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JENSEN: The Answer Man
By popular demand, The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com....
Tom Jensen  |  Posted August 22, 2008   Bristol, Tenn.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. in the garage area. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images Photo)

After the magnets were removed (from the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nationwide Toyotas chassis dyno-tested at Michigan International Speedway last weekend), were the dyno results revealed and did they show any advantage? – Mike Messerli

Mike: That’s one of the questions we’ll be following up on at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. NASCAR typically doesn’t release those results to the media and the public, but we’ll try to find out.


Two things here, Lorriane: First off, the Joe Gibbs Racing Sprint Cup Toyotas have been tested several times this season and will be tested again. Two: You can bet your bottom dollar, that every time a JGR car is inspected from here on out, it will be gone through with a fine-tooth comb. NASCAR will not simply let this one slide.

What size fuel tank are they running in the COT? — Bradshaw Phyllis

Thanks for the question, Phyllis. It’s 17.75 gallons.

Mr. Jensen, what do you think is happening at Hendrick? Is it the setup with the cars at different tracks? Junior says that he doesn’t like some of the tracks but something is missing and I certainly am not an expert. Could you elaborate? Something else puzzles me when Junior said yesterday “we are fast when the race starts BUT I’ve been like that my whole career.” Something is amiss. Your expertise would be appreciated. Thank you. — Geri Melnyk

The short answer to a question like this is always, “If they knew what was wrong, they’d fix it!” And I don’t mean to sound like a smart aleck saying that, but it’s true. If you look at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s entire career, the weakest part of his year always occurs during the summer months, and that was the case again this year. I expect him to run strong at Bristol this weekend and for the rest of the year.

One other factor is key here: NASCAR’s new-generation race car is extremely sensitive to even minute adjustments. Guys at Michigan last week were complaining that on one set of tires, they were wrecking loose, and on another, so tight they couldn’t turn. It takes so little to be off on these cars and so much to get them right.

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 Senior NASCAR Editor 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 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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