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| | Wednesday, July 19 Weber opens up his mailbag | |||||
| ESPN.com 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 out in California for the Save Mart 350 at Sears Point. But before he finds his way to the pits, Weber took the time to answer a few of your questions. "How come Kyle Petty didn't make the race at Dover when he has more points this year then dave Dave Blaney, Dave Marcis and Scott Pruett. He was even higher in the final standings last year then Marcis and the other didn't even race last year." Bill Daley,San Diego, Calif. Kyle is out of provisionals until the race at Sears Point. He has used the maximum allowed to this point in the season. " I hear a lot of rumors that Gibbs Racing is changing cars for the next season. Is this true. A concern Gibbs Racing fan." Hector Flores, Fort Knox, N.Y. First of all, where is Ft. Knox, N.Y.? Both the Gibbs cars are expected to be Pontiacs next year. In fact, Saturday, Tony Stewart said I'm driving a Pontiac this year and I'll be driving one next year. "Now that Valvoline isn't the major sponsor for Mark Martin ,what is the chances of Winn-Dixie moving up to Winston Cup to become his major sponsor? Mark Martin and Winn-Dixie have been together for just about as long as Valvoline has been with Martin and this would be the perfect time to continue that relationship." Roger D. Logwood, Greenville, Va. I don't think Winn-Dixie is interested in a full-time Winston Cup program. The dollar investment would be several times what they are spending now, sponsoring a limited schedule in the Busch series. Besides, Winn-Dixie is a regional chain that would have to decide how much value that would be in a national campaign, which is what the WC series is. Also, I believe Roush already has a sponsor lined up for the "6" car. "There are several women racing cars today, and has been in the past. What I would like to know is has there ever been a woman win a Winston Cup, Busch, or IRL race? And if so, who and when? Way to go ladies I tip my hat to you." Linda, Bedford, Ind. There have been a few women drive in a handful of Winston Cup races. Shawna Robinson and Patti Moise both ran full-time programs in the Busch series in the 90s. Sarah Fisher has a full-time IRL ride this season. Sarah and Lyn St. James both made the starting field the this year's Indy 500. "I am a big Rusty Wallace fan. This year Rusty seems to have had some really great cars but cannot seem to put it together enough to win. It seems he runs great for the first 5/8ths of the race and a bad pit stop or two put him back in the field and he cannot catch up. Is there a problem with his pit crew, or is the set-up on the car just not giving him the performance for the entire distance of the race?" Tim Gerdmann, Chippewa Falls, Wis. If I knew the answer to this one, I would get Rusty to hire me. Here's what I think. Rusty is not a "points" racer. Sure, he would love to win the Winston Cup championship, but on Sunday, he REALLY wants to win the race and the points get lost in the excitement and the challenge. When the green flag falls, it's Victory Lane or bust. So far this season, it's been Victory Lane: 1, Bust: 6. That being said, he is seventh in points. Benny said it best last Sunday, Rusty has won Friday four times, but only once on Sunday, at Bristol. You know, Tim, there are 42 opponents in every race you have to beat to win, but it seems to me that for Rusty, there are 43, because sometimes, the 2 team beat itself. "I am an avid fan of Jeff Gordon. Could you tell me why he receives boos from the fans? How well does he get along with the other drivers? What do other drivers think of him? I have never read anything that would answers these questions, but often hear how other drivers get along." Sandy Bowlby, Seminole, Fla. Jeff is popular with many drivers and people in the sport. He is recognized as a leader and deservedly so. Why does he get booed? Because for years he has been the car to beat, and when drivers are introduced before the race you have all the Gordon fans cheering for Jeff, and all the fans of the 42 other guys rooting against him. That means the boo-to-cheers ratio is about 42-1. That's why it's hard to here the cheers, but they are there, and they are getting louder. "Whenever a team tests, is there always a NASCAR official present? Otherwise, how do they know whether there are any rules infractions?" Robbin Meister, Washington, N.C. NASCAR officials are not always present, but there is a self-policing policy here. Rarely do teams test alone at a race track, usually there's another team there, if for not other reason, to help defray the expenses. Also, you never know when a NASCAR official or, even worse, the darn media will show up with a camera! It's kind of like driving 73 mph in a 65 mph zone. You can do it, but you better be willing to pay the price if you're caught! "With Darrell Waltrip retiring after this season is there anything about who will drive that car next season?" Josh Haynes, Thorn Hill, Tenn. Interesting question, but I don't know the answer. I would also be interested to know if Kmart is coming back. "May I ask how NASCAR goes about penalizing for rough driving! I have seen in many instances when a popular driver does not get penalized (Bristol night race with Texas Terry and the 3 car comes to mind), but a lesser know driver like Nadeau (Daytona I believe) or Nemechek (The Winston) gets the penalty! This kind of favoritism is happening too frequently for my liking!" Mike McLellan, Fryeburg, Me. I wouldn't call it favoritism, but it is highly subjective. There is no argument that NASCAR blew the Bristol race. The Nadeau incident at Bristol with Dale Jarrett resulted from the fact that Jerry hit the guy racing for the Winston Cup championship. He used what NASCAR determined to be "bad judgement," although Jarrett admitted his car was slow and he was probably in the way. On the flip-side, Nadeau, and his spotter had a long time to see Jarrett and avoid the incident. There are a lot of people in the garage still mad at Joe Nemechek and believe he got off easy. His temper got the best of him and that cannot happen at 175 mph. Try and keep score on these incidents, Mike, and I believe that 95 percent of the time, you'll find out that the drivers believe NASCAR did the right thing. They have to control rough driving, but not take away from the drama that adds to the excitement. That can lead to some difficult decisions. "Has NASCAR ever considered going to a V-6 on the superspeedways instead of using the restrictor plates to slow down the cars?" David Wells, Delphos, Ohio David, thanks for your great years with the Yankees, we could sure use you now. The V-6 wouldn't do the job. The plate is already robbing the engine of horsepower. It's also my understanding that the V-6 would not be reliable enough and parts are hard to get. "Why wasn't Dale Jarrett given the black flag in The Winston after he started smoking in the final laps of the race?" Kyle Englehardt, Palmyra, Mo. I was not at The Winston. I was working qualifying at Indianapolis, but the rules are somewhat "flexible" in The Winston since it is a "show" and not a points race. I would think that NASCAR inspectors around the track did not see Jarrett putting any fluid on the track. If drivers had radioed-in that he was doing that, he probably would've gotten the black flag for safety reasons. "I started watching NASCAR Winston Cup racing three years ago and was hooked. I picked Bobby Labonte as my favorite driver for many reasons when I saw him in the first IROC race I watched. He drives a Pontiac and I drive a Pontiac Firebird. Now that he is first in the point standings he doesn't seem to get much media coverage. It is as if no one thinks he can stay there so why bother talking to him. I don't understand why a Pontiac can't be No. 1 in NASCAR and stay there. Is a Chevy or Ford that much more superior?" Andrea Interlicchia, Vernon, N.J Pontiac is out to prove that it CAN be No. 1. The achievement would be priceless in advertising. Bobby gets plenty of coverage, but, to be candid, giving interviews is not Bobby's favorite thing to do. He is a great story teller, with a terrific sense of humor, but for some reason, that rarely comes across on camera. His answers are short and to the point and that limits his "on-camera" time. "What do the teams do with the old tires after the race? I would like to get one of Mark Martin's if possible. Also what is the durometer (hardness) of the tires rubber on concrete tracks vs. asphalt tracks?" Mark Ferdelman, Union, Ohio There is a service that removes the tires from each track after the race and I believe that some are for sale to fans. I'll try to find out some more info on this, maybe a phone number or something. "Does all of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s success put extra pressure on his teammate, Steve Park? Do you think Steve Park will be with the team next season?" Troy Murdock, Chico, Ca. My buddy Matt Yocum reported two weeks ago that Park will stay put. Here is a quick trivia question for you: How many WC starts has Steve Park made? The answer: Michigan will be just his 70th. There were, and are high expectations for Park. You can look at Earnhardt Jr. and his success two ways: It puts pressure on Park to win or, it gives him and his team extra incentive to win. I would really like to see Steve be more successful, because I would love to see Earnhardt Jr. and Park be a 1-2 out of the same garage much like Martin and Burton. | ALSO SEE Weber's mailbag: May 3 Weber's mailbag: April 27 Weber's mailbag: April 12 Weber's mailbag: April 6 Weber's mailbag: March 29 Weber's mailbag: March 22 Weber's mailbag: March 15 Weber's mailbag: March 8 Weber's mailbag: March 1 Ask Bill Weber | |||||