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| | Friday, February 25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On the Track
What happens Sunday at Rockingham may go a long way toward NASCAR's decision on whether or not to help Chevrolet teams the rest of the season. It was obvious throughout Speedweeks that the new Monte Carlo lacked the aerodynamic downforce needed to be competitive at a superspeedway. If the Chevys once again lag behind the Fords and Pontiacs this weekend over a mile-oval track, NASCAR will need to look into things even further. It's already put the three manufactuers cars through wind tunnel testing this week. How the Chevys fare without those dreaded restrictor-plates is another variable at The Rock. The Fords dominated Speedweeks behind the Robert Yates-powered machines of Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd. Fords finished 1-5, there were only three Monte Carlos in the top 15 and the first Chevy didn't come across the finish line until Terry Labonte's ride in seventh. Mark Martin is the defending Dura Lube 400 champion. He'll defend in a Ford. Martin couldn't get out of Daytona fast enough despite his strong fifth-place finish. He hates plate racing. And to make matters worse, he got "lied to" Sunday by winner Dale Jarrett, who hung him out to dry late in the race. Martin won't have to rely on such deals this week at The Rock, where conserving one's tires and finding the right groove -- not making handshake agreements -- is the key. It's "real racing," as Martin likes to call it. Fans and most drivers would agree with Martin, who also won his first Winston Cup race at Rockingham in 1989. One driver who doesn't seem to mind where he races these days is Jarrett, who tries to become only the third driver to win the opening two races of a Winston Cup season. Jeff Gordon won both Daytona and at The Rock in 1997, while David Pearson won the first two races of the 1976 season (Riverside and Daytona). Jarrett, however, has found himself in a bridesmaid role at The Rock more often than not, finishing second in six of his last seven starts here. Rusty Wallace has the most wins at The Rock among active drivers with five trips to Victory Lane. Wallace, who finished fourth last week at Daytona, won three straight Rockingham races at one point -- sweeping the '93 races and winning the first event of 1994. 10 Drivers to WatchMark Martin: Rockingham may be Martin's favorite track. And why not? He's won here twice; captured five poles; has 16 top-10s in 27 career starts and his last win came here 12 months ago. Ricky Rudd: Rudd won the 1996 spring race at The Rock after three second-place finishes, and arrives this year off what has to be a disappointing run in the Daytona 500. But if Speedweeks proved one thing, it was that Rudd will win again this season after seeing his streak of 16 straight winning seasons end in '99. He and the No. 28 Yates Ford seem to be a perfect fit in 2000. Dale Jarrett: A year ago, he entered this race last in the points race. This time he's first after a remarkable job by his crew to fix his badly damaged Ford just hours before the start of the Daytona 500. Jarrett served notice to everyone that he won't be giving up his Winston Cup title without a fight -- if at all. Johnny Benson: So close, yet so far away. That's how Benson could have described his Daytona 500. It'll be interesting to see how the Tyler Jet Motorsports team progresses (or regresses) off his near victory in the Great American Race. Benson was 16th in this race last season driving for Roush Racing. Dale Earnhardt: The most vocal of the Chevrolet drivers at Daytona, Earnhardt told everyone who'd listen exactly what happened on race day. It'll be interesting to hear if he thinks the Monte Carlo has a chance at The Rock. In 41 starts at Rockingham, the Intimidator has three career wins, 12 top-fives and 27 top-10s. Jeff Gordon: Stat of the week: Gordon hasn't finished higher than 10th in his past seven races. He was 34th last week after an oil line fitting broke on lap 32 and forced him behind the wall for five laps. If Gordon is going to prove he hasn't lost anything with all the changes, this would be a good race to do so. He's won this race three of the past five years (1998, '97, '95). Jeff Burton: Once again, Burton has started a season strongly. He was a career-best second in the Daytona 500 and now looks to begin his goal of a consistent season. He led this race briefly last year and finished a respectable fourth. Bobby Labonte: The top Pontiac at Daytona, Labonte has now finished eighth or better in the past 11 races dating back to last season. He knows how important consistency is after finishing second to Jarrett in the points race. Ran third in last season's Dura Lube/KMart 400. Tony Stewart: A contender every time he races after his performances last season as a rookie. The No. 20 team now has notes from last year to pour over and Stewart should be right there for the points title as well. He was 12th at Daytona. The big question will be in the pits where his crew scrambles to replace the jackman, who broke his leg after being hit by Stewart. Rusty Wallace: It's been five years since Wallace won at Rockingham. His next victory anywhere will be No. 50. Wallace currently holds the longest winning streak with at least one win in 14 straight seasons, and remains the active leader in wins at Rockingham with five. Ron Buck is ESPN.com's auto racing editor. | ALSO SEE This week on the track Furr: Tempers short on short track McReynolds: No time to dwell on Daytona  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
