NASCAR SNCS (DAYTONA) - SERIES NOTES
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NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series News & Notes - Talladega
Talladega Hosts First Restrictor Plate COT Race Chevrolet Familiar With Talladega Victory Lane Earnhardt Jr. Still Searching For First Win Villeneuve Attempts To Make Series Debut
The Car of Tomorrow program will take a major step forward this week when the new car debuts at Talladega Superspeedway. It will mark the first time the car will be raced on an oval track longer than 1.33 miles.
The car has competed in 13 events this season on short tracks and road courses. Two more events are scheduled after Talladega – Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. The car will be run full time in 2008.
Teams participated in a two-day test at Talladega in September in preparation for Sunday’s race. One of the advantages of the new car is that teams can use the same car at a short track and superspeedway – something that was not possible with the spoiler cars.
Although the car is the same that has been run in all other COT events, there are some slight modifications for Talladega.
The first is the use of a restrictor plate on the carburetor. This is the same process that was used in the spoiler cars at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega, but the plate size will be slightly larger. Teams will begin the weekend using a 31/32 inch restrictor plate – the same size they tested with last month. The teams used a 7/8 (28/32) inch plate the last time they raced at Talladega in May.
“This car will allow us to open up the restriction a little bit on the engine,” said NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton. “They’ll make a considerable amount of horsepower more than what they have raced at Talladega and Daytona in the past.”
The increase in plate size is expected to add 75-80 horsepower, which will give the driver more throttle response and help make up for the additional drag the new car creates.
NASCAR also has mandated a minimum rear wing angle of 10 degrees for the event. NASCAR will supply the wings at the track, as it has done in all previous COT races. NASCAR also will issue the teams’ end plates at the track, which has not been done before. This is to ensure a level competitive playing field at the superspeedway.
Other changes include a taller wicker on the rear wing (one inch compared with 3/16 inch in the past), which will help add drag to the car. And for the first time, there will be a mandated gear rule for the event.
“With the COT cars, it’s going to change the element of how Talladega races and I think it will be twice as exciting,” said Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge). “Whoever does the best at reacting to all the changes we’ll face will probably have the best shot at winning. Like we’ve been saying all year long, we look to be up to the challenge.”
Busch certainly knows what it takes to succeed at Talladega – he has posted six top fives and 10 top 10s in 13 career starts at the track.
Chase Notebook: Chevrolet Has Dominant Talladega History
A trip to Talladega Superspeedway usually brightens the spirits of teams in the Chevrolet camp. Chevrolets have dominated competition at the track, winning 16 of the last 17 races.
“Much of Chevy’s success on restrictor-plate tracks stems from the fact that all our teams have focused very heavily on their plate engine programs for many years,” said Pat Suhy, GM Racing NASCAR group manager.
With the move to the new car this weekend, Suhy is not worried about Chevrolet losing its status atop the restrictor-plate competition.
“I think it’ll be a matter of who can adapt the fastest to the way they have to race to make these cars drive to the front,” Suhy said. “I’m confident between our great drivers and crew chiefs, and the teams they have behind them, that the Chevy guys will be leading the pack again this weekend at Talladega."
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet) and Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) are the only Chase drivers who have won at Talladega.
Other notes of interest:
* Greg Biffle (No. 16 Dish/Starz Ford) became the 16th different driver to win a race this season, the highest total since 2003 when 17 different drivers won a race. Nineteen different drivers won a race in 2001, the highest total in the Modern Era. Jeff Gordon led all drivers with six wins that season.
* Biffle’s win also extended his winning streak to five consecutive seasons. Gordon (14), Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet) (nine), Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) (all with six) are the only drivers with streaks longer than Biffle that have won this year.
* The 14-point margin between first and third is the closest after three events in the Chase’s four-year history.
* Eleven of the 12 Chase drivers changed positions in the point standings after Kansas. All 12 positions changed after Dover.
Keeping The Streak Alive: Earnhardt Jr. Searches For First Win Of Season
Entering 2007, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet) had won at least one race in seven consecutive seasons – the third-longest active streak. With only seven races remaining, and no wins under his belt this season, Earnhardt is running out of time to continue his streak.
This weekend’s UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway may be his best chance to get that elusive victory.
Earnhardt has five career Talladega victories, tying him with Jeff Gordon for most among active drivers. He won four consecutive races at the track from 2001-2003, the longest streak ever.
“This would be the best time for us to get another victory,” Earnhardt said. “I so badly want to win one for my fans and sponsors and especially for my entire team.”
Adding to the urgency to win at Talladega is the fact that this will be crew chief Tony Eury Jr.’s last race at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Eury, Earnhardt’s cousin, will be moving to Hendrick Motorsports to begin planning the 2008 season, when he will be reunited with Earnhardt in the No. 88 Chevrolet.
“It would be so great to get out of the car and give him a big hug after a win,” Earnhardt said. “That's what this is all about: making the people around you happy. I mean, that's the best to see the smiles and how satisfying it is for them.”
Eury has worked for DEI since 1991, when he swept floors and built crush panels for Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s NASCAR Busch Series cars. Eury Jr. spent years as car chief under his father, Tony Eury Sr., before taking over as crew chief in September 2005.
Tony Gibson will finish out the season as crew chief for the No. 8 team. Gibson filled that role for six races earlier this season while Eury was serving a suspension. During that time, he guided Earnhardt to three top-10 finishes.
“We'll be fine, but it would mean a lot to get one last one with Tony Jr. in his Budweiser shirt on top of that pit box,” Earnhardt said.
Locked In: No. 22 Toyota of Bill Davis Closing In On 35th Position
2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Owner Points – After 29Races
Pos. Points Team Owner Driver
30th 2,424 No. 66 Chevrolet Joe Custer Jeff Green 31st 2,404 No. 38 Ford Robert Yates David Gilliland 32nd 2,294 No. 88 Ford Robert Yates Ricky Rudd 33rd 2,285 No. 70 Chevrolet Joe Custer Johnny Sauter 34th 2,213 No. 45 Dodge Kyle Petty Kyle Petty
35th 2,174 No. 21 Ford Glen Wood Ken Schrader
36th 2,125 No. 22 Toyota Bill Davis Dave Blaney 37th 1,995 No. 10 Dodge James Rocco Scott Riggs 38th 1,885 No. 83 Toyota Dietrich Mateschitz Brian Vickers 39th 1,828 No. 00 Toyota Cal Wells David Reutimann 40th 1,547 No. 13 Chevrolet Jay Frye Joe Nemechek
Key To Victory
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is the longest oval track on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule and is one of two tracks needing a restrictor plate. With the new car running for the first time, there are a lot of questions to be answered.
• Friday’s practice is key; Teams will need to find out how their cars react in big packs.
• Dynamics of the draft might change; The leaders may be more vulnerable to passing than in the past.
• Pit strategy is crucial; Crew chiefs need to make the right call and avoid pitting alone. Mistakes on pit road can cost you valuable track position.
Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings
Rookie Pts Juan Pablo Montoya 223 David Ragan 206 Paul Menard 181 David Reutimann 161 AJ Allmendinger 123
In The Loop: Chase Drivers Shine At Talladega
All drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point to Talladega as the “wild card” track in the 10-race Chase.
While Talladega’s past does suggest an anything-goes show, over the last five races at the historic track, the top drivers have performed the best.
Seven of the top-10 drivers in Driver Rating are currently in the Chase, so figure the tight battle at the top to continue – especially since two of the past three Talladega winners also sit one-two in the standings (Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon).
Jeff Gordon ranks first in Talladega Driver Rating with a 103.0. He also has an Average Running Position of 11.7 (fourth-best) and 680 Laps in the Top 15 (fourth-best).
Closely behind in the statistics standings is Johnson. Johnson has an Average Running Position of 12.4, a Driver Rating of 92.0 (sixth-best) and 670 Laps in the Top 15 (fifth-best).
Talladega could be a bright spot – finally – for Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Express Chevrolet). Both have struggled through bad luck in the early going of the Chase and find themselves 11th and 12th, respectively, in the standings.
Kenseth leads the way in Average Running Position (9.4), is third in Driver Rating (99.6) and second in Laps in the Top 15 (749).
Hamlin ranks eighth in Average Running Position (16.0) and ninth in Driver Rating (83.4).
Tony Stewart also should be a factor Sunday afternoon. Though he has excellent statistics at Talladega, it is one of only four tracks at which Stewart has not won.
At Talladega, Stewart has a Driver Rating of 90.8 (seventh-best), an Average Running Position of 13.9 (seventh-best) and has spent 544 Laps in the Top 15 (tied for sixth-most).
One driver who has struggled at Talladega is Clint Bowyer (No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet). In three starts, Bowyer has not finished better than 35th place. Bowyer is third in the standings, 14 points behind Gordon. He has a Talladega Driver Rating of 45.5, his worst at any track.
Around Town: Villeneuve Set For Talladega Debut; Alabama Gang Remembers Daytona 500s
On The Line: Harvick On Weekly NASCAR Teleconference
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet) was the guest on this week’s NASCAR teleconference. Harvick currently is fifth in the point standings, 126 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Some highlights from the teleconference:
On his approach to the Chase:
“Our approach hasn't changed. We go and try to be as aggressive as we can every week and make our cars run as fast as they can to put ourselves into position to win. If you can't do that, then you have to make the best day possible out of the days that you're having.”
On Talladega:
“So you just go to Talladega with the mindset going as hard as you can and put yourself in the right position that hopefully you can find the least amount of troubles in that particular day.”
On the point standings:
“It just seems like last year to me it seemed like things kind of started off the same way and as we went through the Chase they calmed down. I think every race is going to have the same little characteristics.”
For the complete transcript visit www.nascarmedia.com.
Villeneuve Attempts First Series Start
Jacques Villeneuve (No. 27 Bill Davis Racing Toyota) will be attempting to make his first career start in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series this weekend. Villeneuve, a former Formula One and CART champion, made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sept. 22. He finished 21st, after starting seventh.
Villeneuve is attempting to follow Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) who followed a similar career path to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.
“I get excited about being out there on the track with guys like (Jacques) and Juan that have won the Indy 500 and Formula One championships,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “That's awesome for me to be out there racing hard with them. Jacques doesn't have much experience in these cars, but he's a world champ - he'll do OK.”
Alabama Gang Reunites for 50th Daytona 500
Three members of the famed Alabama Gang will reunite at Talladega Superspeedway for a press conference as part of a special series looking ahead to the 50th running of the Daytona 500.
Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison and Red Farmer will reflect on their Daytona 500 appearances at 10:15 a.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 5 in the Ken Patterson Infield Media Center. Bobby Allison is a three-time Daytona 500 champion, winning in 1978, 1982 and 1988. Donnie Allison made 13 career Daytona 500 starts, with a career best finish of third in 1969 and Farmer made eight Daytona 500 starts.
Celebrity Chase Tracker Update
Week 3 of the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup has brought a new leader in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Celebrity Chase Tracker game. Musical group Hanson, who sang the national anthem at Chicagoland Speedway, correctly identified the points position of six Chase drivers and have moved into first place with 27 points. Big Boi (of Outkast) and Lil’ Jon are second and third, respectively, followed by former New York Yankee World Champion Mickey Rivers and best-selling author Janet Evanovich.
Thirty-six celebrities from the sports and entertainment world are participating in this year’s Chase Tracker game. The game is being hosted on NASCAR.COM and is open to fans. Almost 4,000 fans signed up to test their Chase predictions against those of celebrity NASCAR fans.
For a full update, visit www.nascarmedia.com.
On Deck: Lowe’s Motor Speedway Hosts Fifth Chase Race
The fifth of 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup will take place Saturday night, Oct. 13 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge) is the defending winner of the Bank of America 500. He swept both races at LMS last season, but finished 23rd in the Coca-Cola 600 earlier this year.
Scott Riggs (No. 10 Valvoline Dodge) was the pole sitter for both races at LMS in 2006.
Jimmie Johnson is the active wins leader at the track with five. He won all four races at the track in 2004 and 2005.
Casey Mears (No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet) won this year’s Coca-Cola 600.
The Race: UAW-Ford 500 The Place: Talladega Superspeedway The Date: Sunday, Oct. 7 The Time: 2 p.m. (ET) TV: ABC, 1 p.m. (ET) Radio: MRN; Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 128 The Track: 2.66-mile oval The Distance: 500 miles, 188 laps The Purse: $5,384,639 2006 Winner: Brian Vickers 2006 Pole: David Gilliland Series Standings Pos. Driver Pts. 1 Johnson 5,506 2 Gordon 5,500 3 Bowyer 5,492 4 Stewart 5,389 5 Harvick 5,380 6 Kyle Busch 5,370 7 Edwards 5,364 8 Truex Jr. 5,348 9 Kurt Busch 5,329 10 J. Burton 5,320 11 Kenseth 5,287 12 Hamlin 5,258 Pre-Race On-Track Schedule (local/CT time): Friday—Practice, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2:45 – 3:30 p.m.; Saturday—Qualifying, 11:15 a.m.