by Mike Maruska
4/14/2008
When someone does something different than the majority, the result is either stupidity or brilliance. For Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson, the result at Phoenix was brilliance. They parlayed a flawless fuel strategy into their first win of 2008.
What was everyone else doing? Not only did no one else risk making it to the end, but everyone except Carl Edwards made the same call, two tires and a splash of fuel, when pitting. One that is boring, but more importantly it won’t change the race outcome at all. If your car isn’t faster than another on the race track, you have to gamble with strategy if you hope to changed the outcome. Two tires isn’t a big advantage with less than ten laps left, and can even disrupt the car’s handling. Plus it takes longer than splashing enough fuel to make it to the end.
Three of the top four cars, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr, all made the same two-tire call. Hamlin finished third but Martin and Earnhardt Jr both lost several spots due to their pit stops. Their stops also paved the way for Johnson.
Another reason Johnson made it on fuel was because no one else in the top five tried to make it. It’s a simple, but sometimes overlooked factor in the fuel mileage game. When everyone else pitted, Johnson had a ten second lead over second place Clint Bowyer, meaning he could afford to slow way down over the final five laps. He had to race himself and not really worry about other cars. Johnson didn’t have to turn laps the same as the other leaders, only go fast enough to hold off the second place car. And make it to the end of the race. Had another car stayed out, Johnson couldn’t have coasted.
To that vein, I don’t know why Martin and the #8 team try to make it on fuel. Both Martin and the crew of the #8 team have a collectively long winless drought that could have been quenched at Phoenix. The car is safely inside the top 35, Martin isn’t vying for a Chase berth and it’s really hard to win Cup races. Martin had the lead entering the pit stop cycle, why not go for it? The exasperated (or more exasperated than usual) look on Martin’s face after the race said he wished he had the chance to try.
The final factor at play for Johnson’s win was that he simply had a great car. It handled well meaning he used less brake and also avoided feathering the throttle in the turns, thus saving fuel. Everything played out perfectly for the #48 team, but had anyone else in the top 5 stayed out, pitted for fuel only or Johnson’s car wasn’t handling so well the outcome would have been different. /p>
Other Notes and Thoughts
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Did anyone else notice that Fox interrupted Yankees-Red Sox to catch the entire NASCAR race? Sure it’s April, but I thought that was interesting what Fox thought about the race.
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Crew chief Tony Eury Jr has been a target for criticism this year for some of his in-race decisions and adjustments. Saturday night the #88 car’s strategy was sound, the car was fast all night and Dale Earnhardt Jr held the lead with 50 laps left. The team was in position to win a race when it mattered. They didn’t win, but that happens all the time in Cup. The fact that they are consistently in that position means they will eventually win a few.
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There are certain drivers that you can’t help pulling for. Whether it is Kyle Petty to make races, or Mark Martin to win a race there are some guys that just deserve to do well. Elliott Sadler is one of those drivers in my eyes. His situation stems from someone who just can’t catch a break. He was a regular threat for a top ten from 2003-2005 and then the bottom fell out at Yates Racing. Then he switched to Evernham where he walked into disarray. He finally had a good car at Phoenix, starting on the outside pole and running in the top ten. Then he loses an engine. I can’t help but feel his disappointment.
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What’s wrong with Hendrick? Oh, are we finally done with that question?
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For the people that think the CoT is a disaster and races like Atlanta and Texas were boring, keep this in mind. Phoenix was on the dull side last year but Saturday night was pretty exciting and featured good action all over the track. That provides hope for other tracks once the comfort gets there for the drivers and crew chiefs.
For more NASCAR opinion visit Trouble in Turn 2.