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| | Thursday, April 6 | |||||
| If there is one thing ESPN auto racing analyst Bill Weber loves more than being down in the pits for a NASCAR race, it's giving the fans the inside scoop. So he's opened up his email to you, the fans, this season.
The Winston Cup season is in full swing and Weber is following the circuit -- this week he's in Texas DirectTV 500. Before he finds his way to the pits this weekend, Weber took the time to answer a few of your questions. "I read on NASCAR Online this week that Geoffery Bodine and Sterling Marlin got bumped from the Winston All-Star race in May when Ward Burton won at Darlington. How could Bodine and Marlin be eligible for the Winston if neither have won a race in years and what impact did Burton winning Darlington have on that?" Brandon Hillegas,Huntingdon, Pa. Brandon, Calm down now. It's just a little racing deal. Both Marlin and Bodine are in the Winston and did not get "bumped-out" by Ward. By rule, which I think for the Winston they modify on a routine basis, Marlin is eligible because of his win at in the July race at Daytona in July of 1996. Geoffrey Bodine is eligible because of his win at Watkins Glen in August of 1996. There was a clerical error earlier in the season that accidentally omitted Bodine. "Could the Chevy drivers have used their old body style of the Monte Carlo from last year, like the Ford drivers did when they switched from the Thunderbird to the Taurus. Some would run a Thunderbird and some elected to run the Taurus. I was curious to know if the Chevy crews could have done the same thing." Bill Zody, Claxton Tenn. Dollar Bill, Good question. The answer is yes. BUT, because the big Chevy teams get huge dollars from the manufacturer to run the NEW Monte Carlo, it would not have been politically correct (and probably expensive) to run the 1999 car. At Daytona, I was told by several Chevy guys in the garage that Dave Marcis probably should have run the 1999 and he probably would have made the race with it. "I am a big Jeff Burton fan but have been a little bit disappointed by the inconsistently that seems to be plaguing him this season. What's up?" Dwayne Turner, Hartly Del. Dwayne, This has been a constant thorn in the side of the 99 bunch. Solid team. Hard workers. Great driver. Lots-o-wins. But you cannot count on them week-in and week-out. Jeff talked about it at length last year and early this year. I have maintained these guys are still young, but this is the season they need to put the inconsistency behind them. "Why is NASCAR still headquartered in Daytona with the majority of the teams headquarters in Moorsville/Charlotte area?" Bill Brown, Front Royal, Va. Daytona will always be the home of NASCAR. That's where the sport has its roots. There are business and financial reasons to stay in the state of Florida as well. But, NASCAR does have business offices here in Charlotte and in New York City as well to help with the growth and exposure of the sport. "What's wrong with Scott Pruett? I figured he'd adapt well to NASCAR because of his Trans-Am background. He's never factored in a race yet." Ben Binghay, Upper Marlboro, Md. Gentle Ben, Hope you get to read my column this week. It's on Pruett. And don't miss the feature on NASCAR 2Day this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. In that show Pruett points out a lot of people thought he would adapt to the Winston Cup cars quickly because of his Trans-Am background. In reality, they are totally different. "What would NASCAR do, at the end of the season, if two drivers tied for the top spot in points?" Dustin Tucker, West Columbia, S.C. Dustin, The first tie-breaker is wins. "I would like to know why NASCAR doesn't make it mandatory to take the tires back around with you when the right side tires are changed. I feel it could of cost Jeff Gordon his 50th win in Bristol." David Evans, Milton, Pa. Great question. Great idea. Now we need to convince some great minds. Teams SHOULD pick up that tire. The reason they don't want to is because it slows down the stop, but right now some guys do and some guys don't. So, some teams are running the risk of a slower stop and others aren't. NASCAR says they can't police such a rule. They can time everybody coming down pick road but can't watch for the right rear tire? Heck, use the TV replay like they do in hockey. If it's left there, bring the driver back in for a chat. You start penalizing drivers for mistakes by the crew and the problem will cure itself. "Who determines who gets an in-car camera and why doesn't Jeff Gordon carry one more often?" Andrew Sowle, Austin, Texas The in-car cameras are "purchased" by sponsors. Some drivers, crew chiefs and car owners don't like the cameras in the car. They don't like anybody messing with their car. Terry Labonte really dislikes running an in-car camera. He says he has never finished a race when he has carried a camera. If I was his sponsor, I don't think I would go against those odds! As for Jeff, I don't know how many races he carries an on-board camera, but it seems to me he has them for most of the major events. "Just wanted to let you know how thrilled we were with the extended coverage of Ward Burton in Victory Lane at Darlington. He is our favorite driver and has been for a long time. We were wondering if you knew how Ward broke the trophy?" Joe McHale, Kansas City, Mo. Ya know, I didn't see it happen, but I was told in his enthusiasm he "jerked" it up off the ground and the glass top separated from the base. He didn't really break it, a little crazy glue and it should look great on his mantle. I loved the post-race coverage from Darlington, but I would like to point out that most fans do not watch extended post-event coverage of sporting events. Additionally, since viewership drops off after the initial Victory Lane interview (or post-event interview in other sports), networks take a "ratings" hit for that type of extended event coverage. I'm not saying one way is right and the other is wrong, but for fans that think it should be that way every week, it's virtually cost-prohibited because it is difficult to sell sponsorship for coverage of an event that has already ended. And as you can imagine, the people that buy advertising time for a Winston Cup race, want the commercials to air during the race when the viewership is at it's peak. "Do the cars in a Winston Cup race have to start the event with full fuel tanks? Could a team start with the tank 2/3 full, knowing that the tires will be wearing out before the tank would run dry?" Don Mulder, Naperville Ill. Cars start with a full fuel cell because it helps meet the 3,400 pound minimum weight requirement. If they started with two-thirds of a tank, they would have to add weight to the car to make up for the weight lost by the lack of fuel. "Will NASCAR consider a more 'IROC-type' of aero package for the superspeedways -- Daytona/Talladega -- to get rid of the restrictor plates? I've got to believe this would give the drivers better control/handling and more throttle response. Heck, the Cup cars might even draft properly. If this was to happen, could we see the return of the Slingshot move?" Jamie Cameron, Gillam, Manitoba Jamie, Lots of talk about this type of move. I don't think it is going to happen. The racing world is all about advancement and moving forward. Sleek, "swoopy" race cars help sell sleek swoopy" street cars. If NASCAR was to mandate cars with a design that is more "square" than "swoopy" the manufacturers probably would not like it. Too bad, look what the trucks did for Speedweeks. Best race of the month! "What are the rules for what cars can drive in NASCAR? With the globalization of the auto industry, could a manufacturer like Honda or BMW run in NASCAR?" Erik Timmerman, Apex, N.C. A new manufacturer like Honda or BMW would have to submit a plan and prototype to NASCAR for approval, similar to what Dodge has done in recent months. "I was just curious if there were any ideas or plans to build another superspeedway such as Daytona or Talladega. I really enjoy restrictor-plate races and would love to see a third track built just for that." Sean Bryant, Knoxville, Tenn. No plans that I know of. The use of restrictor-plates still meets with mixed reaction. Some people like them, some don't. "Why doesn't the polesitter always take the first pit stall? If Dale Jarrett would have taken the first pit stall at Atlanta he probably would not have made contact with another car." Ed Jackson, Frankford, Mo. The first pit stall is not always the best. On long pit roads, the fastest qualifiers normally pit in the middle because it can help you beat the "speed traps" along pit road and it can be an advantage beating pit road traffic as well. I was surprised with the 88 pit stall in Atlanta and I have never asked Todd Parrott about that. I will this weekend. "Why did Chrysler decide to use the Dodge Intrepid body style instead of the Chyrsler M300 or Concorde? Just from seeing them on the highway, they look to be more aerodynamic than the Intrepid. Maybe ask Ray Everham." Raymond Ray, Little Rock, Ark. I will ask Ray. But, if you allow me to guess, I would think the Intrepid is the car that they would want to market to the racing audience. I think that wanted the "DODGE" mark in NASCAR as opposed to the Chrysler Concorde. | ALSO SEE Weber's mailbag: March 22 Weber's mailbag: March 15 Weber's mailbag: March 8 Weber's mailbag: March 1 Ask Bill Weber | |||||