SPEED On-Air Talent Look At Up-Coming Kansas Race

Sprint Cup

SPEED On-Air Talent Look At Up-Coming Kansas Race

SPEED on-air personalities break down the week’s news and look ahead to the weekend’s race at Kansas...

Megan Englehart | Posted October 19, 2012 Kansas City, KS

As expected, Kansas Speedway hosts the final of two NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2012 this weekend. (Photo: Getty Images)

SPEED CREW BREAKS DOWN KANSAS

As they head to the land of Dorothy and Toto this weekend, some Sprint Cup Series teams might need a little magic to contend with and conquer the newly-repaved Kansas Speedway. It’s been a long week for Sprint Cup Series teams, who began testing the new surface Wednesday, but news began breaking long before they got there.

Below, SPEED on-air personalities break down the week’s news and look ahead to the weekend’s race at Kansas:

Q: What is your reaction to NASCAR’s announcement this week that it will do away with the “top 35” rule that automatically locked into the field the top 35 teams in owner points each week?

“I don’t think it changes much. We always heard that the fans didn’t like the top 35 being locked in because they wanted to see the fastest drivers in the field. Well, we now have the top 43 in points locked in for all intents and purposes. I think this was NASCAR’s way of providing a fancy fix to make the fans happier, but I don’t think it changes much for the fans.” --Bob Dillner, SPEED analyst

“I think it’s a good rule. The start-and-parks will have to go to every race and accumulate points, because if you’re not in the top 36 in qualifying, the procedure reverts back to points for provisionals. If you’re 43rd in points, you’re probably not going to get in. That’s going to be difficult for some of these teams who don’t ever intend on running an entire race, so I think it’s good.” --Jimmy Spencer, SPEED analyst

“I think you’ll find some objection to it from people who want to protect the sponsors, but the reality is there only will be 43 slots, and no matter how you do it, there will be a certain number of cars failing to qualify each week. However, I don’t think this will have much impact on who goes home each weekend, although I do think it will be a little more exciting for the fans because qualifying will be based more on speed than it is now.” --Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: Fuel mileage seems to be the name of the game lately in the Cup Series. Do you think this trend will continue this weekend at Kansas and through the remainder of the Chase?

“Yes, because there is less and less mechanical failure in the cars and less cautions as a result. How do we get past that and to where drivers are more prone to take a chance that could end up with them spinning out? Slow the cars down. They’re running too fast and if they just slowed them down a bit, guys would spend more time side-by-side, the cautions would increase and fuel mileage wouldn’t be nearly as prevalent as it is now.” --Jimmy Spencer, SPEED analyst

“There’s nothing that inherently says they have to be fuel mileage races. I’m really hoping that if cautions fall the right way, we see fewer fuel-mileage races in the future because no one likes them.” --Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: NASCAR this week announced they are cutting the Nationwide Series field from 43 to 40 cars each week in 2013. Should the Cup Series field also be reduced?

“I like the idea of cutting the Sprint Cup Series field by a couple of cars because there are anywhere between three and eight start-and-park cars every week. They are following a business model that makes them money. However, I want cars on the track that race the entire race every week. So, cut the field and divvy up that extra purse money to the rest of the field.” --Bob Dillner, SPEED analyst

“I don’t like that. That would mean more guys in the unemployment line. I don’t want to see teams absent from the garage. The economy is too tough right now.” --Matt Clark, SPEED analyst

“I don’t think the quality of racing would materially change one way or the other whether we have 40 or 43 cars in a Sprint Cup field. However, shortening the field dilutes the number of start-and-park cars, which I think is good, but I don’t view this as a big deal one way or the other.” --Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: Clint Bowyer, last week’s winner at Charlotte, has only one win (Charlotte) in 69 starts on mile-and-a-half tracks. With three mile-and-a-half tracks remaining in the five Chase races, can Bowyer be a true factor given his stats?

“Bowyer is a title contender and I think you can throw those stats out the window. Look at his teammate Martin Truex Jr.’s stats on mile-and-a-half tracks. In eight starts in 2012, Truex has six top-10 finishes on intermediate tracks. He nearly won Kansas in the spring and should have won at Atlanta. However, Brian Pattie and Bowyer have been struggling on the mile-and-a-half tracks, so they took a little bit of what the No. 56 was using and put it in the No. 15 with Bowyer and look what happened. They made it to Victory Lane at Charlotte.” --Bob Dillner, SPEED analyst

“Bowyer can be a factor but he faces a steep, uphill fight. The odds don’t favor him. In eight complete Chases, the guy leading at halfway went on to win the championship five times. The biggest margin overcome was when Tony Stewart was 24 points down with five races remaining last year, and Jimmie Johnson was the equivalent of 37 points down in 2006. Clint is 28 points back now, so for him to win the title, he’ll have to win at least two, maybe three races or win one race and finish in the top three in the others and hope everyone in front of him in points has trouble. So, winning the championship will be a huge challenge for Bowyer.” –Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief