Trouble in Turn2

It’s Indy time for the Cup guys. That means speeds over 200 mph, a huge purse (last year was over $8 million) and tight racing. With not a lot of room to pass in the corners, horsepower on the straightaways is a driver’s best friend. Dale Earnhardt Jr participated in the recent Goodyear tire test and he also quelled concern about tires.

Tire wear was a big issue. When we first started out, you recall last year and in years past, when we first get there, we go to the cords in about five laps. It takes the whole weekend to build the rubber up on the track before that goes away. We did that again, and we found a tire that will work with another tire that lasted quite a bit longer and ran just as quick.

Because Indianapolis is such a large track, tires can wear out quickly. It’s compounded by the fact that the Trucks and Nationwide cars don’t see the track. That also minimizes the amount of rubber buildup. The fact that Earnhardt is happy with the durability and quality of the tire is a good thing for the level of racing and safety.

What Happened Last Year

Dale Earnhardt Jr dominated the early stages of the race but blew an engine. It was one of three engine failures in the final seven races before the Chase, completely souring his chances to make the Chase or win a race. Tony Stewart took advantage and went on to cruise to an easy win. The win also produced two of the more memorable quotes from Stewart. While closing in on Kevin Harvick, Stewart casually uttered “Here kitty kitty” over the team radio. Then after his win he swore in Victory Lane on live TV. In a post Janet Jackson-FCC crackdown society, Stewart was fined. It didn’t help that it was ESPN’s first broadcast of their new television deal.

Notes

• In the short history at the Brickyard Jeff Gordon owns almost all of the records. 4 wins, 11 top 10’s, 433 laps led, and three poles are all tops.

• In 9 Indy starts Dave Blaney has never led a lap. Every driver with more than 4 starts has led at least one lap.

• Chevy has won the last five races and nine of 14 overall at Indianapolis. Dodge and Pontiac have one win each while Ford has three, although none since 1999. Toyota is tied with Oldsmobile and Scion at zero.

• James at One Bad Wheel has an interesting article on the history of victory lane celebrations. Todd Parrott is credited with starting the brick kissing tradition in 1996. It’s interesting to see how different traditions start and what makes one action stick while others are considered lame? Kissing bricks, climbing fences and drinking milk. They all make perfect sense. In a way it’s like nicknaming yourself. You can’t try too hard and make it intentional or it looks desperate. His article also reminded me of the time in 2005 when Kurt Busch won the fall Richmond race and kissed the asphalt. No one has done it since, thankfully.

• Bill Elliott will attempt to make his 15th Brickyard race. While he is no longer a threat to win races, Elliott can still get it done at select tracks. He has never finished worse than 23rd at Indy and has 5 top 5’s and 9 top 10’s in his career. That includes his 2002 win where he led 93 laps.

Champs, Chumps and Sleepers

Champ: David Ragan Ragan is becoming a serious threat on intermediate tracks. Last year he relied on attrition to score a decent finish. This year he is running in the top 10 and top 15 for the bulk of races.

Champs, Chumps and Sleepers

Chump: Carl Edwards Sure Edwards can win at any track, but so far in his career Indy hasn’t agreed with him. A ninth place finish in 2006 is sandwiched by two mediocre finishes (12th, 18th) with bad driver ratings (69.6 and 67.1).

Sleeper: Mark Martin Martin stayed in the top 5 almost all day at Pocono and has already said he can win at Indy. He is not one to exaggerate.

Who Will Get to 1st Base with the Bricks?

Tony Stewart will surely be a popular choice along with his teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Kasey Kahne has been very good on speedways this summer and Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr could also show up in strength. Kevin Harvick is also one to watch (no matter what loser bloggers might say about his season, he comes good at Indy). Maybe I’m bored of picking the same four or five drivers each week, but I’m going deeper for my pick this week. Over the last two months
Brian Vickers has quietly ran with the leaders on a weekly basis. His driver rating over the last 8 races is a very neat 92.2. He was the fastest car at Michigan and one of the fastest at Lowe’s, Dover and Pocono. He is ready to win and it will be surprising if he doesn’t have a win by the time the Chase rolls around. Win number one for Red Bull Racing might come this weekend.

One of the most exciting parts of sports for me is the transactions and seeing how teams are built. I love drafts, hot stove leagues and trade deadlines. Obviously NASCAR is different since there is no salary cap, anyone can start a team, the draft is only relevant if you have a restrictor plate, and the only high profile commodities are the drivers and crew chiefs. What if there was a trade deadline prior to say the Brickyard 400? Imagine if drivers had no ties to ownership and their contracts were something that actually locked them into a team (let’s face it, it’s easier for a driver to get out of their contract than to escape their Nationwide cars in a bad crash)? It’s impossible for it to truly work, but indulge me for a minute. Pretend that a team could trade drivers and crew chiefs to fill other needs on their teams. For example: Instead of Mark Martin leaving DEI for nothing, Hendrick would have to pay compensation. DEI needs another driver, so maybe Hendrick exchanges Casey Mears and a chassis to be named later for the rights to Martin.

While other sports worry about salary caps or draft picks, NASCAR teams might use sponsorship logos as currency. Occasionally there is talk about franchising the teams in NASCAR, but I’m not waiting for that to happen. I’ve decided to assume they already are. Now that that’s done, here’s a few deals that I could see happening before this year’s trade deadline.

• In a blockbuster, Joe Gibbs Racing trades Tony Stewart to Haas-CNC in exchange for the monster of all wind tunnels. A $40 million rolling wind tunnel, the only one of its kind.

• An unhappy star driver with little chance of making the Chase is a perfect candidate to be dealt. Instead of keeping him there, trade him away for some young prospects. (Maybe that driver’s name rhymes Pawn Jablo Zontoya). Richard Childress Racing needs a skilled veteran driver to pilot their new fourth team for 2009. They might be willing to trade away Scott Wimmer, and crew chief Todd Berrier in exchange for Zontoya’s rights.

• In a mid-summer push to make the Chase and get Brian Vickers to Victory Lane, Red Bull Racing trades development driver Scott Speed and some Red Bull sponsor logos to Yates Racing in exchange for crew chief Todd Parrott.

• BAM Racing deals Ken Schrader to Furniture Row Racing for Joe Nemechek. The deal also apparently involved a swap of antique deck chairs believed to be on the Titanic.

• Jack Roush trades Jamie McMurray to Michael Waltrip Racing in exchange for an undisclosed chassis part. On the surface the trade looks very lopsided and despite no comment from Roush, he was seen in the garage with a large smile.

• With the #96 team outside the top 35, they acquire Ryan Newman and his qualifying prowess. Newman was set to leave Penske Racing for free agency after the season so the team cashed in at the trade deadline. JJ Yeley is sent the other way with Penske planning to field him in an IRL car.

• Owner Robby Gordon trades driver Robby Gordon and his offroad truck to Petty Enterprises in exchange for Bobby Labonte. Gordon the owner thought that the clam Labonte would take better care of his equipment and take Robby Gordon Motorsports to the next level. The move allows the Pettys to double the number of races where they’re competitive to two. Plus the offroad truck will be a big hit at the Victory Junction Gang camp.

What other trades could you see happening or want to see happen? Who should be traded? [note:posts don’t get published when you forget to hit “publish”.]

Let’s start with a few questions for New Hampshire. Will this race be in Kentucky or Las Vegas next year? Will we see a tight contest with lots of battles for the lead? Will we see a rout like Clint Bowyer’s 6 second win last fall? I don’t have any idea what will happen with Bruton Smith’s personal game of track Monopoly. As far as the race goes, I will hope it’s as exciting as the Phoenix race this spring, but will be keeping a pillow on standby.

In fairness, Loudon is a fine track. It’s tight and flat like Phoenix but lacks some of the quirkiness. The leaders usually don’t check out, but it is very hard to pass. This of course often leads to frustration. Frustration leads to emotion manifested as aggression. Aggression leads to contact. Contact leads to more emotion which leads to helmet tossing. And helmet tossing always equals fun. As a bonus, this year’s race is 301 laps instead of the lame 300 laps like prior years.

What happened last year

Dave Blaney was a surprise pole winner, the first for Toyota, but faded after the first pit stop. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Martin Truex Jr each took turns leading before Denny Hamlin grabbed the lead with a late two-tire stop and held on for his only 2007 win. Jeff Gordon made a late run, but ran out of time. Hamlin edged Gordon by 0.068 seconds, the closest Loudon finish ever.

Some dudes who like Loudon

• Tony Stewart owns the best driver rating (117.9) at Loudon. He has 2 wins, 10 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s in 18 career starts.

• Martin Truex Jr scored two top 5’s last year. He led 47 laps and also won the 2005 Busch race. He is good at the flat tracks and also tends to shine in the Northeast.

• Jeff Gordon has three wins, but none since 1998. He does have three straight top 3 finishes.

Champs, Chumps and Sleepers

Champ: Kevin Harvick Flat tracks and the #29 car just fit well together. He won the 2006 fall race at Loudon and has led 264 laps in his Cup career.

Chump: Kasey Kahne The Chump is again a tough choice, with almost everyone in the top 12 capable of running in the top 5 or winning. Kahne only has one top 5 and Evernham has never been great at Loudon or Phoenix.

Sleeper: Aric Almirola It’s a big stretch, but Almirola will likely drive the same car that Mark Martin nearly won with at Phoenix and finished 3rd at Richmond. Almirola can obviously drive, but with such a sporadic schedule it’s a Fantasy risk.

Who Will Win

The way Tony Stewart has run this year, he is overdue. It would actually be a pretty good publicity stunt for Stewart to begin paying late fees to charity for being overdue on his victory celebration. He is always strong at Loudon and barring any tangles with Ryan Newman, is usually around at the end. I’m really tempted to take Dale Earnhardt Jr, who has done nearly everything at Loudon but win. It’s hard to call him a darkhorse, but watch out for Matt Kenseth. Like Earnhardt Jr, Kenseth has been successful at New Hampshire albeit sans victory.

Jeff Burton is getting a caterpillar for 2009. With AT&T’s sponsorship exemption expiring after 2008, Richard Childress Racing had to find a new sponsor for the #31 car. The answer came from the yellow and black colors of Caterpillar. Given Burton’s recent success and personality that must have been a tough sell. Interestingly it was his brother Ward that won the 2002 Daytona 500 with a CAT sponsored Bill Davis Car.

Of course what is good for RCR is bad news for another team, in this case Bill Davis. Caterpillar had been with the fledging BDR team since 1999. They stuck with the organization through some very lean years first when they lost manufacturer support in 2004 and then when the team completely stumbled out of the blocks with Toyota last year. Now Caterpillar is moving to a team that is more likely to get the brand back in the spotlight. It’s hard to fault CAT for making a wise business move, but it’s also easy to sympathize with BDR. It’s always tough to lose a seven or eight-digit sponsor, but it’s even tougher to absorb when the sponsor moves to a rival team. It’s just the latest example of the elite Cup teams getting richer. Whether it’s a sponsorship deal or a top driver switching teams, the sport is becoming increasingly top heavy.

In the past year, longstanding Cup sponsors have dumped smaller teams for larger, more successful teams. CAT joins Budweiser, M&M’s and General Mills as longtime Cup sponsors to switch teams within the last year. Sponsors moving from one team to another is not a new thing in NASCAR, but it hasn’t been seen as much in recent years that were filled with expansion and splendor. In the last five years many teams were able to attract new companies to NASCAR as the sport transitioned from tobacco, automotive and alcohol into technology, financial institutes and other new markets. Even when a company got out of the sport, others were willing to jump in as replacements. With an economic slowdown/recession, sponsorship dollars are not flowing as freely. That means increased competition for the sponsors that do stay in the sport.

While sponsors have changed teams before, the trend is apparently accelerating. It’s no longer good enough to simply have exposure in the sport. Companies now want to be on the hood of cars that are leading laps, challenging for wins and most of all securing spots in the Chase. The problem is that there are only 12 Chase spots and usually only 10-15 drivers win a race each year. For the teams like RCR, Joe Gibbs, Roush-Fenway and Hendrick, it’s pretty easy to list your credentials and justify a $10 million sponsorship, when compared with Petty Enterprises who hasn’t won a race in almost ten years. What sponsor wouldn’t choose one the top tier teams?

This is not to say there is an answer to this or it can be stopped. Every team in NASCAR is an independent contractor. It’s hard to see what NASCAR can or should do to help, but it’s clear that this is a problem that will only get worse. Even if the Car of Tomorrow could completely level the playing field, without funding for the teams it won’t matter. The same elite teams will continue to win the majority of the races and championships and control the largest pieces of the revenue pie.

What do you think? Can something be done to help the “havenots”? Should something be done or is it just a case of economics?

Prior to the 2008 season I made a list of six things that would happen this season. After 15 races we can already begin drawing conclusions about some of the predictions. Some have been right on, some have been off and some are still unknown. Overall, I’m surprised how accurate they were (this is the same guy that said Kurt Busch would win at Sonoma).

• Jeff Gordon will barely make the Chase

  What I said,
  

  Gordon is strong at enough tracks to make the Chase, especially a field of 12, but if it’s more of a struggle than normal look no further than DNF’s and how he runs at intermediate tracks.

  Gordon ran very well in the first handful of races but didn’t get the deserved finishes. Since Atlanta, however, it’s been a mixed bag for the #24 team. Gordon has been strong at traditionally comfortable tracks like Martinsville and Darlington. At other intermediate tracks like Atlanta, Texas, Charlotte and Michigan the #24 has been a mess. Gordon is still nabbing enough strong finishes from strategy to ensure he’s in position to make the Chase, but he hasn’t won a race and isn’t really close to winning one. His current position in the standings masks some of the problems with the #24 and at this point it’s clear they are a long ways from challenging for a championship.

• Regan Smith will win Rookie of the Year

  What I said
  

  He does a good job of keeping the car on the track. DEI also provides the top equipment among the companies fielding rookies in 2008. The other rookie candidates will all take more time to adjust to stock cars, not to mention racing at the Cup level. 2008 will also mark only the second season since 2000 that a rookie doesn’t win a race.

  Smith is certainly not lighting the Cup scene on fire, but despite a rough start he is finishing races. He has five finishes of 21st or better. The Rookie of the Year criteria is based on the best 17 races for each driver, so the race is far from over. Sam Hornish Jr is his closest competitor and is showing great progress in his stock car transition.

• Sonoma and Watkins Glen will be the most exciting, and competitive races of the year.

  What I said
  

  With the infusion of open wheel drivers, the starting field could feature a dream lineup of top road course drivers and top stock car drivers. You have a lot of drivers that could light up the serpentine courses (and their tires). The heavier CoT can also accommodate more bumping without the cars losing control. That means beating, banging, flipping (birds, not cars), shouting, shoving, and for fans excitement.

  There was beating and banging and some weren’t happy, but sadly the leader was able to get away easily (granted the leader stayed on track). Watkins Glen still offers hope for some serious fireworks.

• Toyota will win 6 races.

  What I said
  

  At first glance that number sounds like a lot, but think about it. Gibbs alone could approach the 6 win total. Further down, Brian Vickers and Dave Blaney both had several good wins in 2007 despite the weak Camry engine. It’s not crazy to think either driver could find victory lane.

  Check this one off the list. After 15 races, it’s pretty clear that this prediction was a little tame. The addition of Gibbs transformed Toyota’s engine package into one of the strongest in the sport. As for Vickers, he has three top fives and four top tens. He is coming very close to finding Victory Lane.

• Kyle Busch will be Gibbs’ most successful driver.

  What I said
  

  Busch’s move to Gibbs doesn’t change that the fact that he will win a Cup championship. It probably won’t happen this year, but he is excellent at nearly every type of track. His 97.8 driver rating was 5th best and in his fourth Cup season, he is hitting his stride. This isn’t a knock on Tony Stewart, who should have a great year, it’s just a statement of how good Kyle Busch will be in 2008.

  Tony Stewart is still poised for a big summer, but it’s clear that the #18 car is fully operational. Busch has already won 5 races (more than his career total entering 2008), leads the points race and looks capable of winning almost every week, including a championship this year. He has also won 4 Nationwide and 2 Truck races and pulled two triple-headers this year. Busch is still a lightning rod for controversy but it’s hard to ignore the results.

• A team will alter their full schedule plans

  What I said
  

  Now the most likely teams look like BAM, Furniture Row, and Front Row motorsports. They are each already on shoestring budgets, but the bigger teams are not immune either. Haas-CNC, Yates and BDR all face sponsorship hurdles and that might result in skipping a few races during the season.

  Bill Davis Racing shut down the #27 car earlier this season. While most other cars appear safe for the season, several still remain unsponsored. NASCAR is feeling the effects of the recession, and it’s hard to see teams willing to keep paying the bills out of their own pockets for too long.

Alan Tays of the Palm Beach Post wrote something about Momentum. He must not be a very good writer to agree with me and think that Kasey Kahne and the #9 team worked hard for their wins. After all, it’s a proven fact that Kasey Kahne won three races because the fans love him and bestowed confidence upon him.

Enjoy the weekend and give a big bearhug to your father.

Halfway through Sunday’s race, Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin were leading the pack, pulling away with ease from everyone else. Kyle Busch, a lap down from an earlier pit road problem, was hanging with the lead pack, displaying an obviously fast car. At that point, it would have been easy to pick one of the three Joe Gibbs Racing cars out of a hat because they were all so strong. In the end it was Busch who found himself on the point at the right time. It took a few hairy moments to get there, including an audacious, yet successful block on Jeff Gordon as Gordon attempted to plow by on the outside. It’s not a total surprise that Busch won, he’s capable of winning on any weekend. Given the race he had and his Cup history at the track, it wasn’t the most obvious win.

In his six previous Cup starts at Talladega, Busch had four DNF’s and only one finish (11th in 2006) that was better than 32nd. He also has two DNF’s in the Busch/Nationwide Series. His 90.8 driver rating is the lowest of any winner this year. In fact no winning driver had a rating lower than 100 until Sunday. When things are going your way, and Busch is living a charmed life right now, everything just falls into place (usually first place).

• Race fans, it’s time to recognize that April and May represent the best stretch of racing there is on the Sprint Cup tour. Phoenix, Talladega, Richmond, Darlington and Lowe’s represent five completely different tracks with one common tie: great racing. Tight, competitive racing, incredible finishes, historic venues, night races, and aside from a road course, a pretty good cross-section of the circuit.

• I listened to part of the race on the radio in my truck. Listening to a restrictor plate race made me want to get behind another car and draft. Does that happen to anyone else?

• Some notable runs for David Stremme, Paul Menard and Joe Nemechek. Stremme subbed for the injured Dario Franchitti and nearly pulled off a top five result for the fledging #40 car. It wasn’t just a nice run for Stremme, but a professional move to accept driving for the team that let him go last year.

  It’s disappointing, but I had fun today. We ran well. There’s not much we can do. I ended up in a bad position at the end; I was left hanging out of the draft. When everything started, I had no place to go. Considering everything, we were there at the end with a chance for a good finish.

  Menard ran in the top ten for the majority of the day, leading 3 laps before getting bumped out of the way by Juan Pablo Montoya. Menard made an impressive save to not hit anything while sliding through the infield and actually rallied to finish 12th.

  We ran up front for most of the day and even thought we got turned by Montoya near the end, we still managed to fight our way back to 12th, which is awesome.

  The surprise of the weekend may have been Nemechek winning the pole for Furniture Row Racing. He was also in a nice position near the end before getting collected in the final lap crash.
  

  After taking the white flag, I was looking for a top-10 finish. But then came the wreck. I thought I had it missed, but at the last second the No. 48 (Jimmie Johnson) came across my hood. Yeah, we’re a little frustrated right now, but looking at the big picture it was a solid weekend for the Furniture Row Racing team. We qualified on the pole and had a solid performance in the race.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr had another strong run, but no win. Now he goes to the site of his last win 71 races ago. He has won the last two spring Richmond races in even years which means, nothing aside from he usually runs well at the track.

A few questions to ponder this week: Is there a better two month stretch of racing? How good could Juan Pablo Montoya be with better cars? Matt Kenseth sits 19th in the points, will he make the Chase? Who will win a race first among Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon? Have you entered the 50 years of Daytona 500 DVD contest yet? Why not?

For more NASCAR news and opinion, peep Racing Nation

Yeehaw! Almost two full weeks without a Sprint Cup race it’s time for an overdue roundup of some news items. Get along all you dogies. By the way, you know you were about to ask, a dogie is a motherless calf in a range herd of cattle. So there’s that. Let’s move on to the news of the past few weeks.

• Nationwide might have the official naming rights to NASCAR’s second series, but Shrub is doing his best to maintain the Busch Series label. Thanks to the nice people on the Nationwide PR side, here is a post-race interview after Kyle Busch’s win at Mexico City:
  

  It was a good run for us. We had a great race out there. You know, some pit strategy played into it somewhat there towards the middle and towards the end of the race in what was going to happen.

  Obviously, being able to win my first race on a road course is pretty special anytime. It’s fun to be able to win to be able to win on a road course, because there’s only certain guys that tend to be able to do it. Finally, to be able to get a win on a road course means a lot. It shows I’m capable of winning anywhere, I guess, so that’s pretty cool.

  From an upstart blogger’s perspective, Nationwide is doing a lot of cool grassroots things to promote the Nationwide Series. And the first thing you say is, “Sure, that’s easy for you to say when they send you stuff to put on your blog.” And I say, exactly. If they are reaching out to bloggers and recognizing that we have a place of some importance, then that is a good thing. It has very little to do with me personally.

• After a six race “break”, AJ Allemndinger is back in the #84 Red Bull car this week. Substitute driver Mike Skinner made the last six races and edged the car within 108 points of the top 35. Now it’s up to Allmendinger to build on that baseline. He will do so in a new silver paintscheme. From the Red Bull blog:
  

  “Some would call it a mirrored aluminum silver. Some would call it a titanium finish,” said Marty Briggs, the paint shop manager. “We would just have to call it bad ass.”

• The biggest news this week is the speculation about Tony Stewart’s future. Will he stay with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota? Will he return to one of he Chevrolet teams? Will he retire and open a Subway shop in Richmond, Indiana and hang out with Jared Fogel? Perhaps he’s in talks with Daniel Snyder about coaching the Redskins?

  No one knows the exact answer right now, but in the end the winner is definitely Stewart. Just like Dale Earnhardt Jr couldn’t go wrong last year, Stewart can take whatever path he wants. Ownership is apparently the hot item in Stewart’s search, but I’m not sure that makes complete sense. The cost of ownership in Cup continues to rise while sponsorship, and other revenue streams are stagnating and in some cases drying up. Stewart already owns a racetrack, Eldora, that he says he doesn’t make a profit on. Would he really want to take on another pet project? Especially a seven to eight figure one that is not a certain money-maker? If ownership exits the equation, then RCR makes more sense as a destination. As usual I have no inside information, just a guess. It will be interesting to see if Stewart remains winless for a while whether the media pressure intensifies(groan). Stay tuned.

• Earth Day was earlier this week and SI.com’s Brant James had an excellent piece on motorsports and various series’ efforts to go green. It’s a really good read with several good points. Some of the major points didn’t apply strictly to environmental issues either. For example NASCAR’s lack of modern technology in engines isn’t only inefficient fuel-wise, it’s expensive too:
  

  In spending hundreds of millions to improve 1955 engine technology, NASCAR is basically using a jet propulsion laboratory to make a better arrowhead.

  That quote could apply not only to engine research but all of the efforts in the hope of a miniscule gain on the track with today’s cars.

  James goes on to point out that while NASCAR isn’t as progressive as other racing series, advances could happen down the road:
  

  “Years ago we tried to get to 500 horsepower and we thought that would be it,” he[Gary Nelson, former head of NASCAR’s research and development center] said, “Now that engine gets 800. You can never look down the road and say, ‘That’s as good as you’re going to get.’ … If people are working on it, it will get better, and people are working on it.”

  Again, that quote could be applied to the other aspects of the current car. Right now people are saying the Car of Tomorrow is a failure, but when smart people set out and try to improve it, things will improve.

• Finally, if you haven’t already entered the Daytona DVD contest, sign up. Why wouldn’t you want a 50 years of the Daytona 500 DVD?

Eight Races down in the 2008 Sprint Cup season. what have we learned so far? Here’s four simple things to nibble on while we wait for Talladega this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr is apparently good Actually, Earnhardt Jr has been more than good. While a portion of the media focuses on his winless streak or his heated discussions with crew chief Tony Eury Jr, it’s pretty obvious that Earnhardt Jr is getting great cars every week. He has three top fives and six top tens in eight races and has led laps in six races. He sits 3rd in the points and has a season driver rating of 107.6, also good for third. Only six drivers have won so far this year, so there is no shame in running in the top five on a weekly basis.

Juan Pablo was the exception, not the rule. In 2007 Montoya made the bold jump to NASCAR from Formula One and almost immediately settled in. He scored a top five in the fourth race of the year, won a Busch race at Mexico City and a Cup race at Sonoma and a second at Indianapolis. He won rookie of the year, won one race, had three top fives and six top tens. It was a solid year and it also set the table for other drivers with open-wheel backgrounds. This year four drivers with open-wheel ties began the season intent on entering the entire Cup schedule. One, Jacques Villeneuve has already moved on. No other open-wheeler sits higher than 33rd in the driver points. Only one driver, Sam Hornish Jr, has finished higher than 20th. Meanwhile Dario Franchitti and Patrick Carpentier sit outside the top 35 in owners points and have failed to qualify for races.

It’s less an indictment of this year’s rookie crop and more of a testament to how well Montoya adjusted last year. The open wheel drivers have varying degrees of success prior to NASCAR so they all have talent, but the transition is slower than Montoya’s was in 2007.

The CoT is a work in progress…but there is progress Just like this time last year, the Car of tomorrow Today is an easy target for critics. Both fans and drivers have complained about the boring racing due to the lack of passing.

It’s true, on the intermediate tracks the car is not handling as well as the old car. Of course teams have only had four official races with the CoT, so it’s hard to expect the teams, Goodyear and NASCAR to successfully sort everything out already and produce great racing. It’s disappointing for the fans and drivers, but it will take time. The good news is that NASCAR has finally allowed another test session at a downforce track. This will only help shorten the learning curve for the car at new tracks.

So far the results have been discouraging, but for a glimpse of the future look at the tracks where the CoT is in its second year. Bristol, Martinsville and Phoenix all produced good races, especially compared to the same races from 2007. Give the teams time and they will figure out whatever car is mandated by NASCAR.

The Manufacturer love is spread out this year When a powerhouse team like Joe Gibbs Racing switches manufacturers, it will obviously change the NASCAR landscape. They granted Toyota instant credibility and have already won two races this year. Additionally Roush-Fenway-Daisuke Racing rediscovered their speedway prowess in the offseason. Suddenly Ford and Toyota are worthy opponents to RCR, Hendrick and the other Chevy teams.

Meanwhile, shhhh, quiet, Dodge is sleeping. Sure they won the Daytona 500, but in the seven races since, they have one top five (Ryan Newman at Texas). Kurt Busch has not led a lap since Daytona, Evernham-Gillet is still trying to get more than one car to run well and Chip Ganassi can’t stop criticizing his own teams.

For more NASCAR stats and opinion go to Racing Nation.

Daytona 500 DVD Contest

About that contest…I apologize, things got a little delayed last week. To make it up to you, I am now able to give away two DVD packages. I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but based on what others are http://benchracing.onpitrow.com/tony-stewart/third-race-at-phoenix-was-the-new-car-charm.html">saying, it sounds ridiculous. I’ll have the details for my contest tomorrow. Seriously.

Good teams run well, not the manufacturer.
It is not a coincidence that nearly all of Toyota’s success happened after Joe Gibbs Racing aligned with the manufacturer last fall. The knowledge and resources they provided to Toyota is what got all of the Toyota headed in the right direction, not the other way around.

Granted Toyota has a lot of money, which is a big reason why Gibbs decided to leave Chevrolet. But Gibbs is a top organization because they are organized, have lots of engineers and technology and know how to use their resources. The only major difference for Gibbs in 2008 is that they have three cars competing for wins instead of two. Gibbs was a top team with Pontiac, then Chevy and now Toyota. It would be the same thing if Roush-Fenway Racing switched to Toyota. After Jack Roush was done seething, stomping up and down and the steam stopped shooting from his ears, his teams would still run up front and compete for wins.

It’s easy to point to Gibbs’ early success this season and tie it to the manufacturer switch, but all you have to do is look at the other Toyota teams to see the truth. It takes a lot more than a rich manufacturer to succeed at NASCAR’s highest level.

Michael Waltrip Racing is not going to last long in the top 35 without a tighter operation.
Last year was unmitigated disaster for the three car team. The cars couldn’t consistently qualify, were slow once in the races and none of the three cars were close to the top 35. This year all three cars made the first five races and did enough to land on the good side of the top 35. Well, that lasted one week. David Reutimann lost his spot thanks to a bad transmission and Waltrip tried his best to wreck out of the top 35. No MWR driver has a better rating than 56.0 and the team has zero top tens. Bad luck will happen to every team, but it hurts more when the cars aren’t compensating with strong finishes.

Two years ago Bill Davis Racing raced Dodges with no manufacturer support. Blaney not only managed to keep the car inside the top 35, but he also posted a top 5 at Richmond and had several other strong runs for the one car underdog team (Yes, Michael Waltrip was technically a teammate, but he did his own deal). Last year with Toyota backing the year began with a flop, but Blaney again recovered to score some nice results. It looked like Blaney was outperforming the equipment and once the cars caught up, he could really show his skill. That might still be true, but the cars aren’t there yet and Blaney hasn’t exactly sparkled himself. Not only that, but the second BDR team folded after only one start this year.

Brian Vickers and Red Bull Racing are the only other Toyota team with a top ten this season. Not only has Vickers maneuvered his way into a solid top 20 position in the points, he is running consistently well. He has three top fifteens and would have had a fourth last weekend, but he ran out of fuel with less than ten laps left. The second Red Bull car is still struggling, but at least Mike Skinner is three for three in qualifying for races.

In conclusion, Gibbs Racing is good, the other Toyota teams are varying degrees of lousy. For as much paranoia that Toyota endures about ruining the Sprint Cup series, it’s pretty unfounded. Until they are to the point where Toyota can plug any team into their program and compete for wins, it’s time to realize that Toyota isn’t some monster that many fans believe.

Random Thoughts

• How Can Travis Kvapil and Yates Racing not get a sponsor?
  Kvapil is relatively young, has already won a Craftsman Truck Series title and is solidly inside the top 35. He scored a top 10 at Las Vegas and had solid top ten runs at California and Martinsville spoiled by mechanical problems (California) and a pit road crash (Martinsville). There are several cars without the luxury of a guaranteed starting spot that do have full sponsorship. How long will it take companies to realize that a sponsorship has more value if the rolling billboard is actually in the race.

• Where are the “Kyle Busch is so mature” campaigns now?
  In Saturday’s truck race, Kyle Busch sent 2nd place Johnny Benson spinning on the final turn of the final lap. Busch also spun, but his quote was very telling.
  

  I’m not happy with third. I want to go up there to the top. That’s what I’m here to do. To try to get the best possible finish I can for my guys and my team.

  It’s one thing to wreck another driver in the Cup series when you are going for points, but to do it in a series that you don’t run full time is another. It’s like being a guest in someone’s house. Saying you are a racer also does not grant carte blanch for aggressive driving at every turn. After his win at Atlanta, I wondered what would happen when something bad happened. I guess we’ll see this weekend.