Just six weeks ago, the start of a new season was just days away. We had a bunch of questions about the upcoming season, and after five races, we have partial answers to some of those questions. Some answers were not what we thought, but the season so far has created interest, to say the least. Our predictions were off in a good way since the racing has been better than some originally thought. Continue reading →
So far, the 2013 season has produced two Sprint Cup Series races on two entirely different tracks and this weekend the teams are in Las Vegas, with yet another different type of track for the drivers. Daytona is a super speedway and Phoenix is considered a one-mile short track.
But the most widely raced track on the Sprint Cup circuit is the 1.5-mile intermediate track, and that’s what drivers will race for the first time this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with their new generation six cars. Although it’s not their first Gen6 test on a 1.5-mile track, Las Vegas does represent their first full race on an intermediate venue.
How important is the extra test time scheduled for Thursday?
“Without a doubt the 1.5, two-mile tracks can make your entire season. That test day is going to be huge,” said Steve Letarte, crew chief of the No. 88 driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished in the top-ten in every 1.5- and two-mile race he ran in 2012. “As a crew chief, you are trying to figure out what area you should be working in.”
Rodney Childers, who oversees the No. 55 Toyota that Mark Martin put on the pole a week ago at Phoenix, agrees.
“With it being an intermediate track and a place that’s really fast, the aero part becomes the biggest thing that you fight and I think everybody in the garage needs to learn a little bit [more] about this new car and where the splitter needs to be compared to the race track,” Childers said.
Although teams tested the Gen6 car in Charlotte, also a 1.5-mile track, in January, there are some differences presented to drivers for their test at Las Vegas. The most obvious difference being weather conditions. But there’s more for drivers to consider as well. Continue reading →
NASCAR made many changes in the off-season in order to try and limit the start-and-park teams. Among those changes were cuts to the prize money for the lowest finishers and cutting down the field in the Nationwide Series from 43 to 40.
However, many of those teams are also underfunded teams who attempt to make enough per race so that they can make it to the next race.
A staple driver in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series’, Michael McDowell will not be making the trip to Phoenix this weekend, which is a shame because he is originally from Phoenix. McDowell has always looked forward to the bi-yearly trips to his hometown to compete in front of his family and friends.
Another driver whose team has withdrawn before teams made the trip to Phoenix, is Morgan Shepherd. Shepherd and his team have been a staple in the garage for over 27 years. Shepherd attempted 31 of 33 races and competed in 21 of 33 Nationwide races last year.
Could this the beginning of a trend for the season? Continue reading →
No. 48 Team Celebrates Second Daytona 500 Triumph at Champion’s Breakfast
Following his second victory in the “Great American Race,” driver Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and owner Rick Hendrick inducted the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet into the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Building during Monday’s annual Champion’s Breakfast.
“The night was great,” Johnson said of the celebration. “We had a lot of fun in the infield. I think the security guys knew we were here and said, ‘Nice job celebrating, now you guys just need to slow down a little bit.’ ”
Johnson’s late night celebration might have gone well, but his immediate celebration after taking the checkered flag wasn’t as successful. His burn out in the tri-oval grass actually damaged the front end of the No. 48 car that is now on display in the indoor Gatorade Victory Lane at the “World Center of Racing.” Continue reading →
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