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JENSEN: NASCAR Answerman
Written by: Tom Jensen   
07/31/2009
 
The NASCAR Answerman on SPEEDtv.com - The Online Motorsports Authority ยป More Photos
In the garage, after his engine blew, Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained his team’s planned strategy prior to the blow up, saying they “expected NASCAR to throw a few cautions before the end of the race.” Why would a team “expect” cautions? I understand historical stats may indicate that a caution may come, but expect?

Was this a slip towards NASCAR throwing mystery debris cautions when the field gets single file and strung out, i.e., Chicago where the first three cautions were for debris? Where did all the debris come from if there were no wrecks? — Thanks, Jason in Dallas

Great question, Jason! Crew chiefs and team engineers pay very close attention to historical data as it pertains to caution flags, because it plays hugely into their strategy as far as when to pit, how many tires to take, etc. I can tell you they study this stuff all the time. If you ever listen to Larry McReynolds call a race, in the last 50 laps of the race, he will quote chapter and verse about historic caution-flag trends at that particular race.

And given last year’s debacle, when there were 11 cautions at the Brickyard, teams were probably looking even closer at historical trends than normal. As for Chicago, I remember at least one of the debris cautions was for a spring rubber that fell off a car. And there was nothing suspicious or questionable about the timing of the cautions there.

NASCAR’s statement about the Nationwide COT is very discouraging because it basically “the same old, same old.”

Instead of patronizing corporate America this is a key opportunity to change the series into identity to itself. Run road and street courses only. Utilize STOCK (Crate) pony cars. Cup drivers can participate however if they are within the top 35, no points. Limit races to four segments, two qualifying, one last chance and a final segment no longer than a fuel range. No tire changes unless the tire goes flat. 24 max starts feature. Pay only top three positions with the remaining in the feature paid an “expense subsidy” for tires, entry fee, etc. Champion decided by most wins. Ties broken with place and show finishes with the final tie breaker the last race results.

The current proposal is a guaranteed proven formula for further deterioration of interest in NASCAR racing. Take this opportunity and make the hard radical changes since you have nothing to lose. — Bob Skeen

Bob: That’s all well and good, but there are already are a bunch of series that do some or all of what you suggest. There are elements of these in Trans Am, Grand Am, SPEED GT, etc. If NASCAR were to radically overhaul the series as you suggest, they would have to sell it to competitors, sponsors, television networks, tracks and fans. Good luck with that.

The reality is that Cup drivers competing in Nationwide sells tickets, helps sign sponsors and drives TV ratings. That’s become something of a double-edged sword, because it makes it tough for young guys to break in, but that’s
how it is. The Nationwide Series remains the second-most popular form of auto racing in the United States and no way will NASCAR do some of the things you suggest.

I'm a Juan Pablo Montoya fan and believe NASCAR does what benefits them the most such as debris cautions before the 88 goes a lap down and so on. In this case I'm surprised they called Montoya for speeding as it would have been a better story if he wins at Indy. Think of the story lines not only in this country but the coverage that would have gone on around the racing world. Agree or disagree? — Richie Mikemond

Excellent point, Richie and one that’s been lost on a lot of fans. JPM winning at the Brickyard would have been a huge story, with international implications. A Montoya victory would have generated lots of positive exposure for NASCAR. And for the record, I absolutely believe that Montoya was speeding on pit road and not some phantom call by NASCAR.

While I was watching practice for the Sprint Cup cars, they mentioned that the car that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was driving was the first car Lance McGrew had built. I'm not sure what they meant by that. I thought all the cars were built by the guys in the shop. Jimmie Johnson said all the of 24/48 cars were built by the guys in the 24/48 shop. Do the crew chiefs have a special something that they do the cars? — Marilyn

Another excellent question. Thanks, Marilyn. Although the new-generation NASCAR Sprint Cup car is much more tightly regulated than the old cars were, every crew chief specs his cars out a little differently than other crew chiefs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin all have their cars built by exactly the same guys, but their respective crew chiefs, McGrew and Alan Gustafson, probably have a handful of things that they do differently on their cars.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to



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