Mario Andretti's qualifying record of 234.275 m.p.h. this year makes MIS the fastest of all Indy car tracks. It is fourth-fastest for stock cars, behind Talladega, Daytona and Atlanta.
"I've heard people say, 'Michigan is too fast for Indy cars,' but that is something that must be addressed by the sanctioning body, and I haven't heard any complaints from them," Czarnecki said.
The track has been resurfaced twice since it was built, first in 1977 and again in 1986. It was shortly after the '86 repaving that Rick Mears set the world closed-course Indy car record of 233.934 m.p.h., which stood until Andretti's run last week.
It was also in '86 that Richard Petty drove in his 1,000th stock car race on Father's Day after his daughters, Rebecca, Sharon and Lisa, took the microphone to give the command, "Daddy, start your engine."
Nigel Mansell, Bobby Rahal and others complained last week of the bumpy surface.
"I'm hanging on everywhere," Mansell said. "There are three bumps out there where you make sure your tongue is nowhere near your teeth. I tell you, the wall jumps at you in (Turn) 2."
Penske's response: "We look at (the surface) every year. Mansell is typically known as a complainer, but he had never driven on high banks before and still managed to run 233 and finish the 500 miles. He should have been here before, when it was a lot bumpier. In fact, it was smoother this year than in 1992.
"We continually check on it. There have been times when we were fixing patches in the middle of the night before the race.
"Take a look at the results (of this year's Indy car event). During two days of practice, we had only one minor spin out, and during the race, there was only one incident involving a car hitting the wall. I think he (Mansell) was a bit off base with his criticism."
Czarnecki explained the problems of maintaining the Michigan track: "We don't have the luxury of being in Florida or somewhere where it doesn't freeze in the winter. When it gets cold here, the ground freezes beneath the track and when it thaws out, it moves the asphalt around. This creates a bumpy surface, but we check it carefully and smooth everything out as best we can."
The road course is still there, but has been used only once for a race since the facility changed hands. Penske put on an International Motor Sports Assn. GT race in 1984, but it was not well attended.
"This is not road racing country," Czarnecki said.
It will be stock car country this weekend. The Busch Grand National race Saturday might attract more spectators than the Indy car race, and Penske has promised more fans Sunday than the Wolverines can cram into Michigan Stadium for the Ohio State game.
