by Mike Maruska
1/14/2008
After hibernating for the winter NASCAR resumed its hectic schedule last week. Just like spring training in baseball or training camp in football, the actual on-track business has very little bearing on how the 2008 season will shake out. Analyzing single car speeds at Daytona is about as fruitful as looking at a punter’s bench press numbers. It has very little relevance when it comes to the actual competition. Even a glance at the drafting times don’t provide a lot of insight. Tony Stewart has skipped the Daytona test in previous years to drive in the Chili Bowl or just get an extra week of vacation. Despite missing the test he has somehow found a way to lead 259 laps in the last four Daytona 500’s, win two qualifying races and three Bud Shootouts since 2002. Other drivers tend to sandbag during the test. One reason is that the teams get a whole week worth of test sessions leading up to the Daytona 500. This week is the equivalent of a light jog to work out the early season kinks. A new crew chief or driver can get accustomed to his new crew and the communication nuances, but serious information is gathered at the shop or in the wind tunnels.
When it comes time to actually race up front, the usual suspects will surface. The Hendrick’s, RCR’s, Penske’s, Gibbs’ and Roush’s will still find their way to the front and bump and bounce with each other. Keep this in mind this coming week when Dale Earnhardt Jr hops in his new #88 ride for the first time in 2008. It’s the most anticipated NASCAR test since, well the final 2007 test when Jr made his first official laps in a Hendrick car. No matter how fast Jr’s car is in the next week, remember that he is one of the top plate racers and other cars will follow him no matter what he is driving. He could find drafting partners if he was piloting a rickshaw.
Aside from stirring up excitement for the 2008 season, it also signals the return of the NASCAR news machine. With that in mind let’s take a look at what else is going on in the sport.
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Mark Martin and DEI announced his 2008 schedule. Martin will drive 24 races with Aric Almirola getting the leftovers. Looking at his schedule it’s pretty obvious which tracks Martin doesn’t enjoy. He is skipping Bristol, Talladega, Martinsville, Loudon and both road courses. It’s no secret that Martin disliked racing at Talladega, and with his unique arrangement the last two years, he doesn’t have to race at places he doesn’t enjoy. As for Almirola, he gets 12 races to gain Cup experience on a variety of tracks. The one negative for Almirola is that if he drives more than 7 races he loses his rookie status. In 6 races in 2007 he had three DNF’s and no result better than 26th.
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Red Bull announced two personnel moves this week. First they hired Kevin Hamlin as crew chief for Brian Vickers’ #83 car. After letting Doug Richert go after the season, Hamlin will try to get Vickers into more races and subsuquently the top 35. Richert and Vickers appeared like a good fit after a top ten in their first race together at California. They were often the fastest Toyota car, but also struggled mightily with qualifying.
The team also revealed that Jay Frye was hired as GM, replacing Marty Gaunt. Gaunt left midseason last year using the standard “philosophical differences” excuse. Frye was a big part of MB/2 motorsports’ growth into a legitimate team prior to Bobby Ginn’s arrival. The team scored 2 wins, 22 top 5’s and 80 top 10’s during Frye’s tenure with the team. He then was lost in the suffle when Ginn merged with DEI in midseason. With Red Bull Frye will now have more resources available to go with his experience and proven track record. It may or may not show up this year, but Frye is a pretty nice acquisition for the aspiring Cup team.
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The Kentucky Speedway-ISC lawsuit was dismissed last week. The track is still appealing the decision, but this prolonged battle is looking like a lost cause for the track. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years if ISC continues with plans to build a track in either the Pacific Northwest or the Denver area.
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After going out of his way last year to shield rookie driver Juan Pablo Montoya, owner Chip Ganassi said he expects Montoya to compete for the championship. Let that sink in for a second. Here is an owner with 6 wins in 7 years as a Cup owner. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon each scored 6 or more wins in 2007. While Montoya exceeded expectations as a rookie, but his line still only read 1 win, 3 top 5’s and 6 top 10’s. That’s not a very strong case for making the jump to title contender. If Ganassi truly believes Montoya is ready to run for a title, the team will need better cars. It’s hard to believe that will happen overnight, when it hasn’t happened in the six years prior.
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