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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
SPENCER: Daytona From All Angles
I can hear it now... the sound of a few drivers whining and complaining in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona or the Daytona 500...
Jimmy Spencer  |  Posted February 08, 2010   Daytona Beach, FL
Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on SPEED. (Photo: SPEED)
“He’s pushing me too hard... What the hell does he think he’s doing?... Find his spotter and tell him to back off...”

I can hear it now … the sound of a few drivers whining and complaining in the Gatorade Duel at Daytona or the Daytona 500 because of the new rule that allows drivers to bump draft at-will.

Some will love it but some will hate it. If I were still driving, I’d be leading the charge to ask NASCAR to do away with restrictions such as the one on bump drafting last year that prevented drivers from really driving their race cars.

Sure, we had some big wrecks last Saturday in the Bud Shootout... but who didn’t love watching that race? Of course, drivers don’t enjoy careening into the big pile-ups but they were allowed to drive their cars.

Competitors have been demanding change for several months now and NASCAR listened. They’re done policing the bump draft. And if accidents break out, it’s not NASCAR’s fault, although many drivers want to blame the sanctioning body and the rules. But I think the majority of accidents at restrictor-plate races are due to driver error. Someone simply makes a mistake and picks up several other cars in his wake.

The competitors complained loudly enough about the tight box they were put in and now we’re going to see them go at it. You’ll hear a few drivers screeching about the bump drafting and rougher driving, but they asked for this and I think the show will be great for the fans. Talladega without bump drafting did nothing for the fans but they’re going to be rewarded for waiting it out.

The Daytona 500 has featured some of the greatest racing the past few years and it’s about to get better, which is a terrific way to get the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season kicked off. A team’s performance at Daytona is so critical to jumpstarting their season because it sets the tone for their whole year.

When the crew members get on the airplanes Sunday night to return to North Carolina, they’ll wonder where they’d be if they had finished better. They’ll already be looking at the points – are they 10th, 20th or 35th after Daytona? Drivers will be kicking themselves if they made a mistake that cost their teams a solid finish. And crew chiefs already will be evaluating their strategies in the 500 so they don’t make similar mistakes next week at Fontana. So, yes, Daytona lays the groundwork for the entire season and gets the ball rolling in more ways than one.

Something else to watch for at Daytona is the beginning of the biggest effort ever by all the teams to get inside the top 12 in points in time for the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Sponsorships are tight and times are tough and making the Chase is crucial to the teams and those who support them. Qualifying for the Chase has gotten more and more difficult the past couple of years. Case in point: we all took it for granted that Kyle Busch would make the cut last year but he was left out in the cold. That Joe Gibbs Racing team is going to be working even harder this year to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

This sport is so unpredictable that I wouldn’t bet against anything that’s not a sure thing. The sport gets more competitive each year and drivers will have to step it up to keep with the pace. I don’t want to hear, “We only had a top-15 car so we’ll just take a top-15 finish and go to the house.” That’s bull. I want to see drivers hanging it out and giving it everything they’ve got every single lap, just like Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison and the legends always did.

Some car owners are upset that their drivers are always blaming the crew chiefs, pit stops, cars and other factors, when they really need to take a minute, look in the mirror and realize it’s time for them to pick it up behind the wheel. Daytona is a difficult place to start telling some drivers this because of the fast speeds and close quarters, but the time has come.

If they’d all drive every lap like it was the last one, we’d have one hell of a race and season.

And speaking of Daytona, I think Danica Patrick quieted all her critics Saturday in the ARCA race. She did a great job and demonstrated superb car control when she was forced below the yellow line and into the grass, all the while keeping the car off the wall. Patrick was incredible to watch in her first stock car race and I think the sport will be lucky to have her.

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it as an analyst on NASCAR RaceDay. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.

Watch Live & Exclusive Coverage of Daytona Speedweeks on SPEED™!
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