns like these, and also at NASCAR’s demanding road course events, it is imperative that a racecar’s brakes perform flawlessly under relentless pressure.
After extensive testing and careful consideration, NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has decided to exclusively run the complete Raybestos brand racing brakes system in 2009 competition, including the new highly-engineered Raybestos lightweight racing caliper — designed specifically to deliver a braking advantage in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.
“Racing in today’s NASCAR circuit is more competitive than ever,” says Jimmy Makar, senior vice president of racing operations for Joe Gibbs Racing. “With the field so evenly matched, an advantage like better brakes can easily make the difference between winning and losing. Raybestos has always been a leader in state-of-the-art braking technology, and these components have really proven themselves to us in testing. We’re very excited to be racing on Raybestos brakes in 2009 and beyond.”
Whether in the dyno lab or at proving grounds, Raybestos engineering teams have continually developed and tested full-race, high-friction race pad compounds for decades – with each generation superior to the last. It’s this tireless dedication to product improvement that led Raybestos to forge a strategic partnership with Alcon, a renowned UK-based manufacturer specializing in motorsport brake and clutch systems, in development of a next-generation, super-lightweight racing caliper for the Raybestos braking system.
“The new range of Raybestos racing calipers has been developed using Alcon’s Optimized Structure Caliper Architecture (OSCA) design process,” says Phil Stubbs, director of Alcon USA. “By optimizing the caliper design for each application we have achieved a reduction in weight, increase in stiffness and maximized overall performance in every scenario. Partnering with Raybestos has provided a unique opportunity to use Alcon’s caliper and rotor technology to develop a product range ideally suited for use with Raybestos’ latest friction technology to create a range of brake packages specifically tuned for each type of track.”
Having supplied systems and parts to winning teams across the NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula One, World Rally, Touring Cars and GT racing circuits, the experience and expertise demonstrated by Alcon will prove beneficial — as JGR will rely heavily on the Raybestos system in hopes to capture several checkered flags in 2009.
“We are thrilled about JGR’s decision to run the complete Raybestos brake package,” says Josh Russell, vice president of marketing for Affinia, manufacturer of Raybestos brand brakes. “Alcon’s expertise was instrumental in development of the new caliper design, and along with our rotors and friction, Raybestos now offers an unparalleled racing brake system that will help give JGR’s Toyotas the advantage they need on raceday.”
Raybestos brand brakes are produced by Affinia Global Brake & Chassis, the leading manufacturer of braking systems and components for the transportation industry. The line includes everything from brake drums to rotors, pads, shoes and hydraulic parts. Affinia Global Brake & Chassis is at the forefront of research and development in brake technology and operates manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout North America.
Raybestos brand brakes are the official brakes of NASCAR, and the NASCAR relationship also includes the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award, which is presented to the top rookie in each of the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck racing series. In addition, Raybestos is the preferred competition brake friction of the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights at all road and street course races. For more information about Raybestos brand brakes, visit www.raybestos.com.