Nascar Rules

[the H team]

Zipadelli to crew chief for Patrick in Daytona 500

Crew chief leaves JGR No. 20 and moves to SHR as competition director

By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
December 16, 2011 2:41 PM, EST

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- Greg Zipadelli, who won two Cup Series championships and 34 races in 13 years at Joe Gibbs Racing, in the last 48 hours negotiated a release from his JGR contract that allows him to join Stewart-Haas Racing as its competition director, a role that will include working as Danica Patrick's crew chief in her Sprint Cup Series debut in the 2012 Daytona 500.
In fact Zipadelli, 44, who admitted knowing an administrative role was probably in his future, though "this was probably a few years earlier than I wanted to as far as quitting to be a crew chief," said he would gently transition by probably serving as Patrick's crew chief in all 10 of her planned 2012 Cup starts -- for sure at the Daytona test Jan. 12-14 and Patrick's Speedweeks events.

“
There's obviously a comfort zone that's a big part of life today. You're comfortable with people, you trust people and [Stewart] gave me a great opportunity here and hopefully I won't let him down.

”
-- GREG ZIPADELLI


"The most important [thing] is that we find the right person, long-term, for that position [and] we'll take as much time as we need," Zipadelli said. "Honestly, I think if it takes 'til the end of the year to make sure we look at everybody that's gonna be available, either now or coming available at the end of the year; to really see who that person is that fits with the other crew chiefs, fits under the Stewart-Haas umbrella, the mold in which they like to do things is important to find that right person."
Zipadelli said working with Patrick wasn't on the table initially, but quickly moved to a front burner.
"When we talked about [moving to Stewart-Haas], [working with Patrick] wasn't part of it," Zipadelli said. "But when we got through, they thought about it and asked if this was something I would do. I'm here to help this team grow in anything that I can do.
"I'm looking forward to it and I think it'll be fun and exciting and like I said, it helps me a little with the withdrawals of not being on that [pit] box. The races are spread out throughout the year so that'll be good and it shouldn't take a lot away from the things I'm trying to learn."
Zipadelli said he had yet to speak with Patrick and would immediately begin working on such issues as filling her crew and determining if the owner points Tony Stewart accrued with the championship No. 14 Chevrolet would transfer to Patrick's No. 10, making it a guaranteed Daytona 500 starter.
"I will start immediately putting some of those pieces together," Zipadelli said. "Though I know [vice president of competition] Matt Borland has done a really good job of keeping that going, so they're not behind."
Zipadelli, a Berlin, Conn., native with a winning legacy leading teams at every level he's raced, said "it was very hard to make the decision. When you are comfortable -- when you spend over 13 years -- there are a lot of friends and family that work [at JGR], that have supported me over the years and those are really hard things to look at. I had to weigh all that out."
Zipadelli was paired with Stewart in 1999 when JGR formed its second Cup team, after "Zippy" won championships in a couple New England-based NASCAR touring series. He and Stewart won championships in 2002 and 2005 before Stewart left to form SHR with co-owner Gene Haas for the 2009 season. Zipadelli remained with the No. 20 Toyota, working with Joey Logano, and they won Logano's first career Cup victory, as a rookie, in 2009 at New Hampshire.
"The closer [making a decision] got, the harder it was [but] when good opportunities come around, you have to make decisions and I'm looking forward to the future I have here," Zipadelli said. "I would say I was as secure -- more secure -- than most people in the sport at where I was and to have an opportunity to work there for the rest of my life. And that's something that everybody dreams about."
But he added that his relationship with Stewart, who he said in his opinion was one of the best drivers in the sport's history and with whom he spent 10 seasons "was huge for me."
"There's obviously a comfort zone that's a big part of life today. You're comfortable with people, you trust people and [Stewart] gave me a great opportunity here and hopefully I won't let him down.
"The biggest thing is this was a new challenge. I've always been the type of person that, I like the next -- 'what's next' -- the next challenge. I've had a great run at Joe Gibbs Racing. This position had been talked about there but it wasn't going to be available for a while, and when I looked at it I said, 'here's one now, for the only person in the sport that I would probably go to work for at this time in my career.'
"Would [the opportunity] be there again? I didn't know, and it's all worked out."
Some of the exchanges between Zipadelli and the vitriolic Stewart through the years are legendary, but the crew chief said one key thing had always been at the base of their relationship.
"I just think we've always had a unique relationship where we've just truly respected each other," Zipadelli said. "We can be very honest with each other and not worry about hurting each other's feelings. I trust and believe in him as much as I do anybody else on this earth and I think there's similar feelings from him -- though I can't speak for him.
"I assume from my conversations with him that's why he worked so hard to get us back together, even though it's in a different role. He knows I'll always have his back and he can just concentrate on racing. It's awesome [what Stewart's assembled at SHR] and it's what this sport needs, to give people hope and the ultimate in fulfilling a dream. I'm glad and honored to be a part of that."
Stewart voiced an equivalent emotion in his team's release announcing the move.
"We're very proud to have Greg Zipadelli join Stewart-Haas Racing," Stewart said. "Greg and I have a long and successful history together. I know him and he knows me, and we both know what it takes to build race teams.
"We took our time in searching for a competition director because it's an important role with a lot of responsibility. Greg knows all that goes into the job, understands the importance of teamwork and communication across all levels of the organization and is ultimately someone I have a great deal of trust in."

[the H team]

JGR names Ratcliff crew chief of No. 20 Cup car

Replaces Zipadelli, who moves to Stewart-Haas Racing as competition director

By Team Release
December 16, 2011 11:18 AM, EST


HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday that Jason Ratcliff has been named crew chief for its No. 20 Sprint Cup Series team, replacing Greg Zipadelli who is leaving the organization to pursue an opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing.


Ratcliff

"We appreciate everything Greg has done for us here at Joe Gibbs Racing. He has been a big part of our success, but we felt the timing was right to make this transition for our race team which allows Greg the opportunity to pursue a director of competition position with Tony [Stewart]," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "We also felt that the timing was right to bring Jason [Ratcliff] to our Cup operation. He is a proven leader with a tremendous track record in our Nationwide program and we think he and Joey will work well together."

Ratcliff spent the previous seven years as crew chief for JGR's No. 18 Nationwide Series team. The team won two consecutive Nationwide owners' championships in 2009 and 2010. They narrowly missed out on a third consecutive title this past season finishing just a few points off the pace in second. Over the past three seasons, JGR's No. 18 Nationwide Series team has won 30 races, with 68 top-five, and 85 top-10 finishes. In addition, they have led 6,124 laps during that time.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to join our Cup operation and work with Joey and everyone on the 20 team," Ratcliff said. "There is a great history with this program and we have two of the best sponsors in the sport with The Home Depot and Dollar General. I've had the opportunity to work with Joey a few times now on the Nationwide side so there is a familiarity there, but I'm looking forward to getting started fulltime and working alongside Dave [Rogers] and Darian [Grubb]."

Zipadelli has been the crew chief for JGR's No. 20 program since the team was formed in 1999. Over the 13-year span he has won 33 total races and two Sprint Cup Series championships with driver Tony Stewart (2002 and 2005). He was also on top of the pit box for Joey Logano's first career victory in 2009 which made him the youngest driver ever to win on the Cup level. Zipadelli is leaving JGR to pursue an opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing.

[the H team]

Best Buy to sponsor Kenseth, Edwards part-time

By NASCAR.COM
December 20, 2011 11:47 AM, EST

MINNEAPOLIS -- Best Buy Co., Inc. announced Tuesday a new sponsorship deal for the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season. Best Buy will serve as primary sponsor of the Matt Kenseth No. 17 Ford for nine races and Carl Edwards' No. 99 Ford for two races. In addition, Best Buy will serve as associate sponsor for each.
"Best Buy is thrilled to announce this new NASCAR sponsorship deal with Roush Fenway Racing," said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of marketing for Best Buy. "Roush Fenway Racing is a great fit for Best Buy Racing. NASCAR continues to be a relevant way for us to connect with our customers. Our goal is to reach our target audiences in a meaningful way, while maximizing the value of our marketing and sponsorship investments."
"We are extremely pleased to announce this partnership with Best Buy," said Roush Fenway co-owner Jack Roush. "Best Buy is an industry leader and a top brand globally. They do a great deal to market and support their teams and we are pleased to be working with an organization that is as enthusiastic about racing as Best Buy. We feel it is a great fit with our organization and we look forward to a great partnership together."
Best Buy has been a NASCAR sponsor for the past seven years, most recently as a primary sponsor for A.J. Allmendinger and the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports team.
"We have had a successful and rewarding relationship with Best Buy for the past few years and appreciate all they have done for us," Richard Petty, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, said in a statement. "Although it is very disappointing that Best Buy is changing directions at this late date, we wish all of our friends there the best in their future endeavors.
"Our plan has always been to run a two-car team in the Sprint Cup Series in 2012 and we are continuing down that path," Petty added. "We have several partners that remain committed to the No. 43 team. We will move forward and explore all of our options in regard to the No. 43 program in the coming weeks."

[the H team]

Only in America

Almirola appreciates his shot in 43 car, and those who made it possible

When one of the sport's good guys gets a good break, it's refreshing.
Such was the case when hard-working Aric Almirola was named driver of the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports last week. Almirola, 27, once seemed to be on the cusp of a great future at some of NASCAR's finest organizations -- first Joe Gibbs Racing, then Ginn Racing (when most everyone was fooled into thinking Ginn Racing was a legitimate operation with a long-term future) and then at Dale Earnhardt Inc., just before DEI became irrelevant as far as fielding relevant race teams.

“
I remember being a kid and driving through that tunnel many a times wondering how cool it would be to get on that race track and race. And not just to get on that race track and race, but to race in the Daytona 500.

”
-- ARIC ALMIROLA


But Almirola's journey to the seat of the car wearing the number Richard Petty made famous is more than about his individual perseverance since 2007, when fate dealt him blow after blow and sent him reeling backward into the Camping World Truck Series in his racing career. It's about more than how he doggedly reestablished himself as a potential up-and-coming star by running competitively in the Trucks and earning a full-time shot in the Nationwide Series at JR Motorsports, where Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the owners and offered a full endorsement.
It's really about much more than all that. It's about the story that began before Almirola was even born in March of 1984, long before he became the first driver of Cuban descent to capture a pole and a victory in two of NASCAR's three national touring series.
It's about a young man whose family fled Communist Cuba in the 1960s and ultimately fulfilled the American Dream not just for himself, but for everyone who sacrificed to help him get his shot at it.
Family story
Even Almirola candidly admits that he didn't always understand the significance of what his grandparents gave up then so he could have the opportunities in racing -- and in life -- that he has now.
"It means a lot. And I say that honestly. It means a lot to me," said Almirola, who was born and raised in Tampa, Fla. "I was just home for Christmas and got to see all my family. When I was over with my dad, I went and saw my grandparents on my dad's side of the family -- and they're the family that came over from Cuba in '66 on the freedom flights.
"When I was younger, I didn't really appreciate it. I didn't really think it meant anything. But the older that I've gotten and to now pay my own bills and now that I'm married and possibly thinking about having a family, I understand a lot better what they went through when they gave up everything they had. They gave up their house, their cars. My grandmother gave up her wedding ring.
"They gave everything back to the Cuban government to come to America and to live the American Dream and to create a better life not only for themselves, but for their family. So I get to be living proof of that. I get to drive a race car for a living, so that means a lot to me -- coming from where my family has come from and the sacrifices that they have made to get to the U.S., to create a better life for themselves and their family, and then for me to be able to live out that dream that they had in 1966 when they decided to give everything back to the Cuban government."
The gradual realization of what his grandparents did, and what it has meant for him, has been humbling.
"Like I said, I took that for granted when I was a kid growing up. I didn't really think anything of it," Almirola said. "But the older I get the more that sinks in and I realize what a huge sacrifice that was to leave everything that they knew to come here to America and start over."
Best Christmas ever
To say that Almirola appreciates the opportunity he'll have driving the No. 43 car full-time in the Sprint Cup Series is a massive understatement.
That's part of what makes it so neat -- and certainly makes the choice look like a strong one, knowing that he treasures the "iconic and historic" nature of the car number he will represent quite a bit more than some others who were mentioned as possible candidates would have. (Did someone say Kurt Busch?)
Almirola has fond memories of Christmas that make it seem like he was meant for this moment.
"Growing up in Tampa watching my grandfather race dirt
sprint cars all around Florida and the southeast and then myself, I
started racing go-karts when I was eight, so I've always been involved in racing," Almirola said. "When I was racing go-karts we would go over to Daytona. Every year right after Christmas, they would have kart weeks there and I would go and race my go-kart there at the municipal stadium on the dirt oval.
"And every time we went, we would go and watch the go-karts run on the road course over at the big track. I can remember being a little kid driving over from Tampa to Daytona the night of Christmas, because everything usually started in Daytona the day after Christmas. So usually we'd open up our presents and hang out and do whatever Christmas Day and by Christmas night we were driving to Daytona to go race."
He remembers what it was like to be a passenger as his parents or grandparents drove the family car through the tunnel leading to the infield at Daytona International Speedway.
"I remember being a kid and driving through that tunnel many a times wondering how cool it would be to get on that race track and race. And not just to get on that race track and race, but to race in the Daytona 500," he said.
He's had the opportunity to do that one other time in his still-young career, but this year it will be different. It will be the start of something new and the culmination of the best Christmas gift he's ever received -- his first full-time Sprint Cup ride in perhaps the most famous car of them all.
If it seems like it could happen only in America, that's because it's true.

[feetfrown]

http://www.hinchtown.com/

[the H team]

NASCAR's 'silly season' takes crazy to higher level

Active offseason produces staggering 34 personnel moves across three series

Eleven years ago, the NASCAR race team then known as Roush Racing made an announcement of a sponsor change on its ship No. 6 car. Valvoline was leaving, and the Roush organization had struck a megabucks deal with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to advertise a certain little blue pill on the hood of its vehicle beginning the following season. Jack Roush and Mark Martin revealed the new paint scheme in a splashy unveiling prior to the July race at Daytona International Speedway -- a full seven months before the car would take to the race track.
That's the way it used to be done. Back when sponsor money flowed like water from a spigot, when many corporations were discovering this marketing opportunity called NASCAR for the first time, deals were made so far in advance that companies had months (or in the case of Dodge's return in 2001, years) to plan their grand entrances into North America's biggest motorsports series. Sponsorship became something of an arms race as companies topped one another with deals bigger than the previous one. The dollar amounts being exchanged were astronomical, and they all came with lots of planning and lead time and activation. Very little was done at the last minute. The latter half of each season typically featured a flurry of announcements as sponsor and driver alignments became solidified, and then everyone scattered to Bali or Aspen for the holidays before reconvening at Daytona in their new colors.
Much of this is also a product of the economy, of potential sponsors taking longer and longer to make decisions with their marketing dollars, forcing teams to wait longer and longer to finalize their programs for the following seasons.



It was a process as regular and as dependable as inspection at a restrictor-plate track. Then the economy flattened. And the sponsor market contracted. And the dollar figures involved shrunk. And suddenly here we are, in the midst of a winter every bit as active as a Saturday morning at Pocono, witnessing a prolonged convulsion of personnel moves that didn't really begin to ramp up until after the 2011 season ended. That used to be the time when NASCAR's so-called silly season quieted down. Now, it's just a starting point. Announcements like Michael Waltrip Racing's at the October race in Kansas, where a new driver, new car and new sponsor were all unveiled in one grand swoop, used to be the standard. Now, in this crazy offseason, something like that seems quaint.
In its place we have a feeding frenzy, an environment in which drivers needing rides and teams needing sponsorship take what they can get, where corporate backing is at a premium, where everything takes much longer because careful, cost-conscious companies would rather sit and wait. A decade ago, the driver lineup for the following season was firmed up well before the circuit reached Atlanta for what was then the final race. Today, regular season and offseason have merged into one long, full-calendar-year process with no defined starting or ending point. Between the end of the 2011 season on Nov. 20 and Tuesday, there were a staggering 34 personnel moves across NASCAR's three national divisions -- and we're not done yet. Preseason testing looms at Daytona, and still race-winning drivers like David Ragan and Brian Vickers don't have jobs. Mike Ford, a crew chief who almost won a championship two years ago, has yet to land anywhere. There is no silly season anymore. The whole season has gone silly.
Granted, for the guys back at the shop who build race cars, this has always been the busiest time of year, as teams try to bulk up inventory and get their vehicles squared away for the first few months of the upcoming campaign. Now, they're not alone. Vacation? Forget it. One day after the 2011 season ended, Roush Fenway essentially shut down Martin's old No. 6 team. A day later, Richard Childress Racing shuffled its crew chiefs, clearing the way to hire ex-Rousher Drew Blickensderfer to work with Jeff Burton's team. That same day, Hendrick engineer Chris Heroy was named crew chief on Juan Montoya's team at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, and Rookie of the Year Andy Lally announced he was heading to Grand-Am. Five days later, crew chief Steve Addington quit at Penske. The day after that, Addington was hired to replace Darian Grubb at Stewart-Haas. The sport hadn't even gotten to Las Vegas to celebrate its 2011 season, and already the next one was taking shape.

And the really big moves hadn't even begun. In the middle of Champions Week, the ownerless and sponsor-less former Red Bull operation shut down. Four days later, Brian Pattie was hired as Clint Bowyer's new crew chief at MWR. But that move went almost unnoticed among the clang and crash of Kurt Busch's unexpected separation from Penske, which happened on the same day and wobbled a series of notable dominoes that would tumble in the ensuing weeks: A.J. Allmendinger landing in Busch's old No. 22 car, Nationwide driver Aric Almirola taking over Allmendinger's former No. 43 at Richard Petty Motorsports, Camping World Truck Series phenom Cole Whitt being snapped up to succeed Almirola in JR Motorsports' No. 88 car, and Busch himself resurfacing in James Finch's No. 51 machine.
The moves kept coming, one after the other, speeding by like a pack of cars at Talladega. Joe Gibbs Racing released Ford, and three days later hired Grubb to replace him as Denny Hamlin's crew chief. Eight days later, Greg Zipadelli left as crew chief of JGR's No. 20 to become competition director at Stewart-Haas, and the Gibbs team promoted Jason Ratcliff from the Nationwide tour. Penske hired Todd Gordon as crew chief on the No. 22. Brendan Gaughan inked a limited Nationwide slate with RCR. David Reutimann signed a Cup deal with Tommy Baldwin, and a Truck Series deal with Robby Benton. Rusty Wallace Racing suspended operations on its two Nationwide cars, and released driver Michael Annett. The avalanche was so unrelenting, there was even a news release dated Dec 25: Eddie Sharp Racing named Jerry Baxter as crew chief on Cale Gale's truck. Evidently, Christmas was the only time they'd have the NASCAR spotlight all to themselves.
To those of us who have been around this sport for a while, it's been a dizzying few months, more active from a personnel standpoint than any other offseason -- and we're using that term very loosely -- in recent memory. No question, winter crew chief changes are far from unusual, and Busch's situation is special case. But much of this is also a product of the economy, of potential sponsors taking longer and longer to make decisions with their marketing dollars, forcing teams to wait longer and longer to finalize their programs for the following seasons, forcing drivers to wait longer and longer to see what might be available to them. And given that the monetary pie shows no immediate signs of getting any larger anytime soon, this may very well be the sport's new reality. Maybe NASCAR should follow baseball's lead and just gather all its team owners together in a hotel somewhere for a week after the season ends, and get all this worked out at one time.
That's unlikely, of course, so the moves continue to come in drips and drabs. The latest one arrived Tuesday, when the always-active Turner Motorsports named Mike Shiplett as crew chief of the No. 38 Nationwide Series car to be driven by Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet (which had been announced Jan. 3). More are certain to come. Who knows, we may have a last-minute announcement on the morning of the Daytona 500. Let's just hope they don't wait until after the drop of the green to make it official. But in this silliest of silly seasons, not even that would come as a surprise.
Silly season

Key offseason moves

DRIVER FROM TO CREW CHIEF FROM TO A.J. Allmendinger RPM Penske Steve Addington Penske Stewart-Hass (T. Stewart) Aric Almirola JRM (NNS) RPM Drew Blickensderfer RCR(D. Ragan) RCR (J. Burton) Clint Bowyer RCR MWR Todd Gordon Penske (NNS No. 22) Penske (A.J. Allmendinger) Kurt Busch Penske Phoenix Darian Grubb Stewart-Haas(T. Stewart) JGR (D. Hamlin) Kasey Kahne Red Bull Hendrick Chris Heroy Hendrick EGR (J. Montoya/) Mark Martin Hendrick MWR Brian Pattie EGR (NNS) MWR (C. Bowyer) Danica Patrick N/A Stewart-Haas Jason Ratcliff JGR (NNS No. 18) JGR (J. Logano) David Reutimann MWR Tommy Baldwin Shane Wilson RCR (No. 33) RCR (K. Harvick) Greg Zipadelli JGR Stewart-Haas (D. Patrick)

[the H team]

Bayne, Ford return to DIS with Wood Brothers

Motorcraft named primary sponsor on No. 21 for 12 Cup Series races in '12


DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Customer Service Division announced Thursday that its brands Motorcraft and Quick Lane will continue to support the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford in the Cup Series in 2012, with defending Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne behind the wheel.
Bayne, who delivered Wood Brothers their fifth Daytona 500 triumph in just his second start last season, said he's pleased to be putting any off-season uncertainty behind him.
"I'm excited," Bayne said. "It's a big deal for me. It's what I had hoped for. We're all excited to be back together."
Team co-owner Eddie Wood said he too is pleased to have Bayne back behind the wheel of his family's race car.
"It's taken a long time to get to this announcement, but it's good to be back together," Wood said. "We all wanted to do what was best for Ford Motor Company and its young drivers, and to be sure everybody had a place to race."
Motorcraft will be the primary sponsor on the No. 21 for 12 races beginning with the Daytona 500 next month. FordParts.com will also be an associate sponsor in 2012.
Beginning next week, Bayne and team return to Daytona International Speedway for Preseason Thunder testing and will try to figure out a way to adapt to a new rules package in order to defend their 500 victory.
"It's going to be very different at Daytona," Bayne said, referring to a rule change that will block off air to the car's radiator and thereby limit the two-car tandem racing that Bayne so quickly adapted to. "It'll be like starting all over again, but that's OK.
"We'll just go try to do it again."

[the H team]

New rules, team changes focus at Thunder

Restructured EGR ready to put the 2012 competition package to test at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing suffered through a subpar 2011 Sprint Cup season as a group and after some major changes to EGR's structure, no one's readier for the 2012 season to begin than Jamie McMurray and his teammate, Juan Montoya.
McMurray, who won the 2010 Daytona 500 and two other plum victories later that season, struggled to finish 27th in points last season.

A test and a Fest

Complementing the testing portion at Daytona is a special two-day Fan Fest event.
More
So with virtually a full field of Cup teams expected to test Thursday through Saturday during Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway, McMurray's anxious to gauge the impact of EGR's new team manager, Max Jones, and his own team's new car chief, Randy Cox, from the former Red Bull Racing, and a new engineer, Dave Winston, who came from Penske Racing.
Montoya, who also won a race in 2010 after qualifying for the 2009 Chase, but struggled to 21st in the points last season, is working with a new crew chief, former Hendrick Motorsports engineer Chris Heroy.
But this test is going to be everyone's first chance to work with a complete new rules package that's a result of information gathered during recent tests at Talladega this past October and at Daytona in November.
"While we have had other tests with these setups, this is the first opportunity for the entire field to test together and get more comfortable with this package as it relates to their cars," NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton said. "This three-day test will allow the engine tuners for these teams to be able to work with their engine packages and see how they relate and react to the new cooling regulations."
While some of the elements were tested, others are new and being seen on-track by the teams for the first time, including smaller radiators with a two-gallon capacity; a smaller cooling system overflow tank with a capacity of a half-gallon; and the radiator inlet being moved up, closer into the front-center bumper area.
Along with electronic fuel injection, which underwent multiple tests in 2011 preparing for its full implementation in ' 12, teams last year also tested a rate reduction for rear springs, making them softer to get the rear spoiler out of the air; a smaller rear spoiler; and a baseline restrictor plate of 29/32nds of an inch (1/64th-inch larger than the plate size for the 2011 Daytona 500).
NASCAR's made it no secret that their changes are designed to break up the two-car drafting formations that teams have gradually discovered is the quickest way around the biggest speedways. The teams' necessary goal is to continue that style of racing.
"You're going to work on trying to stay locked together and making that [tandem drafting] still work," McMurray said. "I personally hope that no one can do it, and that it doesn't work but I don't know that. They've changed the rules a lot so it will be really interesting to see, when we get down [to Daytona] to see if you're able to stay locked together.
"Because if you are, and those other guys can't -- it's 10 miles per hour difference in speed if you can stay locked together or not -- so yeah, I'm anxious to get down [to Daytona] and see what the cars are going to be like."
Montoya's pretty much on the same page as his teammate.
"Our goal is to figure out what we need to do to make our Target Chevrolet better before we come back down to Daytona [for Speedweeks]," Montoya said. "We've completely redone our cars so it'll be interesting to see what we have when we unload on Thursday. We want to gain as much knowledge as possible. I guess we'll have to see if the changes NASCAR made were enough to break up the tandem drafting or not."
A section of the Oldfield Grandstand is open with free admission each day of the test, with access through the Daytona ticket office.
New Smyrna before Daytona for Martin
Clint Bowyer tested with his new Michael Waltrip Racing team and crew chief Brian Pattie last month strictly for the purpose of building relationships. His new teammate, Mark Martin, is testing with new crew chief Rodney Childers on Wednesday at New Smyrna Speedway, about a half-hour south of Daytona, and said both sessions were much more important on a personnel level than a mechanical one.

After the Thunder ...

Head up to Charlotte for a Jan. 20-22 celebratory weekend of the past, present and future of NASCAR.
More
"These tests aren't incredibly important from the car hardware side, it's more important for us as a new group working together to work through the areas like communication, flow, learning everyone's names, routines and things like that," Martin said. "That's really the critical part of the test. From the hardware side, we do have a number of things we want to run through at these tests, but all teams are doing those kinds of things.
"These tests are valuable because we want everything to be working like a smooth-oiled machine by the time we get to the Daytona 500. Then, by the time we get to Phoenix, we want to be acting like we've been racing together for years."
"New Smyrna will be fun because it's a handling track," Childers said of the half-mile, high-banked oval. "With Mark's short-track experience, I'm looking forward to his feedback and him pointing us in the right direction."
Martin did say the new regulations have done more than pique his curiosity. Last season, he almost uniquely worked with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon in the tandem draft but this year he's going to pay a little more attention.
"The one other thing that I am going to focus on this time at Daytona, more than I did a year ago, is working on tandem drafting," said Martin, who finished 10th and 33rd at Daytona last season. "We didn't do that last year and it's going to be even more of a challenge this year. Rodney and I want to look toward being ahead of the curve on the two-car tandem or explore areas that will give us an advantage."
"The Daytona test will be about us working on our qualifying setup for the first day and a half and drafting the rest of the time," Childers said. "The most important thing is the draft, making sure our cars can do what they need to do. We'll probably work on some cooling to see if our cars can push longer than some of the others."

[rockit]

Impending fatherhood impetus to KHI shutdown



http://www.nascar.com/nationwide-ser...ood/index.html

[the H team]

Impending fatherhood impetus to KHI shutdown



http://www.nascar.com/nationwide-ser...ood/index.html

wow! good for him & delana.

[feetfrown]

Yahoo, finally some time of racing

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/grand-am/

[rockit]

Yahoo, finally some time of racing

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/grand-am/

Ya!! I'll be watching as much as I can. Nice to see they're streaming it too!!!
It's too bad A.J. won't be able to be the Grand Marshal...

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...to-miss-event/

Looking over the drivers entry and noticed that Team Sahlen has three entries, cars 42, 43 & 49 and only have 5 drivers listed. Gonna be some tired guys at the end of 24hrs!!!

[rockit]

Hendrick visits GM plant to preview new Camaro

http://www.torontosun.com/videos/1427958550001

[feetfrown]

2012 Schedule out on 1st page

http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/130798-...-rules-canada/

[rockit]

Been looking for a site with a good TV schedule to copy and paste and not getting any luck.
If anyone finds one that decent post the link.

Speedchanel - Shootout Practice - 5 p.m. ET Friday
Speedchanel - Shootout Practice - 6:30 p.m. ET Friday
Speedchanel - Budweiser Shootout Selection Show [for starting positions] 8:30 p.m. ET Friday
Speedchanel - Daytona 500 Practice - 11 a.m. ET Saturday
Speedchanel - Daytona 500 Practice - 2 p.m. ET Saturday
FOX - Shootout - 8 p.m. ET Saturday
Speedchanel - NSCS Coors Light Pole Qualifying - 1 p.m. Sunday