A 2013 NASCAR Wish List

With Christmas quickly approaching, the 2012 season firmly in the rear view mirror, and January's testing season on the horizon, many possibilities surround NASCAR's Sprint Cup teams.  Drivers are wondering how the new cars will race, Crew Chiefs are trying to adjust their track notes to the chassis changes, and fans are hoping bowl season will keep their minds off the lack of racing to watch.

Below are my top 5 NASCAR wishes this Christmas; wishes for fans, for drivers, and with crew members in mind.  Please include some NASCAR wishes of your own in the comment section below!

Wish #5: Repaired Restrictor-Plate Racing

During the past few years, racing at Talladega and Daytona has been odd, sometimes boring, and always leaves at least half of the fans dissappointed.  With "tandem racing" becoming the norm, even with small adjustments by NASCAR, the racing has been an evolving mess that has determined itself.  Sometimes the racing is good, but races with only 10 or so cars being competitive for the first 90% of the race will not keep fans, or even drivers satisfied.

The new car template that has given teams a more product-identifiable image has a more rounded, less flat front bumper, so one would hope that staying linked up will be more difficult, but only time will tell.  As long as drivers feel they can link up with another driver, for however long, and pull away, tandem racing will remain.  However, if NASCAR could continue to allow more speed, be it with smaller plates or not, drivers will feel less comfortable having someone shoving them around the track.

Wish #4: A New Rivalry

Ok, so most of us have paid attention to the on and off track "dissagreeent" between Jeff Gordon and Clint Boyer.  Perhaps that will continue into 2013, perhaps not, but what NASCAR needs is another great ON TRACK rivalry.  I don't mind hearing a driver  "jaw-jacking" before or after a race about another driving, but prove it on the track!  Yes, Gordon and Bowyer did somewhat the last race, but neither were racing for a championship at that point.

The problem with this generation of drivers is that they don't quite have the "showmanship" that yesteryear's drivers did.  Yes, they are polished and great for sponsors, but that is not what I mean.  Instead of playing up on-track tensions or throwing out a taunting challenge, leading to added tension and raised efforts, they show their aggravation on track by tearing up cars or try to "fight" in the garage.  Usually that is all followed up by a stone faced "pretty boy" trying to sound good for their sponsor.

Lets see a Petty-Pearson rivalry, or a Earnhardt-Waltrip rivalry.  Run your mouth all you want, but prove who is best at racing, not who is best at wrecking.

Wish #3: More Cars On The Track

For the past few years, more and more owners of small teams have seen it more profitable for them to "start and park" their cars. They make a race only to run a few laps and call it a day. In turn, they spend less on tires, take less risk of wrecking, and can use an engine more, lowering their overall operating costs leaving more for pay.

In turn, less lower tier drivers and teams can make a name for themselves and/or move up through "the ranks" of the sport. Whether or not they have bettered or worsened the overall sponsorship market around the sport is for someone else to decide. The simple fact that drivers are starting and parking, simply being satisfied with being an "also ran" is just a sad comment on the sport in general.

Wish #2: More Fans In The Stands

The state of the economy and everyone's tightening wallet was very apparent during the 2012 season.  Empty seats at Bristol, Martinsville, and Daytona were amazing, not to mention the attendance at less important races.  People are having some difficulty buying 2-4 $60 and up tickets, yes, but spending that $240 plus the two night stay at a motel, concessions and a tshirt and not too many families can handle a family race weekend these days.

Is there anything NASCAR can do about it?  Not much, in my opinion.  It is possible that tracks could charge even less, especially for Nationwide and Truck Series races, which survive mostly on sponsor money, not track attendance money.  Either way, the likelihood that the entry-level price to attend a race will drop to bring in fans is miniscule.  A better overall economy and more door banging are the only things that can fill all the seats.

Wish #1: A Return To What Works!

One of the best moves NASCAR is making for the 2013 season is a return of auto brand identification to the cars.  This brings back some, however small an amount, of the old school character of the sport.  No, there will not be any huge spoilers or bench seats, but seeing a car that I could imagine driving down the highway beating and banging with a driver I can't stand makes me want to watch more racing.

What NASCAR needs to do is to continue a return of some of the 'old school' aspects of the sport that truly worked.  Bringing back a Labor Day race at Darlington, for example, would be a move that would not only make older fan's happy, but it could also be a way to accquaint new fans with some NASCAR roots.  Along those same line, NASCAR could dedicate one or two races each season that they would move around between a set of 4 or 5 tracks.  Iowa, Milwaukee, Rockingham, Road America, or even a street race similar to Indycar's Grand Prix of Baltimore would be great races to have every other or ever third year to bring something different to NASCAR and bring NASCAR to some new markets.  Could you imagine a NASCAR race through the streets of a metropolitan city?

There, those are my top 5 NASCAR wishes for next year, what are yours?
 

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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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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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Danica Looking For Restrictor Plate Redemption

Danica Patrick's first full time season in NASCAR's Nationwide Series started out with a bang.  Literally!  Bang! Right into the wall.  She won the pole for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway and, considering her short restrictor plate resume, many people were optimistic that she could finish very high.  Everything was in place for her to become the story of the year in NASCAR.

Bang!

After leading some laps and trying to stay out of trouble she received an ill-timed, although well intentioned, push from her teammate, rookie driver of the 88, Cole Whitt.  Her damage from the turn 3 wall ended her day and put a cloud over her start to her full time NASCAR career.

Although there are many people who like Danica, many of them female fans and drooling males, there are droves who think she is overrated and not deserving of such a high profile opportunity in NASCAR, let alone all of the attention.  The never ending "Danica Watch" during the Daytona races by the sportscasters was enough to drive some detractors mad.  However, I have maintained that Patrick does have some strong tracks to make some statements at this year (nope, I'm not a female fan, and not drooling...currently).

Restrictor plate tracks are definitely a place I feel Danica can do surprisingly well.  In her two Daytona races last year she averaged a 12th place finish and even led 13 laps in the summer race.  Although many were concerned with how she would react to the close quarters racing with bumps and shoves a plenty, Patrick has adapted fairly well to NASCARS high speed tracks.  Considering how she has adapted at Daytona, February's race not withstanding, one should think she would do well at Talladega, where handling is even less of a factor and the trioval area is much easier to navigate.

One thing is for certain, a good finish this week at Talladega would help Patrick forget the beginning of this 2012 season and possibly in, if not close to, a top 10 spot in the Nationwide standings.  No doubt, she should be much closer to the top 5, which is where her teammate, Cole Whitt is (6th).  Points aside, I would love to see her finish better simply to hear those that can't stand her complain about her coverage!

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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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Returning To Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Strength, Not Plate Tracks, Short Tracks!

With last weeks disappointing 25th finish at Talladega, many Dale Jr. fans were left with not much hope for the end of the season.  They began their work week grumbling about NASCAR, Team Orders, Tandem (Two Car) racing, and dadgum "laying back."  Well, maybe I'm speaking mostly for myself, but from the replies I received from my last post I don't think I am alone.

Most Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, and other NASCAR fans in general, don't like to see their driver falling to the back to simply ride around till the finish.  We want to see white knuckle racing, passing on the outside, and threading of needles.  We have a dry, bitter taste in our mouth that is the residue of two-car racing and we are hoping for something to wash that flavor away.

Well, help may be here.  This week NASCAR returns to Martinsville Speedway and although many people equate Dale Earnhardt Jr. with the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, where he has 7 wins, his real strength is on a much shorter circuit.  Yes, although he only has 4 wins at the sport's 3 short  tracks, they are 3 of his 5 best tracks for average finish; and the other two are the intermediate tracks of Atlanta and Texas.

Dale Earnhardt's top 5 tracks (in average finish) are 1 - Bristol (11.7), 2 - Atlanta (12.8), 3 - Martinsville (13.3), 4 - Richmond (14.4), and 5 - Texas (14.5).  His average finish at both Talladega and Daytona is 15.0.  Of course this is mainly due to the unpredictable nature of the plate tracks, but Dale Jr. has definitely shown an ability in the past to keep his car clean until the end of the race and apply front bumper when needed: two traits that are paramount to good finishes at short tracks.

Martinsville is a strong suit in general for Hendrick Motorsports and is also where Dale Jr. was passed late in the spring to finish runner-up to Kevin Harvick.  I'm sure if Junior can make it to 2nd with 10 laps or so to go this weekend that his fans will forget about last week, especially if he is chasing down the 29.  I am also certain that if given the chance to chase a car down for the lead late this weekend that Dale Jr. will definitely let out some aggression from his late race frustration from last week.

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The Most Boring Talladega Race Ever?

Yes, I said it.  I doubt I am the only one.  I am sure there will be plenty of reporters and comentators saying how great the two car racing is and how much the NASCAR fans love it.  My reply to them is best summed up by two words: Empty Seats.

Sure, some of you will say I am testy simply because Dale Jr. was relegated to another disappointing Talladega finish.  Perhaps you are correct, but let me finish.

I believe that NASCAR's premier series is best when they have 43 (or as close to 43 as they can get) competitive cars all racing to get their best finish.  No "team orders."  No need for a "partner." 

Yet this past Sunday we had about 20 teams competing.  We had drivers told not to help other makes (Ford, Chevy, Etc) so that drivers with their own make that are in the Chase would benefit.  (No, I am not just speaking of the Roush/Bayne situation, because I am sure it happened with other teams as well.)  We saw about half the field content with laying back until about 20 laps to go.  They were simply happy to just ride for about 170 laps to compete in the last 18. 

NASCAR, that is not competition.

After the race, Richard Childress made the point that the drivers are not on the track to simply ride around.  I am sure that his former driver of the #3 would totally agree.  Previously, Dale Jr. would have as well.  Although he and Johnson have laid back in the past 2 or 3 plate races, earlier in his career Junior prefered to be ahead of the "big one" rather than dodging it from the back of the pack.  Hopefully the Hendrick teams can see that laying back with this two car tandem racing may be easy to overcome with 100 laps to go, but not so easy when everyone else at the back is also trying to wake up and start racing in the final laps.

Don't get me wrong.   Although I do prefer the pack racing to this ridiculous two-car stuff, much of what I am complaining about would still occur.  Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would probably still have "hidden out" in the back.  Trevor Bayne would still have been scolded for helping Jeff Gordon.

Should NASCAR fix this non-racing and make Talladega competitive again or should they simply tell the drivers that Talladega will only be 30 laps next year so they can conserve fuel and quit wasting tires simply to make time for commercials.  How many fans actually watched all 188 laps anyway?  I did.  But I will admit that the last 30 were the only laps where all the cars were actually competing. 

Again... NASCAR, that is not competition.

How can NASCAR fix the restrictor plate races.  Can they remove the restrictor plates?  This is what many NASCAR purists would love.  "Let 'em loose," they would say.  But with safety being so paramount these days, NASCAR will not let the cars maintain a speed above 200 mph.  Although that would do away with pack racing and tandem racing, if NASCAR says its not going to happen, it is not going to happen.

There are other possible solutions.  Changing the shape of the front and/or rear bumpers so that "linking up" is much more difficult is a possibility.  Opening the Restrictor plate up much more so that the car's ability to produce horsepower by itself makes running in a pack less necessary.  Mandate that the air intakes on the front bumper be only in the center of the bumper, that would really screw up the two car tandems.  I am sure there are others, but NASCAR should know after this weekend that 1/64th of an inch more opening in the restrictor plate and lowering the pressure allowed on the cooling system by a few pounds makes absolutely no difference whatsoever.

Perhaps NASCAR should conduct a test with one car from each team and experiment with several packages on track.  Obviously the wind patterns on the "drawing board" don't react the same way they do at Talladega and Daytona.

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