Saturday morning report from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Good morning from the scenic Monterey Bay Peninsula. The temperatures are going to warm up to the low 80s today. This will be almost ten degrees warmer today than yesterday, just in time for Firestone Fast Six Qualifying.

Tire degradation is the phrase we have been hearing from the drivers since the Thursday test. The primary black tire is falling off after only 5 laps, causing the cars to slide on the slippery track.

Colton Herta, the rookie driving for Harding Steinbrenner, was third fastest in Friday Practices. Herta was testing the tires on the test day Thursday and had this insight for the race. “Tire wear is quite high so you kind of have two, three laps on the blacks. I imagine it’s going to be one, maybe two on the reds.”

“The track surface is quite abrasive. It’s something about these northern California tracks. This and Sonoma just tear up the rubber. It makes it definitely challenging. It’s going to be tough on Sunday when you have to do 23 laps straight on a set of tires.”

“I don’t even know what you need for a two-stop, but it’s going to be a lot more than that.”

AR1 asked Ryan Hunter-Reay, the Andretti Autosport driver who was the fastest on the Friday charts, how he liked his red tires. “They (the alternate red tire) are much better than the blacks. We are not sure how fast they will degrade but I am happy with them. This will make the race more interesting.”

Will some of the teams plan for two, three or four pit stops due to the tires? If you calculate the fuel numbers, you can easily make this 90 lap race a three stopper and race without saving fuel. But will the tires hold up all 23 laps?

AR1 will keep you posted on the action here at Laguna Seca.

Lucille Dust reporting live from Laguna Seca