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| | Wednesday, March 22 | |||||
| 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 Darlington, S.C., for the Mall.com 400. Before he finds his way to the pits this weekend, Weber took the time to answer a few of your questions. "I was curious about why Dale Earnhardt could have two cars he owns qualify in the top five at Atlanta and he himself, arguably the best driver in NASCAR, not be able to qualify in the top 30. Is qualifying not a concern to him or is it that they miss the set up by that much." John Foran,St. Albans, Vt. Earnhardt worked on race set-up Friday morning while his teammate Mike Skinner worked on qualifying. Then they swapped notes. Earnhardt thought he might be a little off, but he was more than just a little off. But, as Dale has said, qualifying hasn't been his strongest suit of late. He can race his way to the front as well as anyone and he knows it. He would like to qualify better, but he also knows he doesn't always have to. "This whole provisionals thing is getting out of hand. How can NASCAR sit there and watch the man 11th in points, Johnny Benson, not get a place in the starting lineup? Darrell Waltrip seems to get one every week. I know the No. 10 team is a new team, but what about rewarding the guys running good this year, not 15 years ago?" Keith Thompson, Mason, Mich. This has been a popular question since Saturday, but everything was done by the rules. Rules are rules. This week the provisionals are based on 2000 points. Here's a note from my Web-file for ya. In 1996, Jeff Burton finished 5th at Daytona, 13th at Rockingham and 4th at Richmond. He went to Atlanta second in points, just 86 behind Dale Jarrett and failed to qualify for the race. He fell to 14th in points. "With all the struggles of Chevrolet, you have rumors pop up about a standard template. The vast majority of the fans would hate to see this, and it would be a shame to see this happen with Dodge fixing to step into the picture. Do you see standard templates in the future, and what other steps do you see NASCAR trying to make if any to make the racing less expensive so the single-car teams can survive?" Josh Gardner, Sumter, S.C. I think it's very possible. The manufacturers probably wouldn't like it, but the teams might. The aero-thing is just such a fine art. I don't know what is going to happen, but think about this: If, IF, the Winston Cup series went to uni-bodies, think what a challenge it would be to beat the other guys. They have the same body, they have to fit the EXACT same templates. You have the same stuff they do. Now the work really begins. Might be fun to watch! "It seems odd that the Melling family has agreed to relinquish the rights to the No. 9 to Elliott/Evernham, when they had refused to do so in the past. Could the mystery young talent actually be the former CTS Dodge driver, Stacy Compton?" Jerry Behm, Orange, Calif. I didn't find it odd. I found it refreshing. Mark Melling said Friday morning that when Bill Elliott takes that 9 to Victory Lane, Harry Melling will be looking down and smiling. It was pretty emotional. If you're searching for a business tie, I would say it is quite possible that Melling will switch to Dodge. "I saw a picture of Ray Evernham talking with Bill Elliott in the garage area at Atlanta. I know Elliott is going to be driving one of the new Dodge Intrepids, but what I want to know is if Ray is going to help Elliott set up his cars for the rest of the season and try to get 'Awesome Bill' back into Victory Lane. I sure hope so." Lynn Patton, Tyler, Ala. Obviously, the better "Awesome Bill" runs this year, the better it will be for Ray next year. Ray has had some input with the 94, but it has been limited. There are strong stipulations in his release from Hendrick Motorsports that say what Ray can and cannot do. I believe both sides are trying to further iron out those details with the goal being to allow Ray to work more with the team. "Talk about underdogs ... the 10 and 13 are both single-car teams in the top 15. Give these guys some (respect) before they get taken out in the "big one." Also, can these 'low-cash' teams ever get a win?" Jeff Catsteak, Columbus Grove, Ohio I don't think there are any "low-cash" teams out there, just teams with less cash. I think Johnny Benson can win this year. Robby Gordon has a longer road to travel. It would be great to see some "underdogs" get to Victory Lane. Alan Kulwicki would be smiling. "In your opinion, what is wrong with the No. 26 team. I have been a Jimmy Spencer fan for years, and I keep waiting for the breakthrough year. I really thought this year -- with the Yates engines -- was going to be the year, but it has started out terribly. Do you think it's Jimmy, the crew, Donnie Wingo, or a combination of all three? Do you feel the team will remain together this year is something doesn't change?" Mitchell Wicker, Sweetwater, Tenn. I think it's going to be tough for the 26/66 bunch. I am a big Jimmy Spencer fan. He has brought his own brand of Excitement to the Winston Cup series. I, too, thought he might have a resurgent season in 2000, but so far, nothing. Maybe there's too much going on with the two teams. I don't know. And right now, they don't either. It wouldn't surprise me to see some changes within that organization this season. "Will Pontiac actively pursue any certain teams to replace Petty Enterprises and Bill Davis Racing? The lose of those two teams really lessens Pontiac's punch in Winston Cup. Petty I understand, but Bill Davis comes as a bit of a surprise." Jim Burkett, State Line, Pa. Pontiac will have to look around for new teams. Remember when they shocked a lot of people by signing Joe Gibbs. Some team will make some money here. Hard to say who, but they'll get it from Chevy or Ford to stay, or from Pontiac to switch. "Is Dodge planning on running any Busch cars next year? And if so who are the prospects for those drivers?" Chuck, Buford, Ga. I don't know of any plans to compete in the Busch series, but I'll make a few calls and check it out this weekend. "How are the rookie points calculated? It seems that Dale Earnhardt Jr. should have a much larger lead on Matt Kenseth after the first three races considering their finishes and Winston cup points standings." Steve Polk, Georgia A rookie must qualify for at least eight of the first 20 races of the season. Rookie of the Year points are awarded as followed, based on the candidate's best 17 race finishes: Poplar Bluff Mo. I didn't even have to use my 50-50 here, it's the qualifier higher in the current Winston Cup point standings. "A few years back during a race a driver pulled off the track thinking he had won the race only to find out he had led to the white flag but did not finish the lap to take the win. What was the driver's name? Where was the race? Was it a Bush or Winston Cup race and what year was it?" Steve Lamb, Greensboro N.C. The driver was Mark Martin in the Busch race at Bristol, Tenn., in the spring of 1994. The race ended under caution. "Can you give me (us) some information about the Petty cars? It seems the loss of Robbie Loomis has affected both Kyle and John!? Both Kyle and John were running very well at the end of last season. I really expected more early from Kyle. Has something like his team, crew chief or equipment changed slowed his progress? Will they be working on the Dodge throughout this season along with racing each week? I'm really stumped! It seems something happens every year to stifle Kyle's progress. I know he is a better driver than he is showing. Do you know what the problem might be? Richard Sweazy, Greenwood, Ind. It seems to me that Petty Enterprises is working on the future and foregoing the present. They make the switch to Dodge next season. We talked about this last week, but I think there is so much going on at Petty Enterprises right now that somebody probably has to call up there every Thursday to remind them to get to the track by 6 a.m. Friday! "My mom & I are huge Rusty Wallace fans. Is Rusty's fire to win still there? And what's going on with his pit crew? Rusty's pit crew always got him in and out fast, what happen to his crew? Rusty's one heck of a driver, and we feel he deserves better than what he is getting!" Ted Goroncy, Scottdale, Penn. Niagara Falls couldn't put out Rusty's fire. He had a great race going at Atlanta, but got tangled up in the Tony Stewart wreck. He also had strong pit stops. They are changing chassis up there again, trying to put Rusty and Jeremy in the same chassis at the track each week. We'll see what happens. "I read a newspaper columnists opinion indicating they should do away with the two road course races. I believe this is the one area where it really does demonstrate the overall drivers' abilities more than horsepower. How do the drivers feel about road course racing?" Rod Lander, Las Vegas, Nev. More and more drivers like the challenge, many do not. When it comes to the fans, there is not the appreciation for road-course racing in this country that exists in the rest of the world. That doesn't mean road-course racing doesn't have a lot of fans, it's just that this style of racing is more popular elsewhere. I think one road course race a year would be plenty. "Has Bahari Racing folded? Did the Earnhardt's buy the Stavola Brother's number?" Rocky Kirby, Houston, Texas Chuck Rider, one of the world's nicest guys, sold Bahari last summer to Jack Birmingham. It is now the 27 car with Jeff Fuller as driver and Barry Dodson as crew chief. The Stavola organization is inactive. It's my understanding the number 8 was available from NASCAR. "How close is the decision to build a track at the Meadowlands, that is close to me and it would be great." Doris Bradley, Oakhurst, N.J. Don't hold your breath. I'm from Middletown, N.J. The post-race party will be at my brother's new home in Marlboro. But don't start the grill yet. | ALSO SEE Weber's mailbag: March 8 Weber's mailbag: March 1 Ask Bill Weber | |||||