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| | Wednesday, March 15 | |||||
| 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 flying across the country to "Sin City" for the Carsdirect.com 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Instead of opting for the in-flight movie (Days of Thunder wasn't a choice), Weber took the time to answer a few of your questions.
"Do you think NASCAR will make a rules change before the Cup cars go back to a superspeedway even though the GM cars held their own at the Rock? By the way this was the best race at Rockingham that I can remember."
Orville Caudill, Jeremiah, Ky. Hello Big "O", I hope so. By the time you read this they may have already made a change. NASCAR needs balance. A question for you, was the Rockingham that much better or have the past races there just been that much worse? A 400 mile race should have more than 4 cars on the lead lap at the end. Are you a Pontiac fan? "Do you really know if Evernham & Dodge will announce their drivers at Atlanta? As a huge Bill Elliott fan I've said to myself what happens will be for the best, but the suspense is killing me." Larry Cimino, Joliet, Ill. Hey Romeo and Joliet, Where for art thou, Awesome Bill? Isn't the suspense exciting? Don't know for sure where Bill is heading, but if you are a true Elliott fan, you might look for an awesome announcement in Atlanta! "Why on earth does NASCAR finish the races under caution. There are a lot of us out here who think they should finish under the green flag, after all it's racing not walking to the finish. They should stop counting the laps with a few left and finish the race under green. Don't you think it would be better that way?" Kenneth Belcher, Bloomfield N.Y. Dear K.B, I have changed my opinion on this. I used to think if the entry blank said 500 miles, it should be 500 miles. But I have listened to the fans and I have heard them. NASCAR should come up with a formula so races DO NOT end under caution. But it should be different for tracks that are different in length. "Why doesn't NASCAR move away from restrictor-plate racing? It would be just as easy to limit the size of the rear end gear that the cars can use. Limiting the rear end gear would limit the top speed of the car and not give up the horsepower. We would also be able to see the great racing like we saw in the truck race." Ryan Dupree Huntsville, Alabama Hey Flyin' Ryan, Lots of thoughts on this but no movement. The problem now is, most fans love restrictor-plate racing. Well, at least they did until the Daytona 500 two weeks ago. "What is the atmosphere like at Gibbs Racing? Do Tony and Bobby (still) share information about car setups for qualifying and racing? Are there any hard feelings between the pit crews after the accident at Daytona which injured Tony's jackman?" Pat Geary, Grove City, Pa. Pat, They cleared the air at Gibbs. Big meeting Monday morning after the 500. Coach Gibbs told his teams to learn from this, make them stronger and not divide them. They do share notes from testing and practice. It's working. Four wins in the last five races. "Bill, after all the trouble in the pits with tires at Daytona, why doesn't they just get back to the basics? When I grew up, MOM said you don't leave until your room is picked up. NASCAR should play mom and say you don't leave the pits until you pickup you room." Todd Furr, Shelbyville, Ill. Dear Tony the Tiger, I'll bet she said eat your brocolli, too. Some people are talking about your Mom running NASCAR. Could help. "Why wasn't the first race version of the 2000 Monte Carlo allowed? I understand NASCAR made them go back and start from scratch." Bob Jones, Fulton, N.Y. Bob ... NASCAR didn't like it. Kinda like the big bully on the playground when you were a kid. He's doesn't like your toys, you can't play. Bring new toys. You can play. GM had to hit the "aerodynamic" target. It took a while. "What are Rusty Wallace's chances of winning his second Winston Cup Championship? How is Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield working together this year? Is Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield running the same chassis? If not, is Rusty using the Penske chassis or the Ronnie Hopkins chassis?" Seth Benton, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Oh Mighty-Seth-sayer, Rusty would like to think he has a good chance, but he's not off to the start he would like. Good, but not great finishes. Last year Rusty and Jeremy might have been a two-car "team," but they really ran as two separate teams. I think they would like to work together more, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. They have different ideas on how to do things. They will share testing information and some information at the track, but I don't think they will work as closely as some other "multi-car" teams. "With the teams of Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs and Yates seemingly dominating most of the sport, what do you think it will take for another team such as Petty's to get to that next level? Will the switch to Dodge help or hurt this?" Brian Haar, Kansas City Hey Brian, Got any spare tickets for next year? Teams need two things to "get to that next level." Time and money. The switch to Dodge should help The King with the financial side of it. But stability is a big key. Some people in the same place doing the same thing for a long time. That's how you win races and championships. "I wanted to know your personal feeling on how Ricky Rudd will do in the 2000 season? Also how well do you think Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd are communicating?" Jon Palmer, Amherstburg, Ontario Dear Jon, My first 'Dear Jon letter.' I really like the Rudd/Jarrett combination. A mature winner working with DJ and his championship winning team. I think the ability here to try different things and share information is a huge advantage. The looming question is, if both are battling for the championship down the stretch, will they be allies or adversaries? We'll see, because it could happen. "Just a simple question that I am surprised hasn't been brought up before. How can we send our best wishes to Geoffrey Bodine for a speedy recovery. It was great to see him on RPM 2Night, and just wanted to let him know how great it was to see him and having him share with us his personal story." Ronald Purviance, Tampa, Fla. Write to NASCAR in Daytona Beach, they can forward the cards. Also, the people at Lowe's Motor Speedway do a great job of forwarding mail. The first choice would be the "60" shop, but I don't have the address with me. | ALSO SEE Ask Bill Weber | |||||