NASCAR Notebook: Bristol
Barry F. Hess
March 23, 2007
NASCAR Notebook: Bristol
Tomorrow is Today
This weekend in the very heart of NASCAR-country, Bristol, Tennessee, the sport as we know it will drastically change when the much anticipated Car of Tomorrow finally becomes the Car of Today.
After years of research and development, not to mention millions of dollars invested in the project, the COT will race in its first Cup race in front of a crowd approximately 160,000 strong.
Never before has NASCAR undergone such a dramatic transformation at one time, a transformation that will undoubtedly have the 43-car field, crew chiefs and pit crews alike holding their breath longer than usual down in Thunder Valley.
In addition to the obvious rear wing replacing the back end spoiler and the addition of a front end splitter much like you see in the Craftsmen Truck Series added to the cars there were dozens of other modifications made, many of which are designed to enhance driver safety.
The size of the cockpit was increased 2 ½ inches in height and four inches in width while the seat was moved to the center of the car, all intended to provide a safer environment for drivers.
The fuel cell was also changed to enhance safety.
A new check valve assembly was instituted to prevent fuel leaks in the event of a wreck while the cell itself features a strengthened bladder and is protected by an energy absorbing honeycomb.
The double framed rail on the drivers side of the car will be covered by a piece of sheet metal to prevent intrusion while the rails themselves are made with a new shock absorbing material to help lessen the impact on a driver in the event of a hard wreck.
In addition to the new make-up of the cars Dodge and Chevy have also decided to change the model they bring to the race track, though it will be less noticeable than the current car.
Chevy will change from the Monte Carlo SS to the Impala while Dodge will change from the Charger to the Avenger.
Ford and Toyota will continue racing the Fusion and the Camry.
With so much change taking place in such a small time frame, teams tested the COT for the first time in January, there is no telling who will walk out of Bristol Motor Speedway a winner and who will walk out a loser but it will certainly be fun to watch for 500 miles and find out.
One of the biggest reasons NASCAR decided to make the dramatic change was to reduce the cost in making race cars thus creating a much more even playing field in which the smaller teams of NASCAR can compete with the larger stables on a week to week basis.
While that remains to be seen or not count on the major teams of NASCAR, who have many more resources for research and testing, to run up front on Sunday afternoon.
Though the car will be different the drivers will be the same and one driver who has gotten to know his way around Bristol over his career is Kurt Busch.
Busch has five career wins at Bristol and has an average finish of 16th over the last 10 races around the half-mile track.
Currently, 20th in points Busch has had very strong race cars to start the year but has not found the finishes he and Roger Penske started the year looking for.
Look for the 2003 Nextel Cup Champion to start his climb back into the top 10 in points with a solid finish this Sunday.
The last time Jeff Gordon started a year with three consecutive top 10 finishes he went on to win the 1997 Cup title.
The veteran driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevy is hoping this year’s start will end the same way and a strong running at Bristol will certainly help.
Gordon, also a former Bristol winner, has yet to finish outside the top 12 and will look to keep the momentum going Sunday.
Look for Gordon to qualify near the front, if not on the pole, and keep his car in the safest place on the race track…out in front.
Matt Kenseth, two wins in Bristol over the last three races, will also look to keep his early season momentum going this weekend.
Currently fifth in points and the leader of the Roush/Fenway armada over the last year and a half, look for Kenseth to qualify in the middle of the pack before making a run toward the front once the green flag falls.
With little known about how the COT handles once damaged, however, if Kenseth gets in any sort of trouble his chances at a checkered flag will go down considerably.
It may serve the No. 17 DeWalt Ford team well to put an extra emphasis on its qualifying effort to avoid any such situations.
Kevin Harvick surprised everyone when he took home the checkers at Daytona to kick off the 2007 season, he would not surprise many if he did the same at Bristol this weekend.
Harvick, seventh in points, has an average Bristol finish of 8th over the last five races, including a win in 2005 as well as finishes of second and third.
Look for Harvick to challenge for the pole and compete for the win all afternoon.
After a flat tire late in California and a lack luster afternoon in Atlanta expect last season’s Busch Series Champion to get back into the groove with a solid finish.
Prediction
When it comes to handicapping Bristol your best bet is to take the drivers with the most experience at the volatile half mile track, throw their names into a hat and pick one.
Bristol has not historically been a place where younger drivers shine, it can be overwhelming, dangerous and down right intimidating for young drivers…and even for some veterans as well.
But after 2006 most can agree that Denny Hamlin is not your typical young driver.
After getting his first two chances to drive around the high banks of Bristol last season, earning finishes of 14th and 6th respectively, Hamlin showed up at this year’s test session and left with three of the four fastest times on the entire grid.
Look for Hamlin to qualify near the front and challenge not only for the checkers but for the most laps led bonus as well.
Currently 8th in points it doesn’t appear as though the sophomore jinks will slow down the young driver from Virginia as he looks to make yet another run at the Nextel Cup title.
Strong Start Has Johnson Thinking Repeat
Anyone that thought Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team would enter 2007 satisfied having won the 06’ title found out just how mistaken they were shortly after Johnson took his second checkered flag in as many weeks last week in Atlanta.
We're thinking championship already,” Johnson said from inside Victory Lane, a place he’s become extremely familiar with over the last six years. “That's really the mode anymore. You have to think about points and being in the top 12 all the time.”
After finishing second in points two years in a row Johnson was the likely candidate to take over Mark Martin’s role as the greatest driver never to win a title.
Two years later and Johnson has most thinking he will surpass his teammate and four time champion, Jeff Gordon as the greatest driver of his generation.
After you win a championship, I think it changes you a little bit and that's what you really focus on and what you want to do again and again,” said Johnson. “Since we came into '07, the team meetings and discussions, everything is about trying to win another championship. Right now things are going good and we're doing the right things, but it's way too early to get too excited.”
Johnson earned his second win of 07’ by outrunning former champion Tony Stewart before literally running him into the wall to protect his lead with three laps to go.
That type of aggressive driving is a direct result of the confidence that goes along with being able to call yourself a Nextel Cup champion and with that added confidence on his side Johnson can become an even more dangerous driver than he already is.
In six years the California native has yet to finish outside the top 10 in points and already has 25 wins to his credit, more than Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch at that point in their careers.
Perhaps even more importantly he and his team have become known as the most resilient team in the garage, coming back from set backs time after time to either win races or finish inside the top 10.
This is a team that never gives up no matter what happens on the race track or in the pits,” said crew chief of the No. 48, Chad Knaus. “It starts with Jimmie, he has a never give up attitude and it just goes right down to every member of the team. We never think we are out of a race, we always push that extra little bit and it has really paid off.”
Less than a quarter into a season its tough to say where a driver will finish but with momentum, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of talent on his side its not outrageous to think we could see Johnson and company hoisting yet another Nextel Cup championship trophy not just this season but for many more thereafter.
Random Thoughts
NASCAR’s attempt to bully Robby Gordon’s sponsor, AT&T, out of the last two races was an absolute disgrace. Is this not America? Do we not operate under a free and capitalist society? Not to mention the hypocrisy of it all. Budweiser is the official beer of NASCAR and FedEx is the official delivery service yet Miller and UPS are welcomed sponsors. Can one year go by where the big wigs of NASCAR don’t throw egg on their own faces and look the hypocrites we all know them to be anyway…probably not.
Mark Martin has long been a driver I both admired and respected on and off the race track but his decision to leave after leading the points three of the first four weeks of the season is down right foolish.
After watching him in Atlanta it’s quite obvious that the 2007 season will not end without Juan Pablo Montoya winning a Nextel Cup event.
Carl Edwards returned to the top 10 in points last week for the first time in over a year. My senses tell me we’ll be seeing the young talent doing back flips sooner than we see him drop down in points again.
Tomorrow is Today
This weekend in the very heart of NASCAR-country, Bristol, Tennessee, the sport as we know it will drastically change when the much anticipated Car of Tomorrow finally becomes the Car of Today.
After years of research and development, not to mention millions of dollars invested in the project, the COT will race in its first Cup race in front of a crowd approximately 160,000 strong.
Never before has NASCAR undergone such a dramatic transformation at one time, a transformation that will undoubtedly have the 43-car field, crew chiefs and pit crews alike holding their breath longer than usual down in Thunder Valley.
In addition to the obvious rear wing replacing the back end spoiler and the addition of a front end splitter much like you see in the Craftsmen Truck Series added to the cars there were dozens of other modifications made, many of which are designed to enhance driver safety.
The size of the cockpit was increased 2 ½ inches in height and four inches in width while the seat was moved to the center of the car, all intended to provide a safer environment for drivers.
The fuel cell was also changed to enhance safety.
A new check valve assembly was instituted to prevent fuel leaks in the event of a wreck while the cell itself features a strengthened bladder and is protected by an energy absorbing honeycomb.
The double framed rail on the drivers side of the car will be covered by a piece of sheet metal to prevent intrusion while the rails themselves are made with a new shock absorbing material to help lessen the impact on a driver in the event of a hard wreck.
In addition to the new make-up of the cars Dodge and Chevy have also decided to change the model they bring to the race track, though it will be less noticeable than the current car.
Chevy will change from the Monte Carlo SS to the Impala while Dodge will change from the Charger to the Avenger.
Ford and Toyota will continue racing the Fusion and the Camry.
With so much change taking place in such a small time frame, teams tested the COT for the first time in January, there is no telling who will walk out of Bristol Motor Speedway a winner and who will walk out a loser but it will certainly be fun to watch for 500 miles and find out.
One of the biggest reasons NASCAR decided to make the dramatic change was to reduce the cost in making race cars thus creating a much more even playing field in which the smaller teams of NASCAR can compete with the larger stables on a week to week basis.
While that remains to be seen or not count on the major teams of NASCAR, who have many more resources for research and testing, to run up front on Sunday afternoon.
Though the car will be different the drivers will be the same and one driver who has gotten to know his way around Bristol over his career is Kurt Busch.
Busch has five career wins at Bristol and has an average finish of 16th over the last 10 races around the half-mile track.
Currently, 20th in points Busch has had very strong race cars to start the year but has not found the finishes he and Roger Penske started the year looking for.
Look for the 2003 Nextel Cup Champion to start his climb back into the top 10 in points with a solid finish this Sunday.
The last time Jeff Gordon started a year with three consecutive top 10 finishes he went on to win the 1997 Cup title.
The veteran driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevy is hoping this year’s start will end the same way and a strong running at Bristol will certainly help.
Gordon, also a former Bristol winner, has yet to finish outside the top 12 and will look to keep the momentum going Sunday.
Look for Gordon to qualify near the front, if not on the pole, and keep his car in the safest place on the race track…out in front.
Matt Kenseth, two wins in Bristol over the last three races, will also look to keep his early season momentum going this weekend.
Currently fifth in points and the leader of the Roush/Fenway armada over the last year and a half, look for Kenseth to qualify in the middle of the pack before making a run toward the front once the green flag falls.
With little known about how the COT handles once damaged, however, if Kenseth gets in any sort of trouble his chances at a checkered flag will go down considerably.
It may serve the No. 17 DeWalt Ford team well to put an extra emphasis on its qualifying effort to avoid any such situations.
Kevin Harvick surprised everyone when he took home the checkers at Daytona to kick off the 2007 season, he would not surprise many if he did the same at Bristol this weekend.
Harvick, seventh in points, has an average Bristol finish of 8th over the last five races, including a win in 2005 as well as finishes of second and third.
Look for Harvick to challenge for the pole and compete for the win all afternoon.
After a flat tire late in California and a lack luster afternoon in Atlanta expect last season’s Busch Series Champion to get back into the groove with a solid finish.
Prediction
When it comes to handicapping Bristol your best bet is to take the drivers with the most experience at the volatile half mile track, throw their names into a hat and pick one.
Bristol has not historically been a place where younger drivers shine, it can be overwhelming, dangerous and down right intimidating for young drivers…and even for some veterans as well.
But after 2006 most can agree that Denny Hamlin is not your typical young driver.
After getting his first two chances to drive around the high banks of Bristol last season, earning finishes of 14th and 6th respectively, Hamlin showed up at this year’s test session and left with three of the four fastest times on the entire grid.
Look for Hamlin to qualify near the front and challenge not only for the checkers but for the most laps led bonus as well.
Currently 8th in points it doesn’t appear as though the sophomore jinks will slow down the young driver from Virginia as he looks to make yet another run at the Nextel Cup title.
Strong Start Has Johnson Thinking Repeat
Anyone that thought Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team would enter 2007 satisfied having won the 06’ title found out just how mistaken they were shortly after Johnson took his second checkered flag in as many weeks last week in Atlanta.
We're thinking championship already,” Johnson said from inside Victory Lane, a place he’s become extremely familiar with over the last six years. “That's really the mode anymore. You have to think about points and being in the top 12 all the time.”
After finishing second in points two years in a row Johnson was the likely candidate to take over Mark Martin’s role as the greatest driver never to win a title.
Two years later and Johnson has most thinking he will surpass his teammate and four time champion, Jeff Gordon as the greatest driver of his generation.
After you win a championship, I think it changes you a little bit and that's what you really focus on and what you want to do again and again,” said Johnson. “Since we came into '07, the team meetings and discussions, everything is about trying to win another championship. Right now things are going good and we're doing the right things, but it's way too early to get too excited.”
Johnson earned his second win of 07’ by outrunning former champion Tony Stewart before literally running him into the wall to protect his lead with three laps to go.
That type of aggressive driving is a direct result of the confidence that goes along with being able to call yourself a Nextel Cup champion and with that added confidence on his side Johnson can become an even more dangerous driver than he already is.
In six years the California native has yet to finish outside the top 10 in points and already has 25 wins to his credit, more than Stewart, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch at that point in their careers.
Perhaps even more importantly he and his team have become known as the most resilient team in the garage, coming back from set backs time after time to either win races or finish inside the top 10.
This is a team that never gives up no matter what happens on the race track or in the pits,” said crew chief of the No. 48, Chad Knaus. “It starts with Jimmie, he has a never give up attitude and it just goes right down to every member of the team. We never think we are out of a race, we always push that extra little bit and it has really paid off.”
Less than a quarter into a season its tough to say where a driver will finish but with momentum, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of talent on his side its not outrageous to think we could see Johnson and company hoisting yet another Nextel Cup championship trophy not just this season but for many more thereafter.
Random Thoughts
NASCAR’s attempt to bully Robby Gordon’s sponsor, AT&T, out of the last two races was an absolute disgrace. Is this not America? Do we not operate under a free and capitalist society? Not to mention the hypocrisy of it all. Budweiser is the official beer of NASCAR and FedEx is the official delivery service yet Miller and UPS are welcomed sponsors. Can one year go by where the big wigs of NASCAR don’t throw egg on their own faces and look the hypocrites we all know them to be anyway…probably not.
Mark Martin has long been a driver I both admired and respected on and off the race track but his decision to leave after leading the points three of the first four weeks of the season is down right foolish.
After watching him in Atlanta it’s quite obvious that the 2007 season will not end without Juan Pablo Montoya winning a Nextel Cup event.
Carl Edwards returned to the top 10 in points last week for the first time in over a year. My senses tell me we’ll be seeing the young talent doing back flips sooner than we see him drop down in points again.
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