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CUP: SPEED Crew Looks Ahead To Darlington
The SPEED crew previews this weekend's NASCAR action at Darlington Raceway...
Darlington Raceway is up next for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
After an eventful race at Talladega Superspeedway and an equally dramatic post-race interview by Tony Stewart, teams head to Darlington Raceway, one of the toughest tracks on the circuit. Below, the SPEED crew sets the stage:
Q: Tony Stewart conducted an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek post-race interview at Talladega in which he made known his feelings about the current state of restrictor-plate racing and recent discussion about the decreased number of wrecks and caution flags this season. What did you take away from that interview?
“You’ve got to read between the lines, and I think Tony wants to see the racing fixed because he wants to go back to really racing. In perfect deadpan, he made mention of going to figure-eight racing and racing on the apron. But I think his frustration boils down to the cooling of the cars at Talladega and Daytona because drivers have to watch their oil and water temperature gauges the entire day. He was trying to get his point across without appearing too negative and possibly facing a fine from NASCAR. But he got his point across.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
Q: Danica Patrick makes her NASCAR debut in the Nationwide and Cup Series this weekend at Darlington. How well do you expect her to perform?
“When Casey Mears first went to Darlington in the Nationwide Series, it was unlike anything he had ever seen in open wheel and he had a tough time, so I expect her to struggle as well. She’s a heck of a driver but this is a completely different animal than she has encountered in her young stock-car career. I don’t think she’ll finish in the top 15, but her goal will be to complete the entire distance.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
“I don’t agree with Tony Stewart selecting some of the tracks for her that he did. Danica doesn’t have a lot of confidence, and Darlington is the toughest track from a mental standpoint because the margin of error can be measured in inches before you’re in the wall. She just needs to log laps, try to stay out of the way, and although she’ll be laps down at the end, if she finishes the race, that will be an accomplishment. But she likely will knock the wall down along the way.”
--Jimmy Spencer, SPEED analyst
Q: Darlington is the last points-paying Cup race in which a win would earn the driver a berth in next Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Who you do think stands the best chance of doing so?
“Drivers still have the opportunity to earn the Fan Vote, but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will have a virtual lock on that if he doesn’t win this weekend. But as for the two top finishers in the Sprint Showdown, I expect Jeff Burton, Dale Jr., Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex, Joey Logano and Juan Pablo Montoya to have the best shot at finishing in the top two and advancing to the big show.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED and FOX analyst
Q: On paper, Jeff Gordon has had a horrendous season. With seven wins there, how likely do you think it will be that he turns it around at Darlington this week?
“That team has to have Darlington circled on their calendar and be looking to break out. They’ve had engine failures, pit stop problems and other issues to deal with. It’s not always that they’ve run bad this year. They’ve just had things happen that put them behind. I think sometimes we all cast a dark cloud over them, but they’re going to break out and it just might be this weekend.”
--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst
Q: There was lots of talk this week about Danica Patrick and Sam Hornish’s run-in at Talladega, with some saying she hasn’t logged enough NASCAR seat time and/or respect to retaliate as she did. What are your thoughts on this?
“Well, how much experience does a driver need to have to vent his or her frustration? I don’t know why a rookie in his very first race can’t show as much frustration if he gets wrecked as a driver who has been around for 10 years. Danica has a history of having a short fuse, not so much in NASCAR, although she has shown it here before. What I see is fire in her belly and an unwillingness to let drivers walk all over her. But I am not a proponent of wrecking someone after the checkered flag waves because then you’ve got a destroyed race car. Get out of the car and confront that driver.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED and FOX analyst
Q: What makes Darlington so difficult and a win there so special?
“Darlington is hard on everything from the drivers and pit crews to the tires and air cleaners. But that’s what makes it so special. Darlington has such a rich history there and a win there has always been a huge feather in any driver or team’s cap. It’s an unbelievable experience to go to Victory Lane at Darlington. As for getting there, while they’re racing 42 other competitors, drivers also are racing the track, and beating The Lady in Black is a great accomplishment.”
--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst
Q: Tony Stewart conducted an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek post-race interview at Talladega in which he made known his feelings about the current state of restrictor-plate racing and recent discussion about the decreased number of wrecks and caution flags this season. What did you take away from that interview?
“You’ve got to read between the lines, and I think Tony wants to see the racing fixed because he wants to go back to really racing. In perfect deadpan, he made mention of going to figure-eight racing and racing on the apron. But I think his frustration boils down to the cooling of the cars at Talladega and Daytona because drivers have to watch their oil and water temperature gauges the entire day. He was trying to get his point across without appearing too negative and possibly facing a fine from NASCAR. But he got his point across.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
Q: Danica Patrick makes her NASCAR debut in the Nationwide and Cup Series this weekend at Darlington. How well do you expect her to perform?
“When Casey Mears first went to Darlington in the Nationwide Series, it was unlike anything he had ever seen in open wheel and he had a tough time, so I expect her to struggle as well. She’s a heck of a driver but this is a completely different animal than she has encountered in her young stock-car career. I don’t think she’ll finish in the top 15, but her goal will be to complete the entire distance.”
--Bob Dillner, SPEED reporter
“I don’t agree with Tony Stewart selecting some of the tracks for her that he did. Danica doesn’t have a lot of confidence, and Darlington is the toughest track from a mental standpoint because the margin of error can be measured in inches before you’re in the wall. She just needs to log laps, try to stay out of the way, and although she’ll be laps down at the end, if she finishes the race, that will be an accomplishment. But she likely will knock the wall down along the way.”
--Jimmy Spencer, SPEED analyst
Q: Darlington is the last points-paying Cup race in which a win would earn the driver a berth in next Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Who you do think stands the best chance of doing so?
“Drivers still have the opportunity to earn the Fan Vote, but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will have a virtual lock on that if he doesn’t win this weekend. But as for the two top finishers in the Sprint Showdown, I expect Jeff Burton, Dale Jr., Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex, Joey Logano and Juan Pablo Montoya to have the best shot at finishing in the top two and advancing to the big show.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED and FOX analyst
Q: On paper, Jeff Gordon has had a horrendous season. With seven wins there, how likely do you think it will be that he turns it around at Darlington this week?
“That team has to have Darlington circled on their calendar and be looking to break out. They’ve had engine failures, pit stop problems and other issues to deal with. It’s not always that they’ve run bad this year. They’ve just had things happen that put them behind. I think sometimes we all cast a dark cloud over them, but they’re going to break out and it just might be this weekend.”
--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst
Q: There was lots of talk this week about Danica Patrick and Sam Hornish’s run-in at Talladega, with some saying she hasn’t logged enough NASCAR seat time and/or respect to retaliate as she did. What are your thoughts on this?
“Well, how much experience does a driver need to have to vent his or her frustration? I don’t know why a rookie in his very first race can’t show as much frustration if he gets wrecked as a driver who has been around for 10 years. Danica has a history of having a short fuse, not so much in NASCAR, although she has shown it here before. What I see is fire in her belly and an unwillingness to let drivers walk all over her. But I am not a proponent of wrecking someone after the checkered flag waves because then you’ve got a destroyed race car. Get out of the car and confront that driver.”
--Larry McReynolds, SPEED and FOX analyst
Q: What makes Darlington so difficult and a win there so special?
“Darlington is hard on everything from the drivers and pit crews to the tires and air cleaners. But that’s what makes it so special. Darlington has such a rich history there and a win there has always been a huge feather in any driver or team’s cap. It’s an unbelievable experience to go to Victory Lane at Darlington. As for getting there, while they’re racing 42 other competitors, drivers also are racing the track, and beating The Lady in Black is a great accomplishment.”
--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst
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