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JENSEN: Speedweeks Full Of Surprises
Written by: Tom Jensen   
02/10/2007
Daytona Beach, Fla.
 
Dale Eanhardt Jr.'s bid for majority ownership of Dale Earnhardt Inc. has been the biggest story to date of Speedweeks 2007. (Photo: Getty Images/Doug Benc) MORE NASCAR PHOTOS ยป More Photos

The first half of Speedweeks 2007 is in the books and, not surprisingly, filled with some juicy news and tidbits from the beaches of Daytona. Here's my take on the biggest storylines so far.

THE TOP STORY This one's easy. Call it, "As DEI Turns." Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has very publicly thrown down the gauntlet at the feet of his stepmother, Teresa. Junior, the most popular driver in NASCAR and one of the best as well, as made his demand clear: To stay with DEI, the race team started by his late father, he wants controlling interest in the team. Nothing else will do.

It's a heady move by Earnhardt, a man who never fails to impress with his plain-spoken, countrified common sense. I asked Earnhardt point-blank if DEI needs him more than he needs DEI and he gave a polite, politically correct answer. But everyone in the garage knows the truth: He's the franchise, and without him and his inner circle of loyalists, DEI is little more than a company that hawks t-shirts and No. 3 memorabilia.

THE FEEL-GOOD STORY This one's easy, too: The Phoenix-like resurrection of Robert Yates Racing, which saw its two drivers shine during the opening weekend. David Gilliland finished second in the Budweiser Shootout and both Ricky Rudd and Gilliland were atop the speed charts in Daytona 500 practice. Then, Gilliland and Rudd topped off the weekend by sweeping the front row in Daytona 500 qualifying.

For anyone who saw the anguish in Yates' face last year as he struggled through the near-disintegration of his team, the Speedweeks show put on by the RYR group was indeed something as sweet as the candy-sponsor logos festooning the flanks of both cars.

One word of caution, though: RYR was good here last year, too, when Elliott Sadler won one of the Duel 150 qualifying races and nearly took the Daytona 500 before finishing fourth. But unlike last year, the Yates gang probably won't implode again as 2007 wears on.

THE LEAST SURPRISING STORY Toyota came in with three teams fielding eight Camrys and the results were just OK, which was about what was expected. Brian Vickers finished eighth in the Shootout, but Dale Jarrett was next to last among the cars still running. The eight Camrys entered weren't especially good in qualifying, either, with David Reutimann the fastest at 15th. Jarrett and Dave Blaney are locked into the 500, but the other six Camrys have to race their way into
the field during Thursday's Daytona Duel 150 qualifying races.

Again, that's neither unexpected nor especially bad. Two of the three Toyota teams are start-ups and, of course, this is the manufacturer's first Nextel Cup competition. The Toyota squad did yeoman duty just getting here and will undoubtedly improve, though I still believe strongly that none of the current teams will be the caliber of a Hendrick, Roush or Gibbs anytime soon.

As for Michael Waltrip, NASCAR has impounded his car after having earlier confiscated an intake manifold in pre-qualifying inspection. The results of NASCAR's investigation won't be known until at least Tuesday.

THE AGONY OF DEFEAT Think it's fun being a racer? Think again. Remember, unlike in stick-and-ball sports where one team wins and one loses in every game, in a Cup points race one team wins and 42 lose each race. And losing hurts. Just ask Ray Evernham. He had all three of his Evernham Motorsports Dodge Chargers entered in Saturday night's Bud Shootout, an impressive feat, to be sure.

In the race, an unintentional bobble on the last turn of the last lap by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. caused a massive frontstretch pileup. All three of Evernham's Dodges were wrecked, through no fault of any of the drivers. "That cost me half a million dollars right there," a disgusted Evernham told me Sunday morning. Ouch.

TIRING ISSUE Tires continue to be a touchy subject among the drivers. Several, most notably Bud Shootout winner Tony Stewart, complained bitterly this week about the rock-hard Goodyear radials NASCAR has mandated at Daytona.

The drivers will likely be unhappy again next month at Las Vegas, when they'll be racing on a different left-side tire than with which they tested at Vegas last month. They'll also have to race with a 13-gallon fuel cell, which NASCAR has mandated to avoid tire wear - and tire explosion - worries. The smaller cells mean the cars will pit for fuel more often, and when they pit for fuel, usually they get tires, too.

"At Las Vegas, we have decided to go with a 13-gallon fuel cell," NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Sunday at Daytona. "After discussing it with Goodyear, we feel like we have the potential for some of the issues at the Charlotte race last year. And so we have decided for those reasons to go with the 13-gallon fuel cell at Las Vegas."

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