What was that I said about racing at Daytona being a crapshoot?
Kevin Harvick used yet another last-lap pass at Daytona to take the Budweiser Shootout Saturday night, taking the checkered flag as the field bunched up behind him in Turn 3. Harvick hadn't been the class of the field, hitting the wall and losing the draft twice.
But thanks to a bevy of cautions, Harvick was in the right place at the right time, using a push from Denny Hamlin on the last lap to squeeze by leader Jamie McMurray on the high side. McMurray appeared to be the class of the field, along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards each showed signs of strenth left over from last season, while Hamlin and Kyle Busch made some noise up front.
Even Matt Kenseth, not known for being strong on plate tracks, flexed some muscle.
So where did Harvick come from? Ryan Newman and his 2008 Daytona 500 trophy don't even know.
The plethora of wrecks in Saturday night's race, I think, is partially due to the lack of testing. Everyone was loose -- especially in traffic -- leading to a lot of contact and several potential Big Ones. The new car is more durable -- just ask Harvick -- but all those wrecks are not an accident. Still, even without the wrecks, the racing action was competitive and exciting enough that, at first glance, the testing ban could be good for teams as well as fans.
The 28 teams that competed in the Shootout should have an advantage over the others once the green flag drops on the Gatorade Duel races on Thursday. With 57 cars trying to make the field (and 39 of the 43 spots taken after Sunday's qualifying), Thursday promises to be quite the show.
Looks like the Shootout was just the beginning.
Truex, Martin on front row for 500
Martin Truex Jr. put his No. 1 Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Chevrolet on the pole Sunday for the 51st Daytona 500, turning a fast lap of 47.872 (188.001 MPH). His first career pole at Daytona shined some light on a team that had a tumultuous offseason -- teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Aric Almirola came in fourth and seventh, respectively.
Mark Martin, making his debut for Hendrick Motorsports, also made the front row. The 50-year-old veteran qualified second at 47.919 (187.817).
Qualifying results from Sunday can be found here.
Only the front row is set for Sunday's race; the rest of the field will be set on Thursday in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona. Drivers who qualified on the inside row (odd numbers) will race in the first 150-miler at 2 p.m., while outside row qualifiers (even numbers) will run in the second event around 3:30.
The top two "go-or-go-home" drivers in each race will make the Daytona 500. The top three drivers outside the Top 25 on Sunday automatically made the race, regardless of Thursday's results: Bill Elliott with the Wood Brothers, Travis Kvapil for Yates Racing and Tony Stewart with his new Stewart-Haas Racing team.
Terry Labonte will also run in the Daytona 500, thanks (at least) to the previous champion's provisional.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Getting Started: Budweiser Shootout Preview
The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona is the same adrenaline-packed kick-start to the NASCAR Sprint Cup season that it’s always been since its inception – only this year, not so much.
Don’t mistake: the 2009 season will still kick off Saturday night with the annual exhibition race (8 p.m. on FOX), but with a change in format, the race is no longer about recognizing the Sprint Cup Series’ pole winners from a year ago – and it’s no coincidence this change coincided with Coors Light becoming the official beer of NASCAR (whatever that means), as well as the sponsor of the series’ pole award last season.
Could you really see Anheuser-Busch recognizing drivers who won an award with Coors Light’s logo plastered on it?
The new format will take the top six teams, plus one wild card, from each manufacturer in the previous season’s owner points. That means, despite not running a full schedule last season, Joey Logano will run in this year’s Shootout. Meanwhile, Ryan Newman – Mr. Pole himself – will not race, since his No. 39 did not finish high enough in the points last season.
The merits of the format changes can be debated until the series reaches Homestead in November; this is not the forum for such pointless fodder (because let’s face it, when was the last time fan complaints actually prevented NASCAR from doing something?). Rather, let us examine Saturday night’s race on its own.
Defending Race Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Race History: The Budweiser Shootout started in 1979, then known as the Busch Clash, with Buddy Baker winning the inaugural event. The late Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with six Shootout victories, while his son has won the race twice (2003, 2008). Only three drivers have ever won back-to-back Shootouts: Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Ken Schrader (1989-90) and Tony Stewart (2001-02).
Stewart also won the race in 2007. His former teammate, Denny Hamlin, became the first rookie to win the Budweiser Shootout, taking the checkered flag in 2006.
This Year’s Race: The 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will be 75 laps, up from 70 laps last season. Green- and yellow-flag laps will count. There will be a 10-minute intermission after 25 laps, at which times teams will be able to add to fuel, change tires and make regular adjustments to their cars – only work crews would perform on a normal pit stops will be permitted (this means no changing springs or rear ends).
Starting positions were determined by a blind draw on Thursday.
If the final 50-lap segment seems a bit long, then it probably is; both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin have questioned the format, citing the length of time it takes to run that many laps at a 2.5-mile superspeedway, and Hamlin talked of how quickly tires wear at Daytona.
"Only racing 10 laps at the end would be way better," Hamlin told ESPN.com in August. "The tires go away pretty fast at Daytona, but they still would have a lot of grip for just 10 or 15 laps. We could really go all out and the racing would be a lot closer."
If NASCAR asked me (which they never will), I’d suggest taking those 75 laps and breaking them up into three segments – the first 25-lap segment I’d keep the same, followed by a 10-minute break for pit stops. Then, I’d run the next 40 laps. Another break, this time just five minutes, for crews to replace tires and fill the fuel tanks.
Then run the last 10 laps. All-out, green-flag laps only. If this is going to be the Budweiser Shootout, how about we actually have a shootout, you know?
Now that I’m off that little soapbox, who’s going to win the race? At the risk of sounding like a wuss, I have no idea. Restrictor-plate racing is always a bit of a crapshoot – remember how Regan Smith almost won at Talladega back in October? – though there are a few teams and drivers to look out for.
Naturally, anyone from Hendrick Motorsports is worth keeping an eye on. Both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have had their share of success at Daytona, to the tune of a combined four Daytona 500 trophies, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still considered a plate-racing king – not to mention, he won this race last year in his first trip in the No. 88.
The Gibbs cars will always be strong – Tony Stewart finished second in the Shootout last season and nearly won the 500 – though I’m not sure if Joey Logano will do much. He’s got a prime ride, but being a rookie, there’s no telling who will, or won’t, work with him in the draft. Though Roush Fenway cars haven’t traditionally been strong on plate tracks, Carl Edwards nearly won the July Daytona race last year and was running strong at Talladega before an ill-timed bump draft blew up half the field.
Honestly, though, I wouldn’t count anyone out of this race. Plate racing is a great equalizer in the sense that under-funded teams can often compete in the tight packs created by the draft and those restrictor plates. That means don’t count out someone like Bobby Labonte (No. 96) or Robby Gordon.
Long and short, any one of the 28 drivers running in this race (entry list) can win it. It’s tempting to go for Junior in the repeat, but I’m going to pick Jeff Gordon to kick off 2009 with a trip back to Victory Lane.
Sure, it’s just a hunch. But when you’re at Daytona, a hunch is as good as anything.
Don’t mistake: the 2009 season will still kick off Saturday night with the annual exhibition race (8 p.m. on FOX), but with a change in format, the race is no longer about recognizing the Sprint Cup Series’ pole winners from a year ago – and it’s no coincidence this change coincided with Coors Light becoming the official beer of NASCAR (whatever that means), as well as the sponsor of the series’ pole award last season.
Could you really see Anheuser-Busch recognizing drivers who won an award with Coors Light’s logo plastered on it?
The new format will take the top six teams, plus one wild card, from each manufacturer in the previous season’s owner points. That means, despite not running a full schedule last season, Joey Logano will run in this year’s Shootout. Meanwhile, Ryan Newman – Mr. Pole himself – will not race, since his No. 39 did not finish high enough in the points last season.
The merits of the format changes can be debated until the series reaches Homestead in November; this is not the forum for such pointless fodder (because let’s face it, when was the last time fan complaints actually prevented NASCAR from doing something?). Rather, let us examine Saturday night’s race on its own.
Defending Race Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Race History: The Budweiser Shootout started in 1979, then known as the Busch Clash, with Buddy Baker winning the inaugural event. The late Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with six Shootout victories, while his son has won the race twice (2003, 2008). Only three drivers have ever won back-to-back Shootouts: Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Ken Schrader (1989-90) and Tony Stewart (2001-02).
Stewart also won the race in 2007. His former teammate, Denny Hamlin, became the first rookie to win the Budweiser Shootout, taking the checkered flag in 2006.
This Year’s Race: The 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will be 75 laps, up from 70 laps last season. Green- and yellow-flag laps will count. There will be a 10-minute intermission after 25 laps, at which times teams will be able to add to fuel, change tires and make regular adjustments to their cars – only work crews would perform on a normal pit stops will be permitted (this means no changing springs or rear ends).
Starting positions were determined by a blind draw on Thursday.
If the final 50-lap segment seems a bit long, then it probably is; both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin have questioned the format, citing the length of time it takes to run that many laps at a 2.5-mile superspeedway, and Hamlin talked of how quickly tires wear at Daytona.
"Only racing 10 laps at the end would be way better," Hamlin told ESPN.com in August. "The tires go away pretty fast at Daytona, but they still would have a lot of grip for just 10 or 15 laps. We could really go all out and the racing would be a lot closer."
If NASCAR asked me (which they never will), I’d suggest taking those 75 laps and breaking them up into three segments – the first 25-lap segment I’d keep the same, followed by a 10-minute break for pit stops. Then, I’d run the next 40 laps. Another break, this time just five minutes, for crews to replace tires and fill the fuel tanks.
Then run the last 10 laps. All-out, green-flag laps only. If this is going to be the Budweiser Shootout, how about we actually have a shootout, you know?
Now that I’m off that little soapbox, who’s going to win the race? At the risk of sounding like a wuss, I have no idea. Restrictor-plate racing is always a bit of a crapshoot – remember how Regan Smith almost won at Talladega back in October? – though there are a few teams and drivers to look out for.
Naturally, anyone from Hendrick Motorsports is worth keeping an eye on. Both Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have had their share of success at Daytona, to the tune of a combined four Daytona 500 trophies, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still considered a plate-racing king – not to mention, he won this race last year in his first trip in the No. 88.
The Gibbs cars will always be strong – Tony Stewart finished second in the Shootout last season and nearly won the 500 – though I’m not sure if Joey Logano will do much. He’s got a prime ride, but being a rookie, there’s no telling who will, or won’t, work with him in the draft. Though Roush Fenway cars haven’t traditionally been strong on plate tracks, Carl Edwards nearly won the July Daytona race last year and was running strong at Talladega before an ill-timed bump draft blew up half the field.
Honestly, though, I wouldn’t count anyone out of this race. Plate racing is a great equalizer in the sense that under-funded teams can often compete in the tight packs created by the draft and those restrictor plates. That means don’t count out someone like Bobby Labonte (No. 96) or Robby Gordon.
Long and short, any one of the 28 drivers running in this race (entry list) can win it. It’s tempting to go for Junior in the repeat, but I’m going to pick Jeff Gordon to kick off 2009 with a trip back to Victory Lane.
Sure, it’s just a hunch. But when you’re at Daytona, a hunch is as good as anything.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
NASCAR 09: Sprint Cup Series Preview
Defending Series Champion: Jimmie Johnson
2008 In Review: It looked like 2008 would be Kyle Busch’s year, the way he hit the ground running with his new Joe Gibbs Racing team and lit up the Sprint Cup Series for eight wins in the “regular season.” But all those wins – and the bonus points that came with them – disappeared once the Chase started, as a series of bad luck and mechanical problems made Busch nothing more than a footnote as Jimmie Johnson chased history and Carl Edwards … chased Jimmie Johnson.
Edwards wound up winning a series-high nine races, including Texas and Homestead, but Johnson’s consistency and good fortune were too much. Johnson made history, becoming the only driver other than Cale Yarborough (1976-78) to win three consecutive Cup championships.
Johnson won seven races and compiled 22 Top-10 finishes, most of which came in the latter half of the season. His win in the controversial Allstate 400 at the Brickyard catapulted the No. 48 into elite status once more, and Johnson showed again the Chase is his time of year – winning three of the 10 races and finishing no worse than 15th.
Consistency bordering on dominance – Jeff Gordon originated the modern formula in the mid- to late 1990s, and Johnson has perfected it in the Chase.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. appeared to be a title contender for much of the season, spending a chunk of the year second in the points and finally snapping his 76-race winless drought in Michigan in June. But Junior never found Victory Lane again, and that early consistency faded in the summer and downright disappeared come time for the Chase. Bad luck called the No. 88 home, and strange calls from Tony Eury Jr. (Watkins Glen, anyone?) didn’t help.
2008 saw NASCAR take an economic hit, much like the rest of the country. Few races were sold out, though television ratings were up – fans who could no longer afford to attend races were instead watching them at home. Sponsors were harder to come by, and some teams had to merge in order to survive.
One team, the No. 40 Dodge fielded by Chip Ganassi, folded completely by the time the series returned to Daytona in July, laying off over 70 workers and leaving rookie Dario Franchitti out of a ride. The culprit? Lack of sponsorship.
The races themselves weren’t without controversy, either; the new car, in its first full season of use, came under fire because of its aesthetics and the questionable quality of racing it produced – despite marked improvements in the second half of the season when it came to competition. NASCAR sets tight rules with the car, limiting what teams can do in adjusting the machines – and the sanctioning body’s decision not to change the rules in the offseason has been … shall we say, unpopular.
Still, nothing beats the heat Goodyear took in 2008. The series’ lone tire provider came under scrutiny after the March race in Atlanta turned into a high-speed parade, the tires too hard to wear properly for optimum grip. Tony Stewart in particular was critical of Goodyear, but that was nothing compared to what happened at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
NASCAR’s second most prestigious race – the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard – was turned into a series of 10-lap heat races because tire wear was so drastic no one could drive more than 10 laps before a Goodyear exploded. NASCAR spent the day throwing mandatory caution flags, keeping the drivers from really racing each other and treating the over 250,000 in attendance to one of the worst competition calamities in recent memory.
Jimmie Johnson may have won that race, but even he wasn’t all that thrilled with what happened. Goodyear dropped the ball with a half-assed tire test, a problem that has since been corrected. NASCAR and Goodyear held two tire tests at the track over the fall, and one more is scheduled this coming spring.
But here’s an idea: get a new tire compound. The new car is heavier and wider than the old car – logic dictates the tire would have to be larger to compensate. Someone with some pull should really tell Goodyear this.
Season Preview: Can Jimmie Johnson make it an unprecedented four championships in a row? Conventional wisdom says no; after all, it’s near impossible for all the stars to align for that length of time – but if anyone can pull it off, it’s the No. 48 team.
Still, one has to figure that eventually, other teams will start to catch up. Maybe the Roush Fenway camp, perhaps Joe Gibbs Racing … hell, Johnson’s own teammates – Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – might be the ones to catch him. The luck will probably also run out soon enough … I’m still trying to figure out how Johnson slipped by The Big One at Talladega when the other Chase contenders were doing their best pinball impressions.
Were it not for disastrous finishes at Talladega (Big One) and Charlotte (mechanical failure) in the Chase, Edwards might’ve hoisted the trophy in 2008. Expect Edwards and crew chief Bob Osbourne to learn from 2008’s failures to make a spirited, season-long run at the championship in 2009.
Edwards has already demonstrated an intense desire (see his Bristol spat with Kyle Busch and his last lap dive-bomb at Kansas); now all he needs is a little luck and the consistency that has become Johnson’s staple.
But is it really the Johnson-Edwards show? Busch certainly figures into the equation, because of his ability to win at any time, regardless of track. Busch’s eight wins last season came on short tracks, road courses, superspeedways and intermediates, so assuming the team doesn’t make any mistakes – and Busch himself doesn’t implode – the No. 18 will be in the thick of it.
Jeff Gordon has to be considered a title threat, simply because he’s Jeff Gordon. Sure, he hasn’t won a title since 2001 and he went winless for the first time since 1993 last season, but Gordon is considered one of the all-time greats for a reason – and let’s face it, he’d have six championships if not for the Chase. Look for the No. 24 to hit Victory Lane at least three times this season – maybe as early as the Daytona 500.
As much as Junior Nation would love to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. take home the hardware in 2009 – and I admit, I’m a card-carrying member – I don’t see it happening. Junior will have a better year than 2008, when he won only one race and sputtered in the Chase, but I have a feeling Junior will never contend for a Cup title with Tony Eury Jr. calling the shots.
Something I think Rick Hendrick will realize in the offseason.
Expect the economic turmoil of 2008 to continue through 2009, with smaller teams feeling the effects worse than others. Ticket prices are being lowered, teams are laying off employees and scaling back operations and NASCAR even implemented a testing ban throughout the season. How the ban will affect competition remains to be seen; will the super teams still dominate, or will the playing field finally be leveled?
Three mergers have rocked the Cup Series in the offseason:
-Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ganassi’s team eventually merged, forming a three-car operation and leaving reigning Rookie of the Year Regan Smith out of a ride.
-Gillett-Evernham Motorsports also merged with Petty Enterprises to form Richard Petty Motorsports, a move that nearly left four-time series winner Elliott Sadler without a ride.
-Yates Racing and Hall of Fame Racing merged, taking the No. 96 car and turning it into a Ford with Roush-Yates engine power. Ask.com came on as primary sponsor once 2000 series champion Bobby Labonte was named driver.
And what of Tony Stewart? The two-time series champion left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the season to start his new team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Essentially the same operation as Newman-Haas Racing, a chronic underachiever in Sprint Cup, will Stewart and teammate Ryan Newman be competitive right away, or is this going to be a season-long uphill climb?
I expect a slow start, with the team picking up speed by the time the series returns to Daytona. No Chase this year for Stewart or Newman, but look out come 2010.
Team to Watch: The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driven by Mark Martin. The veteran driver had been in semi-retirement since 2005, and spent 2008 splitting the No. 8 DEI ride with Aric Almirola. But Rick Hendrick swooped in and convinced Martin to go for that elusive Sprint Cup title one more time, pairing him with young and talented crew chief Alan Gustafson. While Hendrick thinks having Martin on board for 2009 and part of 2010 will improve the entire organization – including Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who both had their struggles in 2008 – the important question is: how competitive will Martin be in his new ride?
Predicted 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup Field (in order of finish): Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, David Ragan, Denny Hamlin.
Predicted 2009 Champion: Carl Edwards
Predicted First Time Winner: David Ragan
Predicted 2009 Rookie of the Year: Scott Speed
2009 Schedule:
Feb. 7 – Budweiser Shootout, Daytona International Speedway*
Feb. 12 – Gatorade Duals, Daytona International Speedway^
Feb. 15 – Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 22 – Auto Club 500, Auto Club Speedway
March 1 – Shelby 427, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 8 – Kobalt Tools 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 22 – Food City 500, Bristol Motor Speedway
March 29 – Goody’s Fast Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway
April 5 – Samsung 500, Texas Motor Speedway
April 18 – Subway Fresh Fit 500, Phoenix International Raceway
April 26 – Aaron’s 499, Talladega Superspeedway
May 2 – Crown Royal presents Your Name Here 400, Richmond International Raceway
May 9 – Southern 500, Darlington Raceway
May 16 – NASCAR Sprint Showdown, Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 16 – NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 24 – Coca-Cola 600, Lowe’s Motor Speedway
May 31 – Dover 400, Dover International Speedway
June 7 – Pocono 500, Pocono Raceway
June 14 – LifeLock 400, Michigan International Speedway
June 21 – Toyota/SaveMart 350, Infineon Raceway
June 28 – Lenox Industrial Tools 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 4 – Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway
July 11 – LifeLock.com 400, Chicagoland Speedway
July 26 – Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 2 – Pennsylvania 500, Pocono Raceway
Aug. 9 – Watkins Glen International
Aug. 16 – Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 22 – Sharpie 500, Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 6 – Pep Boys Auto 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sept. 12 – Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Richmond International Raceway
Sept. 20 – Sylvania 300, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 27 – Dover 400, Dover International Speedway
Oct. 4 – Kansas 400, Kansas Speedway
Oct. 11 – Pepsi 500, Auto Club Speedway
Oct. 17 – Bank of America 500, Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct. 25 – Martinsville Speedway
Nov. 1 – AMP Energy 500, Talladega Superspeedway
Nov. 8 – Dickies 500, Texas Motor Speedway
Nov. 15 – Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, Phoenix International Raceway
Nov. 22 – Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway
*Non-points race
^Daytona 500 qualifying races
2008 In Review: It looked like 2008 would be Kyle Busch’s year, the way he hit the ground running with his new Joe Gibbs Racing team and lit up the Sprint Cup Series for eight wins in the “regular season.” But all those wins – and the bonus points that came with them – disappeared once the Chase started, as a series of bad luck and mechanical problems made Busch nothing more than a footnote as Jimmie Johnson chased history and Carl Edwards … chased Jimmie Johnson.
Edwards wound up winning a series-high nine races, including Texas and Homestead, but Johnson’s consistency and good fortune were too much. Johnson made history, becoming the only driver other than Cale Yarborough (1976-78) to win three consecutive Cup championships.
Johnson won seven races and compiled 22 Top-10 finishes, most of which came in the latter half of the season. His win in the controversial Allstate 400 at the Brickyard catapulted the No. 48 into elite status once more, and Johnson showed again the Chase is his time of year – winning three of the 10 races and finishing no worse than 15th.
Consistency bordering on dominance – Jeff Gordon originated the modern formula in the mid- to late 1990s, and Johnson has perfected it in the Chase.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. appeared to be a title contender for much of the season, spending a chunk of the year second in the points and finally snapping his 76-race winless drought in Michigan in June. But Junior never found Victory Lane again, and that early consistency faded in the summer and downright disappeared come time for the Chase. Bad luck called the No. 88 home, and strange calls from Tony Eury Jr. (Watkins Glen, anyone?) didn’t help.
2008 saw NASCAR take an economic hit, much like the rest of the country. Few races were sold out, though television ratings were up – fans who could no longer afford to attend races were instead watching them at home. Sponsors were harder to come by, and some teams had to merge in order to survive.
One team, the No. 40 Dodge fielded by Chip Ganassi, folded completely by the time the series returned to Daytona in July, laying off over 70 workers and leaving rookie Dario Franchitti out of a ride. The culprit? Lack of sponsorship.
The races themselves weren’t without controversy, either; the new car, in its first full season of use, came under fire because of its aesthetics and the questionable quality of racing it produced – despite marked improvements in the second half of the season when it came to competition. NASCAR sets tight rules with the car, limiting what teams can do in adjusting the machines – and the sanctioning body’s decision not to change the rules in the offseason has been … shall we say, unpopular.
Still, nothing beats the heat Goodyear took in 2008. The series’ lone tire provider came under scrutiny after the March race in Atlanta turned into a high-speed parade, the tires too hard to wear properly for optimum grip. Tony Stewart in particular was critical of Goodyear, but that was nothing compared to what happened at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
NASCAR’s second most prestigious race – the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard – was turned into a series of 10-lap heat races because tire wear was so drastic no one could drive more than 10 laps before a Goodyear exploded. NASCAR spent the day throwing mandatory caution flags, keeping the drivers from really racing each other and treating the over 250,000 in attendance to one of the worst competition calamities in recent memory.
Jimmie Johnson may have won that race, but even he wasn’t all that thrilled with what happened. Goodyear dropped the ball with a half-assed tire test, a problem that has since been corrected. NASCAR and Goodyear held two tire tests at the track over the fall, and one more is scheduled this coming spring.
But here’s an idea: get a new tire compound. The new car is heavier and wider than the old car – logic dictates the tire would have to be larger to compensate. Someone with some pull should really tell Goodyear this.
Season Preview: Can Jimmie Johnson make it an unprecedented four championships in a row? Conventional wisdom says no; after all, it’s near impossible for all the stars to align for that length of time – but if anyone can pull it off, it’s the No. 48 team.
Still, one has to figure that eventually, other teams will start to catch up. Maybe the Roush Fenway camp, perhaps Joe Gibbs Racing … hell, Johnson’s own teammates – Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. – might be the ones to catch him. The luck will probably also run out soon enough … I’m still trying to figure out how Johnson slipped by The Big One at Talladega when the other Chase contenders were doing their best pinball impressions.
Were it not for disastrous finishes at Talladega (Big One) and Charlotte (mechanical failure) in the Chase, Edwards might’ve hoisted the trophy in 2008. Expect Edwards and crew chief Bob Osbourne to learn from 2008’s failures to make a spirited, season-long run at the championship in 2009.
Edwards has already demonstrated an intense desire (see his Bristol spat with Kyle Busch and his last lap dive-bomb at Kansas); now all he needs is a little luck and the consistency that has become Johnson’s staple.
But is it really the Johnson-Edwards show? Busch certainly figures into the equation, because of his ability to win at any time, regardless of track. Busch’s eight wins last season came on short tracks, road courses, superspeedways and intermediates, so assuming the team doesn’t make any mistakes – and Busch himself doesn’t implode – the No. 18 will be in the thick of it.
Jeff Gordon has to be considered a title threat, simply because he’s Jeff Gordon. Sure, he hasn’t won a title since 2001 and he went winless for the first time since 1993 last season, but Gordon is considered one of the all-time greats for a reason – and let’s face it, he’d have six championships if not for the Chase. Look for the No. 24 to hit Victory Lane at least three times this season – maybe as early as the Daytona 500.
As much as Junior Nation would love to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. take home the hardware in 2009 – and I admit, I’m a card-carrying member – I don’t see it happening. Junior will have a better year than 2008, when he won only one race and sputtered in the Chase, but I have a feeling Junior will never contend for a Cup title with Tony Eury Jr. calling the shots.
Something I think Rick Hendrick will realize in the offseason.
Expect the economic turmoil of 2008 to continue through 2009, with smaller teams feeling the effects worse than others. Ticket prices are being lowered, teams are laying off employees and scaling back operations and NASCAR even implemented a testing ban throughout the season. How the ban will affect competition remains to be seen; will the super teams still dominate, or will the playing field finally be leveled?
Three mergers have rocked the Cup Series in the offseason:
-Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Ganassi’s team eventually merged, forming a three-car operation and leaving reigning Rookie of the Year Regan Smith out of a ride.
-Gillett-Evernham Motorsports also merged with Petty Enterprises to form Richard Petty Motorsports, a move that nearly left four-time series winner Elliott Sadler without a ride.
-Yates Racing and Hall of Fame Racing merged, taking the No. 96 car and turning it into a Ford with Roush-Yates engine power. Ask.com came on as primary sponsor once 2000 series champion Bobby Labonte was named driver.
And what of Tony Stewart? The two-time series champion left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the season to start his new team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Essentially the same operation as Newman-Haas Racing, a chronic underachiever in Sprint Cup, will Stewart and teammate Ryan Newman be competitive right away, or is this going to be a season-long uphill climb?
I expect a slow start, with the team picking up speed by the time the series returns to Daytona. No Chase this year for Stewart or Newman, but look out come 2010.
Team to Watch: The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driven by Mark Martin. The veteran driver had been in semi-retirement since 2005, and spent 2008 splitting the No. 8 DEI ride with Aric Almirola. But Rick Hendrick swooped in and convinced Martin to go for that elusive Sprint Cup title one more time, pairing him with young and talented crew chief Alan Gustafson. While Hendrick thinks having Martin on board for 2009 and part of 2010 will improve the entire organization – including Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who both had their struggles in 2008 – the important question is: how competitive will Martin be in his new ride?
Predicted 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup Field (in order of finish): Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Brian Vickers, David Ragan, Denny Hamlin.
Predicted 2009 Champion: Carl Edwards
Predicted First Time Winner: David Ragan
Predicted 2009 Rookie of the Year: Scott Speed
2009 Schedule:
Feb. 7 – Budweiser Shootout, Daytona International Speedway*
Feb. 12 – Gatorade Duals, Daytona International Speedway^
Feb. 15 – Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 22 – Auto Club 500, Auto Club Speedway
March 1 – Shelby 427, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 8 – Kobalt Tools 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 22 – Food City 500, Bristol Motor Speedway
March 29 – Goody’s Fast Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway
April 5 – Samsung 500, Texas Motor Speedway
April 18 – Subway Fresh Fit 500, Phoenix International Raceway
April 26 – Aaron’s 499, Talladega Superspeedway
May 2 – Crown Royal presents Your Name Here 400, Richmond International Raceway
May 9 – Southern 500, Darlington Raceway
May 16 – NASCAR Sprint Showdown, Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 16 – NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 24 – Coca-Cola 600, Lowe’s Motor Speedway
May 31 – Dover 400, Dover International Speedway
June 7 – Pocono 500, Pocono Raceway
June 14 – LifeLock 400, Michigan International Speedway
June 21 – Toyota/SaveMart 350, Infineon Raceway
June 28 – Lenox Industrial Tools 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 4 – Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway
July 11 – LifeLock.com 400, Chicagoland Speedway
July 26 – Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 2 – Pennsylvania 500, Pocono Raceway
Aug. 9 – Watkins Glen International
Aug. 16 – Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 22 – Sharpie 500, Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 6 – Pep Boys Auto 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sept. 12 – Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Richmond International Raceway
Sept. 20 – Sylvania 300, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 27 – Dover 400, Dover International Speedway
Oct. 4 – Kansas 400, Kansas Speedway
Oct. 11 – Pepsi 500, Auto Club Speedway
Oct. 17 – Bank of America 500, Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct. 25 – Martinsville Speedway
Nov. 1 – AMP Energy 500, Talladega Superspeedway
Nov. 8 – Dickies 500, Texas Motor Speedway
Nov. 15 – Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, Phoenix International Raceway
Nov. 22 – Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway
*Non-points race
^Daytona 500 qualifying races
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