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Doug Yates open-minded if NASCAR Cup Series qualified and raced on same day

NASCAR Electronic Fuel Injection Testing

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 17: Doug Yates, CEO of Roush/Yates Racing, speaks to the media about Electronic Fuel Injection Testing in NASCAR at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 17, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images for NASCAR

With NASCAR potentially moving to qualify and race on the same day in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, would that significantly impact engines in the cars?

When it comes to the Ford engines he builds, Doug Yates says he’s keeping an open mind about the potential change.

“It’s definitely a change for us,” Yates said during a Monday Ford teleconference with media. “I think some tracks are less of a change than others.

“If you go to a short track, we used to practice at Richmond on Saturday morning and then race Saturday night, so that’s kind of normal.”

But there are exceptions to that, said the CEO of Roush-Yates Engines.

“When we’re talking about road courses and the opportunity for missed shifts and not having a chance to inspect the engine or do something about it, then as an engine builder I become a little bit more nervous about it,” Yates said. “I think it’s situational dependent.

“I understand the push to make the weekends shorter and we’ll work hand-in-hand with NASCAR to make sure that we’re comfortable with what they choose and we’re making good decisions. As an engine builder, it’s our job to get the most out of the engine and we take the set of rules and the weekend format and work towards that.

“So if that changes, then we may have to change our strategies a bit.”

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