DAYTONA – OFF AND RUNNING
Now have come the first races of
Speedweeks 2001 and already it is a vastly different atmosphere from that of
2000. Where last year fans were wondering if the racing would be competitive,
this year we know that it will be very much so. With the annual race fest at
Daytona International underway, comments from the first stock car weekend –
The wisdom of aero anchors was on display
again in a dazzlingly competitive Bud Shootout. The lead pack was thick all day,
the lead changed hands back and forth, and some of the exchanges resembled
classic Pocono pass-and-repass maneuvers. There was even quite a bit of passing
up the middle of two lines of cars.
This makes the use of aero anchors at
other tracks all the more necessary. The downside for non-plate tracks,
according to a pre-Shootout Gary Nelson interview in Speedway Scene (amazingly
the first serious press examination of the Atlanta, Texas, and Las Vegas tests
run at NASCAR’s behest in January), is loss of rear down force caused by the
roof spoiler’s disruption of air, but Gary Nelson made clear that "We’re
not giving up by a long shot" on making aero drag work away from Daytona
and Talladega. He hinted at a coming test of "a matrix," which could
mean some kind of vortex generator for the roof that disrupts air but also
channels it to the rear spoiler and thus maintains down force.
Whatever they try, the need for aero
disruption was shown again in a terrific Bud Shootout. If you remember last
year’s Atlanta 500 thriller, imagine how much better it would be with the bigger
draft brought on by aero anchors…..
Just as Dodge hit the ground running in
qualifying, Fox Sports and their mix of veteran casters – the bulk of them
CBS/World Sports veterans – hit the track running. While some Fox Sports Net
affiliates didn’t carry practice coverage, overall it was a good start. The
coverage itself seemed to go out of its way to be more thorough, and it is a
good sign for the year.
Jack Roush’s reputation for whining has
grown again. "Once again NASCAR has had the wool pulled over its
eyes," he claimed after Dodges swept the front row for the 500. His
reputation carried into Jeff Burton’s comments after the Shootout, which were
almost EXACTLY the same between his MRN interview and his interview on FOX.
It not only seems to confirm a long-held
suspicion of mine that drivers are given script-templates by sponsors, it shows
again a fundamental weakness in Ford’s restrictor plate program. I don’t know
what it is, but it seems the Ford does not respond as well to the plate as the
Chevrolet-engined cars – looking back over the years it seems the Fords are, on
average, consistently weaker, this despite 18 victories in plate events from
1988 on.
Dodge stole the whole shooting match on
500 pole day, and one online fan poll asked what or who is responsible.
Surprisingly, the right answer isn’t listed – namely the fact that Ray Evernham,
Petty Enterprises, Bill Davis Racing, Chip Ganassi, and Mark Melling worked
together to develop and improve the car in the 500-day calendar set up by Dodge
in October 1999. Dodge’s commitment to interteam cooperation and competitive
depth is greater than with Ford or – especially – GM. That combined with a new
engine package (itself a by-product of this interteam cooperation) and hard work
is what put Dodge up front right away.
Bill Elliott was the only Intrepid in the
Bud Shootout, and that fact plus his reputation for not particularly pushing the
issue didn’t mean a really good test of the Intrepid in traffic. The car did
draft well, as Elliott fell back but erased any gap that developed when he had
to.
Monday practice suggested the other Dodges
are also in pretty good shape, as the Intrepids of Bill Davis, Evernham, Petty
Enterprises, Ganassi, and Melling all looked quite respectable in the draft. The
numbers on the timing sheets vary, but that’s typical or racing in general and
plate racing in particular.
For the 1991 500, NASCAR had two pace cars
– driving the second was ex-ARCA/USAC stocker Ramo Stott, the 1976 500
pole-sitter. This is worth mentioning because we wonder if Stott was on hand for
this Speedweeks – 25 years after Nitrousgate put him on the 500 pole another
cheating scandal has affected the 500, particularly the front row. The Temple Of
Doom produced the usual spate of illegalities – in what looked like an attempt
to recreate the 1977 Talladega 500, five fuel cell boxes were confiscated for
carrying too much gas – but that was nothing compared to the disqualification of
Jerry Nadeau after he clocked the second-fastest lap. And then on Monday came
the sequel, as Jason Leffler, the big disappointment so far in the Dodge camp,
was busted for using a fuel additive.
Such disallowances are hardly new, and
both drivers will requalify. It is a little bizarre that it would happen 25
years after the 1976 Speedweeks……or is it?
By the way, there is no truth to the rumor
that Gary Nelson’s inspectors confiscated bags of sand from the Petty, Davis,
Evernham, and Melling Dodges or Sterling Marlin’s Ganassi Racing Intrepid.
Greg Zippidelli of JGR said,
"(NASCAR) has given something to everyone, except the Pontiacs. They’ve
left us for dead." Actually GM Motorsports, biased as it is toward
Chevrolets, may wind up leaving Pontiac for dead – an unwise move especially as
Dodge’s depth emphasis puts the lie to the notion of equal treatment within the
other brands.
In any event the Gibbs Pontiacs are dead
and loving it so far with Stewart’s rip-roaring triumph over the Earnhardts in
the Shootout. The way Stewart is piling on the wins now, we’d better watch out
for the avalanche of booing that’s sure to come.
The other Pontiac in the Shootout, Ken
Schrader, ran a typical Schrader race – he ran good but wasn’t up to winning,
and ran out of gas at the end.
The new trend is for three-car teams, and
Richard Childress will join it as Kevin Harvick will run seven races in 2001
and, if it isn’t a done deal already, presumably the full 2002 schedule.
This means that Robert Yates, Cal Wells,
and the sport’s other two-car teams will likely be adding a third team apiece –
Roger Penske’s investment in ARCA 200 winner Ryan Newman appears to be a step
toward that from his team………..
……….that is, if the #12 seat doesn’t
open up. The broken record of DNFs for Jeremy Mayfield continued in the
Shootout, and it appears Mayfield is kidding himself if he thinks it will get
better…….
……….regardless of that, NASCAR is
going to have to make a decision about the size of its starting fields soon. 43
cars just isn’t enough anymore, what with new teams, new sponsors, and
still-competitive existing teams. Daytona used to start 50 cars, and it appears
they still can if allowed.
Speedway Scene and the LTN Radio talk show
both report that Texas Motor Speedway will get its long-sought second Winston
Cup date in 2002. Reportedly Daytona and Charlotte have reached an agreement to
compress their weeklong racing bonanzas – Speedweeks at Daytona and Charlotte’s
ten days of racing in May – and thus free up time to slot in a second Texas
Winston Cup weekend. Where it would come hasn’t been said, though it seems
likely that November would be the only place.
So has begun Speedweeks 2001.