RacingNation.com

Lack Of Daytona Testing Raises Questions

Testing for the Daytona 500 was scheduled to begin this week at Daytona International Speedway. An annual ritual where teams headed to Florida to shake down their cars for the upcoming 500, this year’s testing was scrapped by NASCAR in a cost-saving move.

One has to wonder how the move will impact the quality of the racing at Daytona this year.

Without the testing, how will teams be able to gauge the readiness of their cars? Will the bigger teams like Hendrick and Roush-Fenway with their seemingly endless resources have an even greater advantage over the one- and two-car efforts? How will new, younger drivers react to whizzing around the Daytona high-banked speedway at nearly 200 miles per hour without any testing sessions under their belts?

In addition to teams and drivers getting track time during testing at Daytona, NASCAR previously used the event to tech the cars each season. Without the tests, teams are now required to bring their cars to Charlotte and the NASCAR Tech Center for safety and race-ready certifications.

Only time will tell, but testing at Daytona has always been a critical element in producing great racing at the ‘World Center of Speed.’ A place where having the right car is everything, show up at Daytona with a less than perfect bullet and you are screwed regardless of who and how great a driver you are.

Perhaps it will be less critical this year thanks to the highly regulated COT body. With little room for interpretation, the ‘creative engineering’ that previously went into shaping the body of the car is limited at best.

On the other hand, the lack of experience for the younger drivers that testing provides is sure to have an impact – and we mean impact. Running at high speeds inches apart is insane for even the most experienced drivers. For the rookies and other less experienced pilots, it’s sure to be even more challenging.

For every action, there’s a reaction. Without pre-season testing at Daytona this year, here’s betting there will be more accidents than usual in the 500 this year.

Who’s On First?

“You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.”

The old phrase has never been more appropriate as nearly every NASCAR Sprint Cup team has made changes to its lineup for the 2009 season. Here’s just a few of the new associations fans will need to take note of then the green flag falls on the season-opening Daytona 500 Sunday, February 15.

After a couple of years as a part-time player, Mark Martin (right) returns to the Sprint Cup ranks full-time in 2009 behind the wheel of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy. Along with Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the addition of Martin makes the Hendrick stable look more unbeatable than ever.

Meanwhile, Casey Mears, displaced from the Hendrick camp by Martin, moves to Richard Childress Racing where he will wheel the No. 07 Chevy. He replaces Clint Bowyer, who stays with RCR piloting the No. 33 this season.

Martins’ old ride – the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevy – will see Aric Almirola in the seat this season. Paul Menard has left DEI and the No. 15 Chevy for Yates Racing and the No. 98 Ford in 2009.

At Penske Racing, David Stremme takes over the wheel of the No. 12 Dodge replacing Ryan Newman – who will now drive the No. 39 Chevy at the newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing. There, Tony Stewart takes on team ownership responsibilities as well as a seat in the No. 14 Chevy this season.

That leaves the No. 20 Toyota open for wunderkind Joey Logano at Joe Gibbs Racing. At Gillette Evernham Racing, A.J. Almendinger replaces Elliott Sadler in the 19 car while it appears that Reed Sorenson will move from Ganassi Racing to the No. 43 as part of a GEM/Petty Enterprises merger.

Also new this year is Scott Speed taking over the No. 82 (formerly No. 84) Toyota at Red Bull Racing while Marcos Ambrose is set to drive the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Toyota.

On the outside looking in at this point – Sadler, Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek, Ken Schrader, J.J. Yelley, Scott Riggs, Patrick Carpentier and Tony Raines to name a few.

Stay tuned. There are sure to be more changes before the season lid lifter at Daytona next month.

Close Finishes In Print

We always appreciate you accessing the stories and photos on CloseFinishes.com, but don’t forget our work can be viewed at multiple other racing websites, magazines and trade papers as well.

For example, there’s a pair of stories we penned in the most recent issue (January 09) of Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated Magazine. One is a Sprint Cup versus Truck Series chassis set-up comparison in the Tech Section of the magazine (many thanks to good buddy Rick Ren for his assistance on this story) and another on Champion Wheel and Tire – the company that transports and maintains wheels and pit equipment for NASCAR teams in all three divisions.

Make sure you pick up a copy at your local newsstand and – as always – thanks for the support.

Share Button