Dale Jr's Best Start To A Season...

Prior to the start of the 2013 season, 2004 and 2008 stood out as the best seasons for Dale Jr. out of the gate.  Both seasons were important from different standpoints for Junior: 2004 was Junior's first real title challenge and 2008 was Dale Jr.'s first season with Rick Hendrick.

In '04, Junior started the season with wins at Daytona and Atlanta, a 5th place finish at Rockingham, and a 10th place finish at Darlington.  Although some may say Dale Jr. was better at being aggressive in his earlier seasons, he definitely wasn't as good at taking care of his equipment, which led to a few dissappointing finishes early and late in the season.

All in all, 2004 was a great year for Junior, but had he been able to finish the season the way he started we may all have been calling him a former champion.  His late season finishes of 33rd at Martinsville and Atlanta effectively removed him from the championship hunt.  Even a Phoenix win just before the end of the season couldn't bring him back.

With the 2004 season ending in "What might have been.." Dale Jr. lost his crew chief, Tony Eury Sr., to a "promotion" and began working with his cousing Tony Eury Jr.  Fifteen of Junior's nineteen Sprint Cup wins came with Tony Eury Sr., along with two Nationwide Series Championships.  Even though the '04 season began with promise, iit ended in a change that didn't go as well as many hoped.

The 2008 season, as in '04, began strong, with three top 5's and a top 10 finish.  Everyone was expecting Dale Jr. to show what he could do now that he was finally in Hendrick race cars and away from his stepmother.  The fan fare didn't last long, though, as frustration between he and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. grew from inconsistent finishes which gave way to poor finishes nearing season's end. 

Again, Dale Jr. was left frustrated and confused in the off season.  Soon after, he and cousin crew chief were separated again, and Junior began a long, cold era of his career.

This year, Dale Jr. has started out with 5 straight top 10 finishes, including 3 top 5's.  His average finish so far is 4.4, worlds better than any other season.  He has 47 laps led so far, 5 less than his season total for 2011, a season which he finished 7th in points. 

Dale Jr. is also the current point leader, a spot he has only held in 2 other seasons: 2004 and last year.  Only time will tell, however, if he can hold that spot nearing season's end.

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On Your Mark!: Looking At The 2012 Chase Field, 6th-12th

Now that all of the jockeying for a Chase spot is over, the attention of twelve drivers will turn toward the final ten races of the year.  As the Chase is complete with downforce tracks, a restrictor plate track, a short track, a concrete track, a flat track, and the one of a kind Homestead, a well rounded racer should do well.  However, with only 10 races to go, and every point important, a driver with the ability to finish well every week will be hard to beat as well.

12th - Jeff Gordon: Gordon made his way into this year's Chase with a great finish at Richmond after struggling early.  Although this team needed help from a bad finish by the 18 team to make the Chase, don't count them out easily.  Gordon is a 4 time champ, is the most winning active driver, and is always capable of hitting a hot streak.  Gordon averages a 12.2 place finish at the 10 tracks and has 31 wins on them.

11th - Kasey Kahne: The 5 team made the Chase with Kahne in their first year together due, in large part, to Kahne's strong wins early in the season.  Although Kahne has not been unstopable during the summer, he has maintained a strong team and his two wins solidified their Chase spot.  Kahne has never excelled at the Chase, his best finish being 8th, but he has also not competed in the Chase in a Hendrick car.  Kahne has an average finish of 16.3 with 7 wins at the Chase tracks.

10th - Martin Truex Jr.: How this team made the Chase with such strong runs and did not win, I do not know, but nevertheless, they are in and looking for a win.  Truex has never finished in the top 10 in the Sprint Cup Series, but don't count this team out.  They have been consistent all season and should have a good showing.  Truex has an average finish of 15.7 with his only career win coming at the Chase track of Dover.

9th - Kevin Harvick: Will the 29 team's crew chief change make a big enough difference for them to have a productive Chase?  Only time will tell.  Harvick does have some unfinished business in the Chase after coming in third the past two years, but with zero wins on the year, finishing the season out with a couple of wins to head into 2013 may be a more realistic goal.  Harvick has an average finish of 13.7 and has 8 wins at the Chase tracks.

8th - Matt Kenseth: After being at the points lead for much of the season, Kenseth dropped to 8th due to only producing one win in the regular season.  Although the team said Kenseth's coming departure to Joe Gibbs Racing would not be a distraction, competitiveness has tapered off in the past few weeks.  Kenseth could do well in the Chase, but with RFR preparing for Stenhouse Jr. to take over that ride and Kenseth preparing commercialse for his new sponsor for next year (Home Depot), it is not likely.  Kenseth has an average finish of 14.8 and has 8 wins at Chase tracks.

7th - Dale Earnhardt Jr.:  Dale Jr. enters the Chase in 7th place, the exact same spot he finished last year.  Although he has an average finish of 16.6 at the Chase tracks, he has 10 wins on them.  He only posted one top 5 in last year's chase, but with an average finish of 6.1 on downforce tracks this season, his 2012 Chase is bound to be more productive.

6th - Clint Bowyer:  In his first year in a MWR Toyota, Bowyer makes the Chase as one of two MWR teams in the Chase.  Although many people thought he would not do as well in his first year at a "weaker" team, his old team, RCR, is only sending one car to the Chase.  Bowyer has some good tracks in the Chase and proved with his win last weekend at Richmond that he could be a force in the Chase outcome.  Bowyer has an average finish of 14.6 and 4 wins at the Chase tracks.

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Chase 2012: 'Outwit', 'Outplay', or 'Outlast'?

With this season's up and down nature, engine's blowing, and no clear dominator, this year's Chase could be an exercise in 'Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast'.  Although there is always a possibility of someone getting on a hot streak as Tony Stewart did late in last year's Chase, the field seems very level for those who are definitely in the Chase.

Each of the past several weeks there has been one or more of this year's contenders in trouble.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrecked in practice, in a race, and tore up a transmission.  Johnson never seriously contended at the Glen, then blew his engine within sight of victory lane at Michigan.  Kenseth or his team, or both, are apparently looking forward to next season.  And Keselowski is now following the Hendrick cars around drooling over their 'rear ends'.  Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

The way things are shaping up, the Chase is possibly going to be a case of who stays out of trouble, dodge's wrecks, steals one with stragegy, and keeps their engines running coming out ahead of the other contenders.  With only 10 races in the Chase, one DNF can easily end a driver's chance at the Sprint Cup, especially if there are one or two drivers who are cautious and lucky enough to stay 'clean' throughout the Chase.

One thing is for sure, the race to the Chase for those contending for the two wildcard slots will come down to outwit or outplay.  Should anyone of the drivers with one win snag another victory, it could be all they need, because none of those drivers look like they could run off a string of 2 or three wins right now.

As for how the Chase has historically played out, there have been a mixture of three plots.  In 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2010, the Champion would win none or one race in the Chase, and effectively 'Outlast' the field.  In each of those years, a driver other than the eventual champ would win 2 or more races in the Chase, but one or more poor performances put them in a hole too deep to win.  In 2004, in fact, Jimmie Johnson had 4 Chase wins, but could only manage to climb back to second by season's end. 

In 2007, 2009, and 2011 the Champion 'Outplayed' the field.  In each of those years the eventual winner would snag at least 4 Chase races and simply dominate the competition to the point that sheer speed won out.  And in 2008 the Championship was won by a combination of 'Outwit', 'Outlast' and 'Outplay'.  In that year, three drivers had multiple Chase wins, and two had three wins in what ended up as a virtual slugfest to the finish.  Although Carl Edwards won 3 of the final 4 races, the points Johnson had amassed in his 3 wins gave him the cushion to keep Edwards at bay for the final races.

One driver you will hear commentators say does not have the ability to hit a hot streak during the Chase is Dale Earnhardt Jr.  His best showing in the Chase races was in 2004 where he won 2 races in the final 10.  The most promising news for the 88 crew is that his performance in the 1.5 mile tracks has been solid this year, which could translate into some success in the fall.

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Earnhardt Jr. Haters Are Fuming

After a week off and some relaxation, the NASCAR stars were back to action at one of the world's most loved tracks, Indianapolis.  With a dwindling amount of races left to the Chase cutoff, teams were looking to make a move and either gain bonus points to begin the Chase or to make their way into the Chase by way of victories.

At the top of the story pile, as usual, was Dale Earnhardt Jr.  He was looking to top his best Brickyard finish (6th), become only the second 'son' to win in a 'father/son' combination, to tie Jeff Gordon for most consecutive lead lap finishes in the Modern Era, and to further solidify himself near the top of the standings in preparation for the Chase.  Some 400 miles and a small amount of side-by-side racing later, Earnhardt Jr. finished the day completing 3 of his 4 goals.  Although his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, piloted the 48 to a dominating win, his 4th at Indy, Dale Jr. finished 4th and took over the Sprint Cup Series points lead after Matt Kenseth was collected in a late race collision. 

And the smoke begins.

Although Earnhardt Jr. has had a great season, by many measures his best ever, there have always been and will always be those who cannot stand the attention and following he garners.  Whether those people are former fans that had their feelings hurt by his poor performances from 2006-2010, or they are die hard Kyle Petty fans who only wish their 'son of a legend' favorite had the same ability, they will not be happy.  They are more than willing to pile-on criticism whether Junior is finishing in the top-5 or if he has a bad race and finishes outside the top-10.  They call him "Over88ted", under-talented, rookie, and more.  There is even an Over88ted.com, dedicated to pointing out every Dale Earnhardt Jr. mistake.  And they range from low level, blogging hack to 'Sr. Bleacher Report Analyst', and even a "Journalist" for the Charlotte Observer.  Thankfully, there are also sites like 88-Central, a NASCAR forum website where Junior and NASCAR fans can vent!

This weekend, as Kenseth's car, and points lead, went up in flames, the on-air personalities for ESPN simply pointed out that if the race were to finish as they were running Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be the new points leader.  That fact so aggravated the Junior haters that Charlotte Observer writer, and blogger at ThatsRacin.com, Jim Utter tweeted "Can we wait until the race is over before we crown Dale Junior champion?", which he followed with "Dale Junior is NOT the former, current or future points leader."  Sounds like a particularly impartial NASCAR journalist.

As blogger Jay Busbee wrote in his Yahoo Sports blog, "From The Marbles", the Junior haters are having to "dig deeper."  Some of them are flat speechless, choosing to hold their tongue while praying for a misstep on which to pounce.  Some, not unlike Mr. Utter, are in apparent denial.

Oh, and for the Over88ted.com site?  They have a clock that counts how long it has been since driver 88 has won...  It did not get updated after Michigan, surprisingly enough.  Instead it clicks on, like a town clock above a deserted town square.  It's funny what jealousy can do to people...

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Excited, Kind, And Snide: Reactions To Junior's Michigan Win

It is always funny to me to sit back and watch the reactions after each race.  Depending on who wins and how the win occurs you will have any number of reactions from drivers, TV personalities, fans and writers.  Whether its Jimmie Johnson winning after dominating all day or David Reutimann snagging a lucky win, there are always people who will congratulate and those that will attempt to downplay the event.

This Sunday, of course, is no different.  As NASCAR's most liked driver was using up the ample amount of rubber left on his tires on the front stretch, there were all sorts of reactions taking place.  Announcers and NASCAR officials were glad, if not relieved, that the story line had ended in a way that will benefit the sport.  Drivers, for the most part, were congratulatory of a competitor who has been working hard for a win.  And fans were going crazy in the stands, infield, and at home.

Yet, at the same time, some were not so happy.  One particular driver felt the need to remind everyone that the next day was still a Monday and that God Himself had not spoken.  Tony Stewart, probably tired from racing for a few hours, was obviously short (pun intended) with reporters after the race.  His sentiment was that just because everyone wanted a win for Dale Jr. did not mean that he and the other drivers had to make it easy for him.  Good point, Tony, and one that I am sure Earnhardt Jr. would agree with.  To my knowledge, he has never asked Mr. Stewart to pull over and allow a pass.  Not only that, aside from getting around Dale Jr. on a restart during Sunday's race, Stewart did not have much opportunity to see the front of Dale Jr.'s car.  Perhaps he just enjoyed the paint scheme on the rear bumper.

Stewart was not the only person who was less than impressed with the win.  Many fans, and writers, hate the attention that Earnhardt Jr. gets, how TV analysts always mention him, and how devoted his fans are.  They see him as overrated and only in the sport because of his late father, 7 time Champ, Dale Earnhardt.  Are they right?  Not if you look at facts and numbers, but they are taking a purely emotional view, as are those that believe Dale Jr. can do no wrong.

A particular writer, Mr. Norris McDonald, a blogger for Wheels.ca whose posts appear on the Toronto Star website, is particularly unimpressed with Dale Earnhardt Jr.  He as much as said in his latest NASCAR piece, "Was Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Win A Fluke?", that a monkey could have driven better than Junior in the past four years and that perhaps the only way to explain Earnhardt's win on Sunday is to call it a fluke.  Was it a fluke: an accident, a break, a stroke of luck or a coincidence?  Twelve top 10's and six top 5 finishes in 15 races...  Make your own decision.

Either way, Earnhardt Jr. will be taking one less question this week.

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Letarte Helping Dale Jr., From Start To Finish

With many people questioning the move by Steve Letarte, Crew Chief for the #88 Chevy driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., late in Sunday's race at Pocono Raceway to take fuel rather than gamble for a win, I just thought I would underscore some reasons Letarte is making the right decisions for the #88 driver.  Although mistakes are made on a weekly basis by every, yes, every team, the overall direction of Letarte's team is in the right direction.  In fact, some issues Earnhardt has had for several years have been fairly well solved.

For one, Junior has had an issue with qualifying for quite some time.  I don't think it is totally because he has not had good setups, and I know it is not for lack of power.   When he began driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, Earnhardt Jr. had a average starting position of 10.3, the best season average of his career.  However, after the one win that year (at Michigan, his last win, 4 years ago this week) finishes began to taper off, finishing outside the lead lap in five of the ten Chase races. 

After Earnhardt's confidence in himself and the #88 team began to go away, so did his qualifying attempts.  Over the next three years his starting average was 22.2, 19.0, and last year 19.6, which were out of character for Dale Jr., whose career average is 16.4.  This year, Dale Jr. has put up good qualifying numbers almost every week.  In fact, he has only two starts outside the top 20.  Compare that to last year when, in the first 14 races, he had only three starts inside the top 20. 

I thoroughly believe that the primary reason for the change in qualifying success has been confidence.  Confidence that his grip will hold when entering a corner at 160 mph, confidence that he has a crew chief that has listened to his feedback and adjusted accordingly, and confidence that if he gives his 100%, so will his team.

That confidence is the main reason I think Letarte chose to pit and take fuel in a late race caution on Sunday.  Dale Jr. himself pointed out to Letarte that he would not be forgiven if the #88 car ran out of fuel.  In later interviews, Earnhardt Jr. alluded to the fact that running out of gas would have ruined his confidence, the team's focus, and the upward direction of the #88 team as a whole.   I agree.

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I Have My Tickets, How About You??

With every NASCAR season their is plenty of complaints to go around.  Some years there are complaints about one make having an advantage over another, some years there are complaints about too much domination by one team.  In 2012 there have been no shortage of complaints, by commentators, analysts, drivers, and especially fans.

People have been complaining about how long the races are, how long the season is, how uncompetitive the races have been and about knowing just what brought out the debris cautions.  One definitely concerning complaint has been where are all the fans...  I haven't seen a race this year and thought, "Wow, how did they pack all those people in there." 

Well, NASCAR fans, there is one certain way to get over the complaining about everything NASCAR: get to the track!  Yes, I said go to a race!  Nothing makes me less concerned about how crooked the cars look going down the straightaway than actually trying to see them because they are going so fast.  The best way for me to forget about how much I can't stand a particular NASCAR on air personality is to not be able to hear anything but the roar of 43 cars (at the beginning of the race, obviously) flying past me.  And the only way to care less about the semantics of the sport, how to grow the viewing audience, and what tracks need less races, is to remember first hand exactly why you fell in love with the sport.

Don't get me wrong, if you have read any of my other posts you know I love to tell my opinion about every aspect of the sport.  It just seems to me that there are too many fans today that would rather complain about NASCAR than brag about it.  Has anything changed?  Yes, of course things have, but there are still 43 drivers giving it everything while riding 200 mph a foot from a concrete wall.  There are still pit crews dodging cars driving 45 - 55 mph down pit road.  And no matter how much some of you bemoan the sport, you still get on the edge of your seat when your driver is slinging it 3 wide on a restart.

Yes, NASCAR needs to hear every point of view and should continue to find ways to keep the fans happy, but the rest of us need to take a step back and remember why we love the sport: the screaming fans, the smell of burning rubber, the car coming out of turn 4 with the right rear sliding out from under it.  I, for one, am ready for my reminder.

I will be going to the July race at Daytona International Speedway, which will be my first race in over 4 years.  It has been a long cold winter, indeed.  I will try to listen out for anyone complaining about the new points system during the race, not likely to hear them though.

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Dale Jr. Reaches New Level Of Consistency

All the speculators thought this weekend was the week.  Hendrick was to get their 200th win and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was to break his losing streak and make all of Junior Nation happy once again.  Sometimes things just don't work out the way you plan.  However, Dale Jr. can be thrilled with his 9th place finish for another reason!

Dale Earnhardt Jr's top 10 finish at Talladega marked his 8th in the first 10 races of this season which is the first time he has ever surpassed 7 top 10's to begin a season.  Junior has reached 7/10 three other times (2003, 2004, and 2008). 

An 80% top ten mark to start the NASCAR season has been reached 47 times in the Cup Era (since 1975), and has been accomplished by that year's champion 13 times out of 36 years.  However, that has not been accomplished since NASCAR went to the Chase format.  In fact, the last time it happened was one year prior when Matt Kenseth won the championship with only 1 win.

Dale Earnhardt started the season with 8 top tens in 7 of his seasons, including 6 championship years.  The next driver on the list was Darrell Waltrip, who made that mark 6 times, including twice of those being 9 top 10's out of 10 races.  Out of the other NASCAR greats, Terry Labonte did it 5 times, Jeff Gordon 3, Bobby Allison 3, Cale Yarborough 2, and Richard Petty 2 times.

Some notable drivers not on that list were Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and other current top drivers.  The best knowledge to take away from that fact is that these racers have been excellent in the past 8 years at turning it on from the summer on, especially during the Chase.  This has been an issue for Junior in the past as even though he has won at some Chase races, such as Talladega and Phoenix, he has not been able to put together 10 great races at the end of the season as he has now at the beginning.

In the mean time, Earnhardt Jr. and the 88 team as a whole are enjoying a building of momentum including 6 straight top ten finishes.  They are listed as the best team over the past 6 races, Junior has one of the highest average driver ratings he has had in his career, and people are looking for them to win week in and week out.  The most important thing driver 88 can do now is prove those people right...

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Just A Number: Talladega 5/12

What do numbers really mean? Most of us talk about numbers in racing all the time but rarely look inside or behind those numbers. For instance, every member of Junior Nation has something with an 88 on it, but few know that the number 88 has been used by 5 champions (Darrell Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace, Bobby Allison, and Buddy Baker) and other racing greats such as Al Unser Sr., Ricky Rudd, and even Richard Childress. There is definitely a lot of history behind the 88.


With that said, there are many numbers being thrown around in NASCAR over the last few weeks that need to be looked at a bit closer. For one, the current Hendrick Motorsports losing streak is at 15 heading into the spring race at Talladega. Attached to that number is the fact that HMS is still looking for its 200th win.   The last time HMS had a 15 race losing skid was a stretch from late 2002 to early 2003 when Gordon won at Martinsville.  Interesting tidbit: the race before Gordon broke the losing streak was Talladega, and the winner was DEI driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Many are saying that this week is when several streaks will be broken, including Junior's losing streak, HMS's losing streak, and HMS's 200th win will be posted.  I am not certain, nor should anyone be, due to the totally random nature of Talladega.  I do thing, however, that HMS has a better chance of winning than any other team.  For instance, in the 16 races at Talladega from 2000 to 2007, 11 of the wins came from Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson.  In fact, the three of them have a total of 13 wins at the track.  Therefore, the return to a more "pack-like" style of racing at the restrictor plate tracks will suite these drivers well.

It is important, though, to look at the cause behind the 15 race losing skid for HMS.  I will leave the Junior winless streak for a book as it is too much for a little article.  I believe that although the strength of Roush and Gibbs is partly the cause, there are some issues at HMS that have left the door open for other teams.  First, the relationship between Johnson and crew chief Knaus at the end of last season was cool at best.  They both knew they were about to lose the Sprint Cup for the first time in 6 years and neither relished the thought.  Along with some time and space (from each other) in the off season also comes a few missteps in the new season.

Second, the new teams that were formed for the 88 and 24 last year are still ironing out everything.  Although Gordon had some strong runs last year, as did Junior, the two teams are close, but not yet at their full potential.  And third, the 5 team should be sponsored by a Mr. Murphy.  His law has governed almost every race for Kasey Kahne this year.

Although these teams ALL have their issues, it is just a matter of time before one of them visits victory lane.  In fact, I feel certain that all four, even Kahne, will win races this year, most likely multiple races.  The question for this week is will the magic number be 2 or 1.  Will it be one driver's ability to pick lanes and build momentum, or will a team of two drivers have to win this week?

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Appeal Turns Hendrick Week From Bad To Good

Although prospects for Hendrick Motorsports is always good at Bristol Motor Speedway, especially with 5 time Bristol winner, Jeff Gordon, Hendrick luck went downhill as the race went along last weekend.  First, early in the race, Kasey Kahne was knocked out of contention in a pile up in the top ten.  Then later in the race, Gordon's left rear tire was cut down after minor contact from Dale Earnhardt Jr., a teammate, no less.  Then to top things off, as Dale Jr. was running at the back of the top 5 and looking for a possible top 3, the 88 team received a speeding violation which dropped them to a 15th place finish for the day.

Johnson, the only Hendrick car to finish in the top 10 (9th), salvaged his day after early damage from the Kahne wreck by slowly taking what he could get.  After a few weeks of fines, points taken away, crew chief suspension and on track troubles, Johnson was probably glad to post a top 10 and go home.  With one more opportunity for appeal to the judgement NASCAR handed down for their Daytona violation, off track preparation to get the 48 back on track to compete for a 6th Sprint Cup was, no doubt, in high gear.

Well, thanks to the appeal judgement by John Middlebrook, Johnson will not have to go 6 races without crew chief Chad Knaus.  Although he and car chief Ron Malec will face a probationary period, their track privileges will remain in tact for now.  Johnson will also regain the 25 championship points that were taken after Daytona, which, along with his 9th place finish on Sunday, will bring him to 12th in the early season standings. 

Although a lack of wins for the Hendrick stable just four races into the 2012 season is hardly a reason for concern, with much invested over the off season into each of the teams, some dividends are probably expected soon.  Most people probably did not expect the new 5 team of Kahne and Francis to exit the gate with wins, but becoming the weekly appointment for the first caution flag has to be aggravating.  Also, some results from the 24, which started 2011 hot, and the 88 that many people feel is getting close, will be expected soon, especially with Martinsville and Texas just around the corner.

For now, the Hendrick family will have to be happy knowing that everyone will be packing to go to California for this weekend.

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Will Earnhardt Jr. And Letarte's 2012 Achilles Return?

One day after finishing the first ever nightime Daytona 500, after racing all night, fire balls and all, NASCAR's Sprint Cup teams are loading up the cars to start the "rest of the season."  As the Daytona 500 is NASCAR's "Super Bowl", it is different than the rest of the season and often produces winners that may stumble during the rest of the early season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his crew chief Steve Letarte begain their first season last February with a pole award for the Daytona 500 and if their primary car had not been wrecked would have had a good 500 finish to go along with it.  They did not start the next several races as well, however.  Over the next 9 races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. would start in the top 20 only once.  In fact, over those 9 races, team 88 would average a starting spot of 26th.

During that time span, Earnhardt and Letarte would hone their communication skills.  Letarte would better learn how Earnhardt wanted his cars to handle, and Earnhardt would learn what information Letarte would need to make the cars better.  The two would continuously better the car throughout the races and made some good finishes.  However, they were constantly begining well behind the leaders and having to work hard to get those finishes.

By late season, the 88 team had made good progress on starting positions, averaging a 14th place start over the final 10 races of the season.  Although they did not get the finishes they hoped for during the Chase, the 88 team was definitely unloading better cars that were better prepared for the race weakend.

The question the 88 fans must be asking themselves heading into this Phoenix weekend is will team "Earntarte" pick up where they left off or will they have to rebuild their foundation.  If Junior and Letarte can come out this weekend and next with cars that are fast from the hauler and comfortable for the driver, team 88 could get a great start on the 2012 season.

Yes Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a great Daytona 500, and although many Junior fans can't wait for the next plate track for the 88 to flex its muscle, the meat of the season lies in the 1 mile and the 1.5 mile tracks and there is where the path to competing for a championship lies.  We watched the 88 driver make soem good moves in the final laps of Daytona, but lets see what he has up his sleeves for the rest of the season. 

A couple weeks ago during media days Dale Jr. said he was eager to get to the non-restrictor plate tracks to see where they are as a team.  Well, here we are.  Bring it.

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Dale Jr. Lone Hendrick Horse In First Gatorade Duel

Of and on, during the Budweiser Shootout Saturday night and during Daytona 500 qualifying, you could hear announcers and commentators talk about how the racing for this years 500 will be different: a combination of pack and tandem racing.  Many have suggested that the change could benefit some of the more traditional restrictor plate racers, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. who had much early career success at restrictor plate tracks.

Junior may be glad to see the change for Sunday's race, but he is likely to be relieved with the change going into Thursday's duel qualifying.  Out of the four Hendrick Motorsports cars preparing for the Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. is the only one that will be in the early qualifying race.  As the duel lineups are set by qualifying, odds in the early race and evens in the late race, Earnhardt entered the early lineup with a 3rd place qualifying effort.  The other Hendrick cars, Gordon 6th, Johnson 12th, and Hendrick newcomer Kahne 24th, will all be in the later duel.

One other plus this year is that Junior qualified so well.  Although Earnhardt Jr has qualified well for the Daytona 500 before (he has one pole), the stout showing by the teams with Ford engines had most people feeling as though the Fords had the pole locked up.  Apparently, the changing winds that had been pushing the cars around all afternoon worked somewhat to Earnhardt's advantage, because coming through turn 3 and 4 he began to pick up steam and rose from 5th to almost 2nd on the speed tracker.  Also I am sure Earnhardts knowledge and experience at the track helped him find a little speed.

Whether Earnhardt Jr wins the Daytona 500 or another more traditional pack racer like Gordon, it is safe to say that after the showing on Saturday night that the product of NASCAR's changes will be a wild finish.  No doubt there will be pack racing, and like it or leave it there will be small bursts of tandem racing.  I guess its a little of each and a whole lot of speed.  If you don't love Daytona, you don't love racing.

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Which Way To Daytona??

Do you remember a certain Daytona 500 moment as your favorite?  Many people point towards such legendary moments as the fight in the grass, Dale Earnhardt's win in '98, and Darrell Waltrip's 500 win as some of their most memorable moments in the sport.  My personal Daytona 500 memory that spurred me from just a fan to a fanatic was the 1997 Daytona 500 finish.  No, not because of the 1-2-3 Hendrick Motorsports finish with Jeff Gordon winning.  At that time I couldn't stand the 24.  I loved that ending because after the big wreck that took Dale Earnhardt out of contention, sending him down the racetrack on his hood, he still had the grit to get back in the car and drive it to the finish line.

The Daytona 500 is a true roller coaster of emotions for everyone from fan to tire changer to driver.  You look forward to the race for weeks, have the build up of speedweeks, and by the time the race is over you have either dug your nails into the La-Z-Boy, yelled at the television, or totally ran your spouse out of the room.  It is a drug that we cannot do without but so long, and I need a fix.

The 2012 Daytona 500 is even more anticipated due to several reasons.  For one, we have just come off the closest points finish in NASCAR history which ended a crazy 2011 Chase to the Cup.  We are all eager to see who comes out fast, who sputters, and who downright flops.  Second, with the late Superbowl date this year, the beginning of the NASCAR season is a week late.  I know, most of you did not know we had any two sport stars driving this year, but apparently NASCAR drivers are among the few in the United States that can still afford an NFL ticket, so their presence, and money, was needed elsewhere.

For blogger, opinion-givers, Monday morning crew chiefs, and the rest, there is only so much prognosticating one can do for 3 months.  I have heard enough, and written enough (read for yourself), about Kurt Busch changing teams, all the crew chief swaps, and whether or not Dale Jr will win this year.  Lets see some green flags already!  Now don't get me wrong!  I am a NASCAR fan and as such love to make my opinion known, and will probably not slow down in doing so.  But I am more than eager to be glued to the television or standing in my seat at a racetrack.

So as you prepare for the coming week or so of speeding cars, NASCAR rule changes, grumbling about restrictor plates and the rest, just think back over the past two months and be glad that finally, yes finally, it is time for some racing!

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Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Getting Too Old To Compete?

Ok, it is just over 3 weeks to Daytona.  The NASCAR season is about to begin.  The front stretch of Daytona International Speedway is cooling down from the 24 hours of racing last weekend at the Rolex 24.  It will not be long until Speedweeks arrives, Dale Earnhardt Jr. does well in either Daytona 500 qualifying, the Gatorade qualifying races or both and Junior haters will begin saying he is overrated, incapable, in over his head or any number of other detractions. 

I never have understood why people so fervently hate Dale Earnhardt Jr.  I know he has a ton of fans that can, admittedly, become obnoxious at times.  I know he has had a ton of coverage and will continue to do so.  But just what is it that makes their blood boil?

I am sure a large part of the anger is the TV, print, and internet coverage he gets.  Let’s admit it:  programs get more views, articles get more reads, and blogs get more clicks when the name Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes into play.  But do the Jr. haters think their driver deserves more attention?  Perhaps!  However, when asked, most of them will not tell you who their favorite driver is.  Odd.

One of the main things Jr. haters throw out is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t getting any younger.  I have even seen this little thought grace the lines on ESPN, NASCAR.com, and many other blogs.  So just how hold is he and is he past his prime, which the Jr. hater would say never came?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was born October 10, 1974.  Entering the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season he will be a ripe old 37.  He has no Sprint Cup Championships and 18 Sprint Cup wins to show for 12 years of full time Sprint Cup racing.  Will he amass a huge sum of wins?  Can he win a championship or more than one?  Or is he just a few years away from climbing from the car, grabbing hold to his walker, and hobbling off into the sunset?

Well, let’s compare Dale Jr. to some great racers from the past.  I know most people, especially Jr. haters, will compare him to his father.  Comparing someone to the best is interesting, but not always sensible.  Let’s see how Dale Earnhardt Jr. compares to some other drivers, such as Dale Jarrett and Cale Yarborough.

I know that many fans would not consider Jarrett one of the greatest, but he is a past champion and had 32 Cup wins.  Earnhardt Jr. is entering his 13^th year in Cup and has 18 wins and 0 championships.  Entering his 13^th season, Jarrett also had 18 wins and 0 championships.  No, Dale Jarrett was not 37.  Indeed, he was 42.

So just how did Jarrett fare in the 5 years after?  Well, he had 13 wins and 1 championship, with an average season finish of 9^th.

Cale Yarborough is widely thought of as one of the toughest NASCAR drivers ever.  It is often said that he could manhandle any car in any situation.  It is no shock then that he was able to have success in his later years.  Yarborough raced in 284 races winning 31 times over a 18 year period before winning his first championship at the age of 37.  Yarborough went on to win 40 times, 3 consecutive championships, and had an average points finish of 2^nd over the next 5 years.

No, don’t blast me yet.  I am not saying that Earnhardt Jr. is on the edge of a run like Yarborough had.  Nor do I think he is as tough.  But the simple fact is that 37 is not entirely that old in NASCAR.

Yes, there have been huge gains by young drivers over the past 15 years or so.  But handfuls of wins aside, Sprint Cup Championships don’t tend to be won by the “Young Guns”.  For example, there has not been a Champion younger than 25 since Jeff Gordon did it at 23 in 1995.  On top of that, it has only been done that one time since Bill Rexford did it at 23 in NASCAR’s second year, 1950 (which was, by the way, more impressive since he did not race in 2 of the 19 races.)  There have only been 11 champions under the age of 30 since NASCAR’s inception 63 seasons ago, most recently Kurt Busch in 2004.

One other number: the average age of the Sprint Cup Champion over the last 10 years is 32.

No, Earnhardt Jr is not too old to win.  No, he is not too old to win the championship.  Debate his skills.  Hate the attention he gets.  Say he is the worst driver in the garage (stretching it quite a bit).  But he is not too old.  Let me know when he starts growing the beard solely to produce hair plugs, or his prostate will only allow him to run 200 mile races.  Then we can talk.

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The Best New Driver/Crew Chief Pairing In 2012?

The 2011 Silly Season has been quite a busy one.  Usually there are drivers sliding from this team to that so fast you can hardly keep up.  While that has not quite been the case this year, there have been a multitude of crew chief changes for drivers that struggled in 2011, and in a couple cases for drivers that did not struggle.

In 2011 there were several new driver/crew chief combinations, most of them were in the Hendrick Motorsports garage.  It was definitely interesting to watch which new combination would win and how each of them would deal with problems that arose.  Although the Gordon/Gustafson combination would top most lists, the Earnhardt/Letarte duo definitely did better than most assumed they would.

In 2012 there will be no less than 11 new driver/crew chief combinations starting in February at the Daytona 500.  There will be at least 3 or 4 of these new combos that will visit victory lane, and no doubt 3 or 4 of them will make the Chase.  Will there be any surprises?  Will any of the new teams gel quickly and become the next Jimmie and Chad or Jeff and Ray?  Well that may be a long shot, but below I have listed the best three of these new combinations along with how they will impress in 2012.

1.  Hamlin / Grubb-  The #11 FedEx Toyota will begin the year with a driver that faded last year after his dominant run in 2010, and a crew chief with something to prove after being let go a couple weeks after winning the Sprint Cup Championship.  Will Hamlin/Grubb win a race?  Without a doubt.  Grubb has never had a season without a win, and Hamlin has never had a full season without a win.  Make the Chase?  Of course.  Hamlin has never finished outside the top 12 in a full season and Grubb has never finished outside the top 15.  Given Hamlin's ability to put a great Chase run together as he did in 2010, combined with Grubb's recent success at Chase race domination, be prepared for a strong charge in the final races of 2012 by Denny Hamlin.

2.  Harvick / Wilson- After the 2011 season, Shane Wilson has been moved over from the #33, formerly driven by Clint Bowyer.  Although Harvick and last year's crew chief, Todd Berrier, had some great success, including becoming the "Closer" and having a great run in the 2010 Chase to challenge for the Sprint Cup Championship, RCR has elected to move Wilson to the #29 for 2012.  Wilson will be working with many of the same people, so all that will change from last year will be the driver, and moving from Bowyer to Harvick is a step up.  Shane Wilson only has 2 Sprint Cup wins, but he does have 14 Nationwide wins, 13 of which were driven by, you guessed it, Kevin Harvick.  With the same crew, same garage, and having already won together, it won't take long for these two to develop the chemistry needed to compete.  Oh, and 7 of those Nationwide wins the two had were at Chase tracks.

3.  Stewart / Addington-  After almost every championship win, the winning team changes a little.  Very few championship teams have been able to field the exact same team in February.  However, that particular type of change has not happened to a championship team since owner Billy Hagan replaced Dale Inman, arguably the greatest crew chief ever, with Steve Hmiel for driver Terry Labonte after winning the 1984 championship.  I could not find the details about how Inman left the position open, someone older than I will have to answer that one.  What I do know is that Labonte did not repeat his success of 1984.  Don't get me wrong, Hmiel was no slouch, but changing the crew chief is no small change.  With that said, Stewart has proven he has plenty of drive left, and after coming up short with Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch, Addington is sure to have something to prove.  Addington has a knack for pulling a rabbit out of his hat and Stewart has more determination that most drivers, so look for these two to get at least a couple of wins and a Chase appearance.

With all of these changes, and more changes to come, February will be a busy time in both North Carolina and Daytona.  Will any of the new duos become the next super team?  Who knows.  Either way 2012 is coming soon, and all of these teams are definitely working to make this season a wild one.

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A Relaxed 2012 For Earnhardt Jr.?

After finishing a season inside the top 10 in points for the first time at Hendrick Motorsports, and the first time since 2006, Dale Earnhardt Jr. could be poised for a much more relaxed start to the Sprint Cup season.  He did not win in 2011, nor did he blow any doors off, but he did finish better more consistently than he has in a while, and his cohesion with crew chief Steve Letarte seems to be getting stronger going into the off-season.

It has been quite a while since Earnhardt Jr. entered a season without a ton of questions surrounding him or his team.  Since he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, he has entered Daytona either with a new crew chief, a new team, or lingering issues from the previous season.  In his last 3 season openers while at DEI, Junior either had a new crew chief or a looming showdown with his stepmother over his contract to look forward to.

The last year Dale Jr. flew down to Daytona with a clear mind and a relaxed right foot was 2004.  He had crew chief, and uncle, Tony Eury Sr. and had little question about his ability to win.  In that season he went on to win 6 times and contended for the championship until late in the Chase.

No.  Calm down.   I am not saying Earnhardt Jr. will win 6 races in 2012, but I do think he will win one or two.  If Letarte spends as much time reviewing notes and preparing setups as I think he will in the off-season, the 88 team could be in for a definite improvement on 2011.

The question for Junior, as it has been in most of his seasons, comes in the summer races.  Earnhardt seems to always get bogged down from Sonoma to Richmond.  In the past that has led to missing the Chase or entering the Chase with absolutely no momentum whatsoever.  If the 88 team is going to be in a position to contend in the Chase, they must enter the Chase with a head full of steam.

A definite stepping stone for “team Earntarte” going into 2012 is his improvement at tracks like Pocono, Kansas, and Martinsville.  At the 6 races at those tracks in 2011 he had an average finish of 6.7.  Granted, Earnhardt’s average finish at Martinsville is 13^th, but he definitely improved at Kansas and Pocono where his averages are 17.2 and 17.0, respectively.

Steady foot, clear head, budding driver/crew chief combination…  How many more weeks?? 

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Which Was The Best, And Worst, Owner In 2011?

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has drawn to a close, many people are focusing on which driver was best, or which team made the most improvements, but how do the owners, garages and operations as a whole rank?

1.  Stewart Haas Racing- It should be a surprise to nobody that SHR was the best organization in 2011.  At least not now that the season is over.  SHR won the Championship, had 6 wins, had both drivers in the top 10 in points, and owner/driver dominated the victory lanes of the Chase races, winning 5 of 10.  Of course, resting on your laurels gets you nowhere, so Tony Stewart has removed his crew chief Darian Grubb and has added Steve Addington, former crew chief of Kyle Busch and most recently Kurt Busch.  Time will tell if Stewart has made a logical or an emotional choice with this change.

2.  Roush Fenway Racing- Ahh, I'm sure owner Jack Roush and driver Carl Edwards are tired of seeing their name by the number 2, but so be it.  RFR had 5 wins, 2 cars in the top 5 in points, finished runner up for the Championship, and their average points finish was 11th.  Had Edwards grabbed a win from Stewart during the Chase, their offseason would have been much sweeter.

3.  Hendrick Motorsports-  I cannot remember back far enough to tell you how long it has been since Hendrick was not the top organization in NASCAR.  Don't get me wrong, with both a 5 time and a 4 time Champ, HMS is not weak by any measurement.  In 2011, HMS had 5 wins, 3 cars inside the top 10 in points, and averaged a points finish of just over 10th.  One has to wonder just what changes are in store at HMS this offseason after the wholesale changes after the 2010 season.

4.  Richard Childres Racing-  Many people though that this organization would capture another Cup title in 2011 after Kevin Harvicks performance last year, backed up by his late-race charging wins this year.  However, after Harvick stumbled a little early in the Chase and Bowyer, Menard and Burton missed the Chase, this group is looking to improve in 2012.  RCR had 6 wins, 1 team in the top 5 in points, and had an average points finish of 13th.

5.  Penske Racing-  It seemed as though Penske may have regained some strenth in 2011.  Although he proved inconsistent throughout the season, Kurt Busch had some dominating races early in the season, and teammate Brad  Keselowski caught on fire, figuratively, of course, during the summer to surge into the Chase.  Penske finished with 5 wins, both drivers inside the top 12, and an average finish of 8th in the points.

6.  Joe Gibbs Racing-  With Hamlin, "Shrub", and "Sliced Bread", many think this team is the most underproducing organization in NASCAR.  They definitely have the talent, but with the 20 team of Logano growing cold, Hamlin struggling, and Busch holding it together only to come apart at the seams, JGR has much offseason work to do.  JGR finished with 5 wins, 2 drivers in the top 12 in points, and average a points finish of 15th.

7.  Richard Petty Racing-  Many would have laughed if they had been told that RPM would have finished as well as they have in 2011.  Although they are not dominating, Allmendinger finished strong in many races and Ambrose claimed RPM a win.  The two averaged a finishing points position of 17th, and have much to build upon for next year.  It is unlikely, however, that these two drivers can make it into the Chase without more consistent good finishes.

8.  Team Red Bull-  Although their existence is in doubt for the 2012 season, they were not the worst team in 2011, largely due to the performance of exiting driver Kasey Kahne.  Had they only had Brian Vickers on track to hit as many cars as he could, they would not have had their 1 win and a car finishing inside the top 15 in points.  The two teams averaged a final points position of 20th.

9.  Michael Waltrip Racing-  Already making big changes for 2012 by adding Clint Bowyer, removing Reutimann, and making other staff changes, MWR is need of improvement for next season.  Not only did they not win any races, but had they not had some strong finished in the Chase they would have been mostly invisible for the season.  MWR had one driver in the top 20 and averaged a final points position of 23rd.

10.  Earnhardt Ganassi Racing-  After last years performance at the premier races of Daytona and Indianapolis, few would have thought that EGR would have had such a dissapointing year in 2011.  Both of the drivers are coming back next year, so look for changes to take place both in the pit box and in the garage if EGR hopes to improve in 2012.  EGR had no drivers in the top 20 in points, and they averaged a final points position of 24th.

The obvious honorable mentions for this list would have to be for both Wood Brothers Racing and Furniture Row Racing.  Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith snagged huge wins for these two small operations.

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NASCAR's Christmas List

As I am writing this post, millions of people are either getting their list ready for the most hectic day of shopping for the Christmas season, or sleeping in a tent on a sidewalk outside their favorite retailer.  Each year people ready their buying lists to take care of family and friends to make the Holidays the best time of the year.  But what would be on a list for NASCAR?

Well, here is the top 5 list of what I believe NASCAR needs to pick up at the stores this offseason to make 2012 a more "Jolly" occasion.

5.  Some New Lanscaping-  Probably the most embarrasing thing that happened this season for the sport was the ontrack revenge and later suspension of Kyle Busch.  The driver of the Interstate Batteries/M&M's Toyota sat out a race, finished last in the Chase, and became the driver of the M&M free #18.  Many people were actually thinking that Kyle Busch could have even lost his job, which he may if we don't see some "new" Busch's next year.

"Shrub" was not the only Busch to have problems in 2011.  Older brother, and driver of the #22 Penske Dodge, Kurt Busch had radio tirades throughout the season and even had to appologize for a profanity packed rant at commentator Dr. Jerry Punch for having to wait for the live feed for an interview.  All in all, NASCAR does have history of, and needs a fair amount of coarse personalities to keep the sport edgy, but embarrasment does nobody any good, including NASCAR.

4.  A Big Screen TV-  2011 was a great year for competition and closeness in the points standings.  It was not, however, a great year for viewership.  Yes, the ratings were up for most of the races, but there were plenty of fans in the stands that were apparently dressed up like empty seats.  For the first time in years there were large offerings of available seats for the August Bristol race.  That never happens!  Many of the tracks have figured out that they need to offer some low price/package deals to both help people be able to afford to visit the track and to draw them to some lower series races.

3.  A DVR-  Could we get a replay please?!  The tightness of competition, plentiful storylines, and crazy on-track action in 2011 was amazing.  Could NASCAR forsee that they would have the tightest championship ever when they came out with their new points system in January?  Of course not!  Are they pleased at how it came out?  Please!!  Brian France is in his office right now coming up with a fine for someone who may complain about the point system in the offseason.

2.  A Car Splitter-  Litterally...  Something to split cars...  Two cars actually.  After completing their aero test at Daytona last week and coming up with some promising aero packages for next year's plate tracks, NASCAR needs something to work and break the two car tandems apart.  Do some people like the Two Car Tango?  Yes.  But I fully believe they are limited to the two or three that only like it because they think it hurts Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Just Kidding!

1.  Some Bumper Sticker-  Or better yet, how about they get a few full car wraps!  NASCAR has lost sponsorship money each of the last few seasons.  Of course this is understandable given the national and global economic settings, but NASCAR must keep sponsorship interest in order to keep competing for market share with the NFL and other sports markets.

Now I, of course, have a few NASCAR items on my own wish list, but those will come with another post.  Happy Thanksgiving and may you be blessed with either patience or wisdom on Black Friday...

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Was "Team Earntarte" A Success In 2011?

Well, its the offseason now, no more getting ready for this weeks race or wondering what drama will come from last weeks race.  Its the cold, lonely time between Homestead and Daytona.  About the only things we can talk about regarding NASCAR is who did well this year and then who we think will do well next year.  Its time for reflections and predictions.

With that in mind, I have to reflect on the 2011 season for one of the most talked about new driver/crew chief pairings made in the 2010 offseason, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte.  As everyone remember, Steve Letarte was moved from the #24 team of Jeff Gordon to help refocus the quickly derailing Cup career of most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While the two began the season with much expected by some and little predicted by others, just how did the 2011 season stack up for Dale Earnhardt Jr.?  Well, overall, there is much to be happy about.  Junior seemed more capable, more communicative, and less unravelling for pretty much the whole season.  His overall willingness to apply continued focus and work through problems helped the team have only 2 DNF's and finish 7th in the Chase, his best Chase finish since 2006, despite having no wins and only 4 top 5 finishes.

Another positive for the 2011 season is that on average, Junior had better finishes.  His total average finishing position was 14.5, slightly better than his 16.8 career average.  The total average for the season was weakend, however, by his turbulent late summer stretch and a decent Chase performance.  In the first 15 races of the season he finished better than his average at 12 and had an average finish of 10.7.

Some of the negatives for this past season have to include the fact that he only led 2 laps during the Chase.  In fact, Earnhardt Jr. led less laps this year than any season since he joined the series full time in 2001: just 52.  "Team Earntarte" will definitely have to focus on this stat in the offseason to improve on the win column (still 0 for the duo despite two runner up finishes).  Although the 88 car did seem a bit more racy this year and spent much more time inside the top 10 than last year, they have to lead more laps in order to have more opportunities to lead last laps.

Part of what I, all-knowing as I am, believe was one of the teams issues this year is that they did not often unload very fast, meaning they had to make many adjustments to get the car fast.  In the early season this often did not finalize until late in the race, allowing Junior to push forward to snag a good finish.  This is most evident in the fact that Junior had an average starting position this season of 19.6.  Although Earnhardt Jr. has never been known for posting top 5 qualifying runs week after week, if the team can improve on this number by being better prepared prior to arriving at the track, the overall outcome for the weekend should get better. 

I should say that I do not believe this is a particular downfall of Earnhardt Jr. or Letarte, but that it is a product of a newer driver/crew chief combination that needs time for the maturation of communication and knowledge of the driver's handling preference.  This is somewhat shown in the difference in qualifying during the first half and second half of the season.  In the first half, the 88 team average a starting spot of 21st and had bettered that average by 3 to 18th for the second half of the season.

I fully believe this team will be successful and will win and that success will come in the 2012 season.  Surely "Team Earntarte" will not be satisfied with just 7th in the points when they left so much on the table this season.  Knowing they finished better than Gordon and only 14 points behind Johnson should only push them to see just how much more success they can have in the coming season.  I know all the "Jr Haters" will undoubtedly give me much grief for this post, but that is fine, I am sure there is plenty of server space at Blogger to accommodate all of your loving comments, just please keep it clean!

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NASCAR Goes Back To The Drawing Board

Earlier this week, NASCAR conducted an aerodynamic test at Daytona International Speedway to attempt to overcome the "Two Car Tango" that has made itself so prevalent at the two restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega. NASCAR's appetite for the two car drafting style finally ran out when the style produces one of the most boring races in recent restrictor plate history.

Prior to the Talladega race, NASCAR came out with changes to the allowed pressure on the cooling system and a small increase to the restrictor plate.  Those changes produced... well... nothing different.  The cars were still able to stay linked together into two car drafts and the increase in plate size did not produce any real increase in single-car speed.  After their small changes did nothing to change the drafting dynamic at Talladega, NASCAR planned the aero test with a hand full of Cup Series teams. 

NASCAR fielded the test with Cup drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Aric Almirola, David Ragan, Marcos Ambrose, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., and Joe Nemechek.  The test included using various packages of larger restrictor plates and smaller rear spoilers in the attempt to make both a higher individual speed and a less rear downforce to make the two car drafting less needed and less comfortable for the driver. 

The speeds during the test have reached well over 200 mph, which is nothing new for the two car draft, but these speeds were reached by individual cars.  In the past, NASCAR has been adamant that cars would be kept below 200 mph in the interest of safety, so apparently they are considering relaxing that standard.  A change would make more sense now since NASCAR has plenty of empirical evidence over the past 10 years that the changes to walls, head restraints, and car design have produced less injury to drivers in severe wrecks.

Some of the drivers in the test seemed more impressed that NASCAR has taken this step in improving the restrictor plate competition than the results that the test produced.  NASCAR has made many changes to plate sizes, rear spoiler size, and other aspects of the car over the years, but rarely have they asked for driver imput, especially in trying out different packages to make sure that the end product is desireable. 

Whether the two car tandems will be gone at the January test or just uncomfortable enough to last for a half lap, NASCAR has finally showed that they have no more desire to see the team racing of the past year's plate races.  I am sure the "team orders" and laying back have helped them in their decision, but either way, I for one am glad to see NASCAR ushering the racing style off the track.

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