Trouble in Turn2

When did February get here? I just love how nicely the start of NASCAR’s season dovetails perfectly with the end of the NFL season. For many people, the post-Super Bowl days are bleak in terms of sports offerings (Pro Bowl anyone?). But for NASCAR fans, it kicks right into the Bud Shootout and Speedweeks. After a winter spent scrounging from crumbs of actual NASCAR news, it’s suddenly pouring forth in large consumable portions. I guess that’s what happens when the season is only two weeks away, and that’s a very good thing. So what is happening in the weeks leading up to the sport’s own crown jewel?

• The final preseason tests happened out west this past week. It posed the stiffest test for the CoT so far, with tests on two high speed intermediate tracks, Las Vegas and California. Aside from stiff 60mph winds and several wadded cars, there weren’t too many problems. The car handled decently, the sky didn’t fall and like it or not, it’s going to be the full time car in 2008. Based on the speeds posted at Vegas and California, the top teams were at the top of the leaderboards. Roush, Gibbs, Hendrick and Penske were all fast. Why should anyone be surprised?

  This week’s test speeds mean more than the ones at Daytona, but how much can you truly glean from them? The test charts usually show the fastest single laps. I am far from a NASCAR expert, but how do we know who was consistently quick over long runs or handled best on older tires? It’s doubtful teams were sandbagging, but not every team was trying the same the things. Michael Waltrip’s quick speeds at California are a good sign towards his qualifying efforts, but what else do we really know? The puzzle will get another big piece filled in at California.

• Robby Gordon switched manufacturers from Ford to Dodge, to the certain delight of his shop workers. That must have been fun to tell his workers that they were switching car makes two weeks before the biggest race of the season. It’s like a history professor telling his students two weeks before the final that the test will now be on economics.

  The move is actually a good one for Gordon. Joining a specific team like GEM will grant him direct access to information and resources where at Ford he was simply in line behind Roush, Yates and Wood Brothers. Gordon, in part due to the cancellation of the Dakar Rally, was facing a money crunch. GEM has money, technology and three cars to pull information from. Evernham also gets some benefits. They get a fourth car to gather information from and gain additional associate sponsors. I’m curious what the technical relationship is. Is it a fourth car for GEM or simply a satellite team like Haas-CNC or Hall of Fame Racing?

• I’m pretty much over the fact that NASCAR’s title sponsorship has changed three times since 2003. Nextel, Sprint, AT&T, whatever. The one thing that does bug me is using Nextel or Sprint Cup when referring to races prior to 2004. Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty do not have 7 Sprint Cup titles or 7 Nextel championships. They don’t even have 7 Winston Cups. They have 7 Cups.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr was rumored to have a Super Bowl commercial featuring camel racing. It didn’t show up while I was watching, but you can see it here. A pretty typical Jr spot, showcasing his humor.

  Speaking of Junior, his new firesuit is designed by Adidas and features the Clima-Cool technology.
  

  Dale Jr. will debut his new three stripes on February 17 at Daytona 500. Working closely with the adidas Innovation Team, they have created a race suit featuring advanced ClimaCool technology. With extreme temperatures in the car, ClimaCool will lower Dale Jr.’s body temperature and combat fatigue, allowing him to be more alert and responsive in those final laps.

  It’s interesting that both Amp and Adidas emphasize keeping him cool and comfortable in the car.

• Finally, a quick update on a few housekeeping things. It is hitting crunch time for my driver previews. This week will feature previews for Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Casey Mears and Greg Biffle, among others. In an attempt to cram them all in before the Daytona 500, I’ve started to post on Saturdays. If you missed this past week, check out the archives for drivers like Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte and Juan Pablo Montoya. In addition to the previews I’m also working on redesigning the site for better usability and look. There are a lot of things that have been neglected (feeds, links etc) that need to be fixed.

  If you are a Fantasy NASCAR fan, be sure to check out the Champs, Chumps and Sleepers game over at One Bad Wheel. Even if you don’t play fantasy sports games, stop on by. There’s a lot of really good NASCAR content, right now they’re covering a different car number each day until Daytona, and you might even see a familiar face.

For more NASCAR news and opinion check out Racing Nation.