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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
NASCAR h
Point Standings
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News and Notes
Car of Tomorrow gets
mixed reviews in test
NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow, includ
ing the new Toyota Camry, tested
Monday at the Michigan International
Speedway with mixed reviews.
The new car is wider and taller to
reduce the dependency on aerodynam
ics to promote competition. The car also
has other changes inside the car to
enhance safety. The driver’s seat has
been pushed more to the center and the
larger size means the driver has more
room inside.
While most drivers said the new car
showed promise, four-time Nextel Cup
Series champion Jeff Gordon wasn’t so
sure.
“I don’t see that there’s that much
more room other than headroom,”
Gordon said. “My seat’s moved further
inside the car to the right, but I'm closer
to the door bars than 1 was before. To
me, there’s not really any big gain
there.”
Overall, however, the car got a pass
ing grade, especially the plan to replace
the rear spoiler with a wing and the front
bumper with a scoop called a splitter.
The wing and splitter are supposed to
create downforce when the cars get in
traffic.
Gordon was one of 14 drivers at
Monday’s test. Others were: Michael
Waltrip, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth,
Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Jeff Green,
David Blaney, Scott Riggs, Denny
Hamlin, JJ. Yeley, David Stremme, Bill
Elliott and Joe Nemechek. Waltrip,
Blaney and Elliott were in new Toyotas,
which will join the Nextel Cup circuit
next year.
The Car of Tomorrow will be phased
into the schedule during the next three
years, including 16 of 36 races next year.
Toyota submits engines
for NASCAR approval
Toyota Racing Development submit
ted its Nextel Cup Series engine to
NASCAR for approval. Manufacturers
must have cylinder heads and engine
blocks approved a year in advance.
The Toyota teams that tested at
Michigan on Monday were using
engines created for the truck series.
Those engines were modified to con
form to current Cup rules.
Car companies have until Sept 1 to
submit engine and chassis changes for
the following year. Chevrolet already has
submitted a new engine request and
Dodge is expected to ask for changes to
the front bumper area of the Charger.
Sadler adjusts quickly to Evernham race team
Elliott Sadler made his debut with Evernham
Motorsports last week at the Michigan
International Speedway. He started second and
finished 10th, giving the No. 19 Dodge its first
top-10 finish of the year.
Sadler replaced Jeremy Mayfield, who won his
release from Evernham in an out-of-court settle
ment a week earlier. Sadler’s departure from
Robert Yates Racing wasn’t as dramatic, but it
gained speed as soon as Mayfield was pushed
out at Evernham.
Sadler discussed his new job at Evernham
before last week’s race. Here are excerpts of that
interview:
Question: Talk about joining Evernham
Motorsports?
Sadler: I’ve had a stressful month and a half,
two months just getting everything done the right
way. That's something I keep close to my heart,
making sure we do things the right way. Whether
it was leaving where we were or coming to Ray
and Evernham Motorsports. Those guys have
been helpful getting me fitted in here. We tested
this week and everything went good. I’m ready to
start a new chapter in my life.
Question: What are your goals for the rest
of the season?
Sadler: I want to get this car back in the top
35 in points. I think that’s going to be very impor
tant for the next couple of races and for next sea
son. That’s my No. 1 goal. To try to get these
guys back competitive, I know Ray has put a lot
of effort in this team to get it back where it should
NASCAR
NEXTEL
cup. •units y
Beware the Bristol bullring
A %. -
could thui Chase oou. t eft.d^
By Don Coble
Morris News Service
BRISTOL, Tenn. - The oldest car in Matt
• Kenseth’s race shop is Chassis 89. It’s a six
year-old Ford that started as a Taurus and has
been converted to a Fusion specifically for use
at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
It’s rare a car survives one race at the half
mile short track, much less the last 11.
“We’re bringing ‘Old Reliable’ back to
Bristol,” said crew chief Robbie Reiser. “It
doesn’t run anywhere except Bristol.”
Kenseth’s No. 17 Ford hasn’t escaped
1 Bristol without a few bumps and bruises. He
got knocked around by Kurt Busch last March
while racing for the lead. He took out his frus
tration by bumping Jeff Gordon into the wall.
Crumpled fenders and fractured tempers
are part of the show at Bristol, which makes it
a difficult place to make up ground - or keep
pace - in the Chase for the Championship.
I With just three races remaining before the
final cut is made to determine the champi
onship field, no place offers more opportuni
ties for gains or losses than Bristol.
“If we can get through Bristol without
wrecking, it’ll look pretty good,” Mark Martin
said of his chances to qualify for the Chase.
Not only is Bristol one of only three short
tracks on the Nextel Cup Series schedule, it
has the most-severe banking in the entire
sport. The 36-degree corners turn a main
event into a carnival sideshow, complete with
sparks and ear-shattering noise.
be. We’re pretty much coming to the track like the
9 and 10 and trying to make all three teams the
same and let each
driver and team
director work it out
and do what I can
as a teammate,
too, to help Kasey
Kahne make The
Chase. I know
that’s very impor
tant for this com
pany.
Question: Your
new teammates
are Kasey Kahne and Scott Riggs. How well
do you know them?
Sadler: I’ve been friends with Kasey for a
while, the last year or two. This is a great guy, a
fun-loving guy, and we hit it off. Scott Riggs and I
used to race against each other in the mid-90s at
South Boston and Orange County. I’ve known
him for 10 years now. Scott has run well for a
first-year team, very competitive You think
about that as a driver. He has the same back
ground I’ve got, and if he’s running good in that
equipment, I kinda know his driving style, I should
come over here and be pretty good, too. That
kinda was all part of the decision coming to
Evernham Motorsports. Everyone has been
great. We’ll see how it all works out.
Question: How can you make a big splash
with your new team?
Driver
Jimmie Johnson
Matt Kenseth
Kevin Harvick
Mark Martin
Tony Stewart
Kyle Petty once said racing at Bristol is like
flying a jet inside a gymnasium. It’s also been
compared to spending three hours in a dryer -
- and everyone loses a sock.
The high banking combined with 120-mph
speeds make for one of the most-popular
shows of the year. The best way to pass at
Bristol is to knock somebody out of the way.
It’s one reason why there is a waiting list for
reserved tickets that rivals the Green Bay
Packers.
In fact, ticket brokers call this Saturday
night’s Sharpie 500 one of the top-five sporting
events of the year;’every bit as popular as a
Super Bowl, Final Four and Masters.
For drivers hanging onto their positions in
the Chase, it’s a place that offers unparalleled
pitfalls. For those trying to break into the top
10, it offers unparalleled opportunity.
“Bristol is one of those tracks where you
can have a great car and just get caught up in
someone else’s mess and ruin your whole day,”
Ryan Newman said. “Short tracks are fun to
drive at because you never know what’s going
to happen and I know the fans enjoy watching
those races, but if you’re the team that has a
bad day, then it’s not so fun anymore.
“When you go to Bristol at this time of year,
it’s always interesting to see what’s going to
happen. Bristol can make or break a driver’s
Chase hopes. We’ve had our share of problems
at Bristol, just like every other team, so there’s
no telling how your team is going to do there.”
A year ago Kevin Harvick crashed early at
NEWSMAKER
Elliott Sadler
SPORTS
Behind
Leader
•58
•317
•395
•406
HI NASCAR
U bi/sch )l
Sadler: They have over 200 guys in their
shop. To go around and meet everybody was fun.
I saw a lot of faces I’d seen in the garage before.
Sit in the seats and get fitted up for me. I’m a little
different size than Jeremy was. Just meet and
greet everybody, learn everybody’s language. My
crew chief’s from New Jersey, and I’m from
southern Virginia, so we had to sit and talk a little
bit and talk about things. Just getting a direction
of where they’re headed as a team, where they’re
mindset is when they unload on Friday mornings.
They wanted to know the things I like and dislike
in race cars. It was pretty much like a study hall
or class on Tuesday and then we put everything
together on Wednesday by going to the race
track. We went to Kentucky and shook the car
down. I'd never been in a Dodge before, so I
wanted to scope it out and give them some input
so when we got here this morning we could just
unload and go on the racetrack and not mess
with any of it.
Question: What has it been like going
through all the changes this year?
Sadler: This has by far been the toughest
year of my life. When we got to Daytona we ran
so well we really had high hopes. We just never
could get things going. It seemed like every week
we got knocked back down the ladder. We were
just never as competitive as we should have
been. It was just a very tough season. It came to
a point where Robert and I were disagreeing on
which way we think the sport is going. Nothing
personal, nothing at all. We’re still great friends.
Behind
Leader
-484
•486
-585
-656
Driver
Kevin Harvick
Denny Hamlin
Carl Edwards
Clint Bowyer
J.J. Yeley
Bristol and finished 37th. That finish squashed
his chances of qualifying for the Chase. Jamie
McMurray finished 26th and went spiraling
out of contention.
Now it’s up to Harvick, Martin, Tony
Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Denny
Hamlin, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to
survive 500 laps at Bristol, while Kasey Kahne,
Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Kurt feu sell
must make something happen.
Burton was fourth in the rankings before
last Sunday’s race at the Michigan
International Speedway, but a blown engine
dropped him all -die way to ninth in the stand
ings. Another bad finish, and he could drop
out
“I’ve said all along I don’t think we have a
cushion,” Burton said. “I don’t think anybody
has a cushion. We have to keep fighting and
bring it to the race track every week. We can’t
afford to get into wrecks; we can’t afford to
break motors. When we do, we just have to
fight and overcome it.”
The battle among the bottom-five drivers in
the top 10 offers no room for mistakes. Gordon
is 99 points from 11th place, Kyle Busch is 90,
Hamlin is 88, Burton is 84 and Earnhardt Jr. is
49.
Kahne knows Bristol is his best chance to
make a move back into the top 10.
“It’s going to be tough to get back in there,
but if we do our job, hopefully it will happen,”
he said. “You just never know in racing. It’s an
up-and-down sport. It’s definitely exciting.”
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2006 ♦
Driver Behind
Todd Bodine Leader
Johnny Benson *144
David Reutimann -194
Ted Musgrave -239
Rick Crawford -255
WnUCKSERIESM
This Week’s Race
WHERE: Bristol Motor
Speedway in Bristol, Tenn.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Saturday
TRACK DIMENSIONS: .533-mile
bullring with 36-degree banking
j in the comers
BROADCAST: Television
TNT; Radio Performance
Racing Network
LAST YEAR’S WINNER: Matt
Kenseth
TRACK RECORDS: Qualifying
128.709 mph (Ryan
Newman); Race —101.074
mph (Charlie Glotzbach)
COMPANION EVENTS:
Wednesday Truck Series
O’Reilly 200 (9:15 p.m.,
Speed); Friday Pole quali
fying (3:40 p.m., Speed),
Busch Series Food City 250
(7:30 p.m., TNT).
RACE NOTE: Kurt Busch has
won five of the last nine races
at Bristol, including this year’s
spring race.
We had some great talks this week even after I
left. It was just a difference of opinion, that’s it. I
wish those guys all the luck. I’ve got a lot of great
friends still on that race team, but I want to come
over here. I really believe in which way this team
is going. I really believe in the effort Ray and his
guys put forth on his three teams. I like the way
they’re all in the same shops and everybody gets
the same equipment. I really believe in the direc
tion these teams are going. That’s why I think I
should come here and get an idea of how these
three teams work this year so when we get to
Daytona next year we’ll be ready to go.
Question: Do you think you left Robert
Yates Racing on a good note?
Sadler: I think so. Doug Yates came to my
bus at Watkins Glen, and we had a great heart
to-heart talk. Tears and everything were involved.
Those guys want to get started on their future
because they have a young driver at hand, a
young, talented driver. By doing that, it was giving
me an opportunity to come and start on my
future. It was great for both teams. I think Doug
and Robert knew from the beginning when we
announced we were leaving each other that I was
going to do whatever I had to do as a part of their
race team. If they wanted me to stay, I wanted to
stay and help. If they needed me to leave, that's
what I was going to do. I was committed to those
guys as long as they wanted me there, so when
Doug came to talk last week and it was pretty
much a mutual decision.
compiled by Don Coble
5B