Problem In the fall of 2006, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and other Nextel Cup drivers criticized Texas Motor Speedway for perceived “bumps” in the 1.5-mile track between turns one and two. The drivers said that these bumps prevented them from running “multiple grooves” on the track (the “side-by-side” racing that NASCAR fans crave) and made it difficult to control cars coming out of turn one. Texas Motor Speedway responded to this criticism immediately and hired surveyors to shoot elevations across the track to detect any track deficiencies. They determined that there were in fact areas of unlevel pavement, but these areas were settled “dips” instead of “bumps”. The degree of settlement was so slight that it would not have been detected on a city street, but given the aerodynamics of a race

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