NASCAR WCUP: Wally Dallenbach prepares for night racing at Richmond
2 May 2000
Note: Wally Dallenbach will prepare for Saturday night's Pontiac
Excitement 400 at Richmond International Raceway with a test at Lakeland USA
short track on Tuesday. Dallenbach is coming off a 27th-place run in
Sunday's NAPA 500 at California Speedway. Saturday's race will mark the
third event Dallenbach has teamed with new crew chief Newt Moore.
WALLY DALLENBACH (No. 75 RedCell Batteries Ford Taurus): "It's basically
just a shakedown. Our short track program hasn't been as good as we've
wanted it to be. We're starting to get on top of that. It will give Newt
and I a chance to work together on what we think we're going to need for our
short track stuff. That's the only time we've got to do it. We've got one
day, so we're going to go down there and spend a day and try some things and
see what makes us comfortable."
HOW IS THE COMMUNICATION DEVELOPING BETWEEN NEWT AND YOURSELF?
"We're way ahead of the game. I think we're going to work out fine.
Newt is a very driven, determined person. He wants to win badly. We both
have that in common. That's the first thing you've got to have. You've got
to have somebody that wants to do this because they want to win and they're
not just punching a time clock. Right there, I think attitude-wise, that's
going to be a big plus. He understands what I'm saying and he can apply
that. Time will tell, but so far, so good."
DO YOU LIKE THE FACT HE COMES FROM A SHORT TRACK BACKGROUND?
"That definitely doesn't hurt. He's got a very good understanding of the
cars. This stuff isn't magic. You've got to get the cars right for the
driver. What works for Speed Racer doesn't necessarily work for Racer X.
You have to get to know each other and understand the terminologies and then
apply it."
DO YOU THINK THE PARITY WE'RE SEEING IN THE SPORT IS GOOD?
"I think it's great. I hope it's 11 different winners this weekend. I
think NASCAR has done a very good job keeping the playing field even. That's
what the sport needs. The sport doesn't need the same two or three guys
winning every weekend. I think it's great. I think it's also great for the
sponsors. We've got 10 different sponsors that have won races this year.
That just strengthens our sport. Sponsors are on the outside looking in and
saying, 'Hey, I can do this. I can get to Victory Lane if I spend the right
amount of money.' I think it's fantastic."
DOES IT GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE THAT THE REDCELL FORD CAN BREAK THROUGH?
"There's no question our team can break through or I wouldn't be driving
the RedCell Ford this weekend. I felt that way when I signed with Galaxy
Motorsports. I knew it would be tough, but I felt on down the road if we put
the right things in place we could certainly win a race."
WHY DO YOU THINK THERE'S SO MUCH PARITY THIS YEAR?
"I don't know. I think the talent is probably spread out a little bit
more because more teams can afford to pay for the talent. You don't have
one, two or five teams lopsided with all the good people. That's the key to
it. You've got a lot of good people on a lot of different teams right now.
That's why you're seeing a lot of different drivers run fast."
THERE HAS BEEN SOME CRITICISM THAT THE RACING HAS BEEN BORING THIS SEASON.
WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?
"There have certainly been some races that were boring. But you look at
a race like Talladega, and from where I was sitting, there wasn't any better
race that I've been in. When you have 34 races a year you're going to get
some boring races. I remember last year when Dale Jarrett won by a lap at
Michigan. That was about as boring a race driving- and spectator-wise that
was ever in NASCAR. But you have to remember, it wasn't that long ago in
NASCAR you had guys winning by five, six, seven laps. I think our racing
is still good. You get to some racetracks and sometimes the racing can be
boring. You might get one guy that is dominant and it makes a boring race.
But in response to that, all you have to do is have the TV cameras pan back a
little bit further than the first three cars in the race and you'll have some
helluva racing going on. So sometimes I fault the networks for that."