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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 and ESPN have the weekend off. But he'll be watching the MBNA 400 at Dover Downs. Between RPM 2Night duties this week, Weber took the time to answer a few of your questions. "Will Kyle Petty return to racing at Dover this weekend? I would like to see him return but I hope he does when he ready. Thanks for reading my question. My prayers are with Patti, Kyle, Austin, Montogomery, Linda, Richard and their families and of course with Adam." Dale Spencer,Cheraw, S.C. As I am writing this, Kyle does plan to drive in both the Busch race and the Winston Cup race this weekend at Dover. There is (was) a press conference Friday morning at Dover to discuss the situation. "Having just spent the weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway it is apparent that there is a youth movement in the drivers ranks. Is there a youth movement in the ranks of the crew members and crew chiefs for each team?" Craig Alexander, Finksburg, Maryland I just read an article about this in a national publication, it seems there is a youth movement is a number of major businesses across the board, including the CEO position. In racing, it's just a natural step that comes with the expansion and interest in the sport. More people are getting into it at an earlier age. The crew chief position does seem to be taken by some younger men, but there are a number of reasons for this: more teams, the aggressive pursue of the position, and some former races using their knowledge and experience in the crew chief roll. "How come teams don't qualify within close proximity of each other? For instance, at Richmond, Mike Skinner qualified 3rd but Dale Earnhardt qualified 31st. Even DEI cars Steve Park and Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified 2nd and 5th respectively. Do they not exchange information with each other to get optimal performance? I would think it would be in the best interest of the team owners to have their cars finish on top together." Caesar Sarmiento, Gainesville, Fla. There could be a number of reasons for this ... when did the car go out in the qualifying order? Some teams don't have to worry about qualifying because they know they are in the race and want to work on race set-up. It could be the type of car the team is running. Maybe the "tires." Maybe driver error. Obviously, every owner wants his car, or cars, up front in qualifying, not to mention the race. "Since the Indy 500 start was delayed by rain, why did Robby Gordon choose to stay and race Indy, knowing he would miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600? I thought he was a full time NASCAR driver this year." Paul, Anchorage, Alaska Gordon is no longer a "full-time" Winston Cup driver, skipping the Dover race this weekend and selected other races in the near future. Robby loves the Indy 500 and wants to win it. His owner had committed to run the race. He had sponsors he had committed to. He also had P.J. Jones lined up to run the Winston Cup car in Charlotte. It would've been interesting to see what would've happened if the 600 had come before the 500 and the same thing happened. "I am a big fan of nascar and of Tony Stewart. I want to know what is going on with Tony and his crew? They have not won a race yet this this year." Nicole Hartill, Sacramento, Calif. Don't panic. It has been a little bit of a struggle for Stewart and company in this sophomore season, but everything will be fine. He is 10th in points, should've won at Richmond and will win soon. There is a tremendous amount of balance in the Winston Cup Series this season, that is making it tougher to be successful each week. The 20 bunch has had some bad luck and some bad races, but almost everybody in the top-10 in points can say that. "In reviewing Jeff Gordon's performance this year, I noticed that he is doing well on short tracks and the super speedways -- he had a competitive car at Daytona except for the fitting. However, he has not been competitive on the mile-and-a-half tracks. He does not seem to have the set-ups to be competitive as in the past. Could this be due to Robbie Loomis not having great success on the same type of tracks? As crew chief for John Andretti, Robbie Loomis' success came on short tracks and superspeedways." Dave Williams, Lorton, Va. I think the switch to the 2000 Monte Carlo has slowed the growth of several Chevrolet teams, including Gordon. Certainly, Gordon knows how to drive the 1½-mile "quad" ovals, and I think Robbie will be successful in this role. But anytime there is change, you must take the time to adapt to that change. It's still just 12 races in, let's watch and see what happens. "After sitting through the rain delay during the 600, I kept wondering why they paint the white dashed lines around the speedways and how come they don't go into the turns? Since we had some time to kill, I asked everyone around me. Know one had an answer though. The only sensible thought from a bunch of Bud drinking race fans was to help the drivers judge when the corner is coming. I noticed three sets of bright orange markings on the wall in turns 1 and 3 to help the drivers see the turns. Can you tell me why they paint the white dashed lines on the straightaways of racetracks?" Lou, Youngstown, Ohio It's simply for effect. It is a optical effect that makes the cars look faster on television. Look for them next time your watching a race. "During the Coca-Cola 600 Robbie Gordon was penalized five laps for a vague reason, such as, disobeying NASCAR officials. But no one is giving any specifics about this. Can you shed any light as to what happened to deserve such a penalty, which literally took Robbie out of the race?" Dave Whalen, Garden City, N.Y. I have not talked to Robby, but according to some of the RPM 2Night folks working the race, the reason for the penalty was that the team worked on adjusting the seat during the red flag period. Rules prohibit any team from working on a car during a red flag. If that was the reason, five laps was a slap on the wrist. "I was wondering why Earnhardt's color scheme changed for the Coca Cola 600?" Mack Martin, Florence, S.C. Probably for two reasons: 1. Gain additional attention and exposure. 2. Sell more die-cast cars. "Has it ever happened before that two rookie drivers won a points race in the same season, like Matt Kenseth and Dale Jr. have done this year?" Tracy Brain, Warren, Ohio This is the first time since 1981 that two rookies have posted a win in the same season. "With the two new tracks already approved for the 2001 NASCAR season, when do you think some tracks may lose one of their current dates?" Gary Bragg, Kokomo, Ind. In my opinion, it should be soon. In reality, I don't know if it will ever happen. If I was a track owner in the mid-Atlantic states, I would be concerned. A lot of races in a small geographic area. "Will Pontiac continue to maintain their support in Nascar after they lose their teams to Dodge Motor Racing by establishing new teams?" Robert Matheus, Beaver Dam, Wis. I think so. it should open the door for other teams to make the move to Pontiac and get more manufacturer support. | 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 | |||||