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CUP: Dave Despain, Danielle Trotta Q&A
SPEED analysts Dave Despain and Danielle Trotta preview the 2013 NASCAR season...
SPEED.com - The Online Motor Sports Authority (Image: SPEED)
SPEED ANALYSTS DESPAIN AND TROTTA MAKE BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR THE UPCOMING NASCAR SEASON AND ITS MAJOR PLAYERS
Q: How will you gauge success with this new car?
“The new car is already a success to this extent -- NASCAR has listened to and acknowledged the complaints of the fans who simply refused to pretend that headlight decals and stick-on logos actually made one ‘brand’ of COT different from another. The next step is to see how the new car races. If it’s easier to pass, that will be another major step forward.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
‘We're already hearing that changes to the rear-end housing could result in parts failures early in the year -- that would not be a successful transition. We had a mostly smooth transition with EFI last year and very little trouble in race conditions. Hopefully, this new ‘Gen-6’ car follows suit. They say it will create more side-by side-racing and put the race back into the drivers’ hands, and no one argues how well-received that would be.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: How do you expect Penske Racing’s move to Ford to affect that organization in 2013?
“I think ‘The Captain’ clearly perceived Ford as an upgrade, and if that’s true, that means last year’s championship-winning team should be even better this year. And any disadvantage the Penske guys might suffer because they have to adapt to a new car is pretty much offset by the fact that everybody is adapting to a new car.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
“That truly remains to be seen, but we've spoken with Edsel Ford and Paul Wolfe on Race Hub, and they tell us the transition has been smooth. Roger Penske used the word ‘benchmarking’ when describing his reason for leaving Dodge for Ford. Affiliating himself with a strong, proven and winning brand like Ford, in addition to resources from teams like Roush Fenway, creates more opportunities for success. But the defending champ’s transition will be a major storyline to follow in 2013.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: Is Brad Keselowski a good face for the sport right now and what kind of role model do you think he’ll be?
“Role Model? I’ll take BK over Lance Armstrong! Or Alex Rodriguez! Sorry, but I stopped expecting professional athletes to be role models around the time of the O.J. Simpson trial. All I want is for the Sprint Cup champion to be himself -- honest, outspoken, real, interesting, sometimes controversial and able to back up his mouth with his driving.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
Q: What kind of impact will Matt Kenseth have on his younger teammates, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch?
“He will provide a solid counterweight to their wild inconsistency. What they do with that remains to be seen.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
“Matt is the only Cup champion in that fleet, and he is looking to make an impact at JGR. Time will tell, but I think Kenseth’s maturity and consistency are will be significant assets to his younger teammates. Denny and Kyle are two of the biggest talents in the garage, but they must put an entire season together. Fortunately, Matt is regarded as one of the most consistent drivers in the garage -- a trait that could rub off on them if they adapt quickly to a team mentality.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: Can Richard Childress Racing rebound this year?
“Given the fact this is Harvick’s last season at RCR, I’m not sure how close the No. 29 will get to contending for a championship. Childress has such a strong desire to get Austin (Dillon) in Cup full time; plus with (Paul) Menard and (Jeff) Burton showing little signs of life in terms of winning races, I’m uncertain of a unified presence and goal at RCR compared to the three or four-car fleets at JGR and Hendrick. The new RCR Competition Director, Dr. Eric Warren, needs to prove he can pick up where Scott Miller left off.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: Will Kurt Busch win a race with his new team and can he resurrect his career?
“Kurt could win a race, especially a plate race, but if by ‘resurrect his career’ we mean he will at some point contend for his second Sprint Cup championship, I have my doubts. It's hard for me to picture him getting another shot with any of the teams currently capable of contending for the championship.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
Q: Who do you perceive as the best new driver/crew chief combination?
“Jimmy Fennig and Carl Edwards. I expect Carl to look more like the Carl of 2011 with Fennig on the pit box. Fennig is a racer; he’s ‘old school’ and has enjoyed success with many different types of drivers. He was one of the few, if not the only, crew chief with a back-up car ready at the Daytona test, and that speaks volumes of his preparation, and it made a statement to the competition that the No. 99 team is ready. Fennig told Carl he has to be at the shop more this season – I heard two Mondays each month – and he must be more involved. We’ll see what that does for their performance.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host NASCAR Race Hub
Q: What level of performance do you expect to see out of Danica Patrick this year and how would you define a successful season for her? Is this a “must-perform” year for her?
“I don’t expect Danica to ever be confronted with a ‘must-perform’ year. Through seven years in Indy cars, she won a single fuel-mileage derby and led only 124 of a possible 17,837 laps. She was hardly a week-in, week-out contender for wins; yet when she left the series, ranked 12th in driver points, some people asked with a straight face if IndyCar could survive her departure. The point is that Danica’s success is based not on performance but on celebrity. And as long as she remains an attractive female celebrity participating in a male-dominated sport, she will generate lots of fan interest which in turn will insure her a big sponsor. And as long as she had a big sponsor, she will also have a good ride, regardless of her results.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
“Danica visited Race Hub for our first show of the season, and I was impressed with her realistic expectations. She and crew chief Tony Gibson told me they don’t expect to win races or contend for championships right away, but she must learn how to improve as the race goes on and work her way toward the leaders and race with them. Finishing in the top 20 in points would be a good rookie season for Danica.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: How will you gauge success with this new car?
“The new car is already a success to this extent -- NASCAR has listened to and acknowledged the complaints of the fans who simply refused to pretend that headlight decals and stick-on logos actually made one ‘brand’ of COT different from another. The next step is to see how the new car races. If it’s easier to pass, that will be another major step forward.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
‘We're already hearing that changes to the rear-end housing could result in parts failures early in the year -- that would not be a successful transition. We had a mostly smooth transition with EFI last year and very little trouble in race conditions. Hopefully, this new ‘Gen-6’ car follows suit. They say it will create more side-by side-racing and put the race back into the drivers’ hands, and no one argues how well-received that would be.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: How do you expect Penske Racing’s move to Ford to affect that organization in 2013?
“I think ‘The Captain’ clearly perceived Ford as an upgrade, and if that’s true, that means last year’s championship-winning team should be even better this year. And any disadvantage the Penske guys might suffer because they have to adapt to a new car is pretty much offset by the fact that everybody is adapting to a new car.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
“That truly remains to be seen, but we've spoken with Edsel Ford and Paul Wolfe on Race Hub, and they tell us the transition has been smooth. Roger Penske used the word ‘benchmarking’ when describing his reason for leaving Dodge for Ford. Affiliating himself with a strong, proven and winning brand like Ford, in addition to resources from teams like Roush Fenway, creates more opportunities for success. But the defending champ’s transition will be a major storyline to follow in 2013.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: Is Brad Keselowski a good face for the sport right now and what kind of role model do you think he’ll be?
“Role Model? I’ll take BK over Lance Armstrong! Or Alex Rodriguez! Sorry, but I stopped expecting professional athletes to be role models around the time of the O.J. Simpson trial. All I want is for the Sprint Cup champion to be himself -- honest, outspoken, real, interesting, sometimes controversial and able to back up his mouth with his driving.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
Q: What kind of impact will Matt Kenseth have on his younger teammates, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch?
“He will provide a solid counterweight to their wild inconsistency. What they do with that remains to be seen.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
“Matt is the only Cup champion in that fleet, and he is looking to make an impact at JGR. Time will tell, but I think Kenseth’s maturity and consistency are will be significant assets to his younger teammates. Denny and Kyle are two of the biggest talents in the garage, but they must put an entire season together. Fortunately, Matt is regarded as one of the most consistent drivers in the garage -- a trait that could rub off on them if they adapt quickly to a team mentality.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: Can Richard Childress Racing rebound this year?
“Given the fact this is Harvick’s last season at RCR, I’m not sure how close the No. 29 will get to contending for a championship. Childress has such a strong desire to get Austin (Dillon) in Cup full time; plus with (Paul) Menard and (Jeff) Burton showing little signs of life in terms of winning races, I’m uncertain of a unified presence and goal at RCR compared to the three or four-car fleets at JGR and Hendrick. The new RCR Competition Director, Dr. Eric Warren, needs to prove he can pick up where Scott Miller left off.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
Q: Will Kurt Busch win a race with his new team and can he resurrect his career?
“Kurt could win a race, especially a plate race, but if by ‘resurrect his career’ we mean he will at some point contend for his second Sprint Cup championship, I have my doubts. It's hard for me to picture him getting another shot with any of the teams currently capable of contending for the championship.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
Q: Who do you perceive as the best new driver/crew chief combination?
“Jimmy Fennig and Carl Edwards. I expect Carl to look more like the Carl of 2011 with Fennig on the pit box. Fennig is a racer; he’s ‘old school’ and has enjoyed success with many different types of drivers. He was one of the few, if not the only, crew chief with a back-up car ready at the Daytona test, and that speaks volumes of his preparation, and it made a statement to the competition that the No. 99 team is ready. Fennig told Carl he has to be at the shop more this season – I heard two Mondays each month – and he must be more involved. We’ll see what that does for their performance.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host NASCAR Race Hub
Q: What level of performance do you expect to see out of Danica Patrick this year and how would you define a successful season for her? Is this a “must-perform” year for her?
“I don’t expect Danica to ever be confronted with a ‘must-perform’ year. Through seven years in Indy cars, she won a single fuel-mileage derby and led only 124 of a possible 17,837 laps. She was hardly a week-in, week-out contender for wins; yet when she left the series, ranked 12th in driver points, some people asked with a straight face if IndyCar could survive her departure. The point is that Danica’s success is based not on performance but on celebrity. And as long as she remains an attractive female celebrity participating in a male-dominated sport, she will generate lots of fan interest which in turn will insure her a big sponsor. And as long as she had a big sponsor, she will also have a good ride, regardless of her results.”
--Dave Despain, host of Wind Tunnel
“Danica visited Race Hub for our first show of the season, and I was impressed with her realistic expectations. She and crew chief Tony Gibson told me they don’t expect to win races or contend for championships right away, but she must learn how to improve as the race goes on and work her way toward the leaders and race with them. Finishing in the top 20 in points would be a good rookie season for Danica.”
--Danielle Trotta, co-host of NASCAR Race Hub
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