SPEEDTV.com's Tom Jensen is the former managing editor of National Speed Sport News and earned the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award in 1997.
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Bristol pit selections
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Concerns about new engine
Q: FIRST DNF IN 54 RACES ... in regards to Hamlin's failed motor tonight.. I've got a few ?'s regarding that.. Was there any mention as to why they replaced the original engine? ... and with all the DEI/RCR motor problems in the past, could this possibly have something to do with the new Chevy engine introduced this year? Not meaning it's not a good engine, but possibly that teams are leaning on them a bit much.... Also, with his clinched Chase position, possibly could the team been "experimenting" for the Chase? Sorry for all the ?'s in one shot, I know you're busy w/ the updates, but if you could enlighten me with some professional analysis, it would be greatly appreciated! Enjoy the rest of the race guyz! — Paul from Sevierville, Tenn.
A: Hamlin has said many times, he and the team are experimenting now that are locked in the Chase. Yes, there have been some concerns about the new engine.
No bad luck
Q: Hamlin's DNF could really hurt his momentum going into the Chase... and it seems it's been somewhat hurting since Daytona (July)... with the exception of a couple of races... Did Jimmie Johnson give his bad luck to Hamlin? — e_noize from Martinsville, Va.
A: No, Johnson did not give Hamlin his bad luck.
Silent night
Q: I think that the new track configuration has made this race boring! Sure you can run high and low but it just isn't the same Bristol racing. What do you think of it so far? — Cody
A: It has been boring. What I don't know is why. The Truck and Busch races here were fantastic and there still could be some fireworks here in the closing laps.
No excuse for Michael
Q: WHAT IN THE HECK IS MICHAEL WALTRIP DOING? He's two laps down and purposely getting in the way of the obviously dominant car, Kasey Kahne. Does he have some bad feeling toward Kahne that we don't know about? — Trinidy from Americus, Ga.
A: There's no excuse for Waltrip being multiple laps down and holding people up.
Nothing deliberate
Q: Why is Jimmie Johnson allowed to wreck someone without any punishment from NASCAR? — Ronetta from Ravenna, Ohio
A: I don't think he deliberately wrecked him.
Back on track
Q: Was John Andretti able to repair his car? They have never mentioned him again since the green flag flew. — Kay from Odessa, Texas
A: Yes, he's 43rd.
The real thing
Q: In the ESPN shot of the stadium, they showed what appeared to be the audience holding colored cards up to reveal a yellow Sprint ad. Was that real, or just video special effects? — Aaron from Eden Prairie, Minn.
A: It was real.
NASCAR admits mistake
Q: What kind of penalty will NASCAR dole out to themselves for the big booboo THEY made with the No. 5 car. Perhaps they will GIVE him money and ADD points. They are good at making everyone pay for booboos, so what do you think? — Mary from Indy
A: Thanks for the comment. NASCAR said they are sorry. That's as far as it's going to go.
Ward in '08
Q: I am a BIG Ward Burton fan and have followed his career since his days in the HARDEES car what does his future hold? Is there any chance some of the bigger teams might be looking at him? I believe he still has the talent to bring it "home." — Marlon from Nashville, Tenn.
A: Welcome to FOX. Ward Burton is a quality guy, but unfortunately, I've not heard his name mentioned in connection with any prime rides.
No. 01 up in the air
Q: With Mark Martin and Aric Almirola driving the No. 8 Chevrolet sponsored by the U.S. Army, who do you think will drive the No. 01 Chevrolet or are they going to suspend the No. 01 team? — Chris from Latham, N.Y.
A: Thanks for the question. Max Siegel, president of worldwide operations for DEI, twice has told me that DEI will have four fully-funded and sponsored teams next season, no matter what. As far as a driver goes, that's still up in the air. Regan Smith has shown a fair amount of promise, but the team hasn't shown a lot of interest in him. There have been rumors that Ryan Newman or Greg Biffle will go there, but both are under contract next year, so it remain to be settled.
Can Kahne do it?
Q: Wow, the Cup pole and the Busch win! Do you think Kasey Kahne can get his first win of the season this time? — Anna from Dallas, Texas
A: Welcome to FOX! Kasey Kahne is having a great weekend. Ray Evernham told me a couple of weeks ago that his team is spending all its R&D efforts on the Car of Tomorrow, so maybe tonight will be his night. I also like Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.
Army to the 8; Bud in talks
Q: Hey Tom, any word on what will be the sponsor for the No. 8 car? And any word on what Bud has been doing? Thanks again! — Matthew from Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
A: Hello. It looks like the U.S Army is going to sponsor the No. 8, with Mark Martin and Aric Almirola driving it. Bud is still talking to several teams, my sources tell me.
No secrets with Junior's number
Q: Would it not be the best merchandinsing frenzy if Junior were to keep secret his number, sponsor and colors until Daytona in 2008? — Sheila from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
A: Thanks for being with us tonight. That would be a really cool idea, but it could never work and here's why - as soon as the sponsor and number are selected, souvenirs have to be ordered, marketing campaigns and ads made, cars painted, etc. All of that would result in hundreds of people knowing the details, and inevitably it would leak out somewhere.
Smoke pays toll?
Q: Hey Tom, I've been wondering about this for a while. Most drivers have their signatures on the side of their cars above the window, but Tony Stewart has "Smoke" as his signature. Granted it's a nickname, but it's also his company. Does he have to pay JGR to put his logo there? — John from Cambridge, Mass.
A: Good question. No, I'm quite sure with millions Joe Gibbs Racing pays Tony Stewart, they are OK with having his use his nickname on the car.
Motor trouble for Matt?
Q: Tom, I noticed in Happy Hour that Matt Kenseth ran a ton of laps over 100 along with two other cars, the first practice - qualifying - happy hour won't his chances of motor problems increase? To me it is like running one and one half races on the same motor. — Don from Summer Set, S.D.
A: Thanks for the question. Bristol is only 0.533 miles long, so if Kenseth ran hundred laps, it's just 53 miles. Plus, this is not one of the toughest tracks on engines because drivers are off the throttle so much. He should be fine.
Tripleheader in Thunder Valley
Q: Hey Tom, do they race the trucks on Wednesday so there will be room for the Cup guys or because there is no time on Friday? — Matttew from Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
A: Good question. At a 0.533-mile track, there simply isn't room in the field to fit all the NASCAR Nextel Cup, Busch and Truck Series haulers, nor is there time to squeeze in all three races in a two-night show.
Blank check
Q: Hello, I think AT&T is getting more sponsor exposure by running an orange car with no logos. Jeff Burton is going to run somewhere in the front. I don't know about the other fans, but an unsponsored car running at the front gets my attention. Whenever the 31 gets their TV exposure, the announcers will not leave the subject untouched. What do you think? — Aisha from Pembroke Pines, Fla.
A: Welcome and thanks for the comments. You raise an interesting point. Without doubt, the sponsorless car is getting everyone's attention this weekend, though I question how long that attention would last. On the other hand, Roger Penske is still running his Marlboro colors — without any logos — on his IndyCars. As I've said repeatedly, I hope common sense prevails and a sensible solution is reached.
Quote of the year
Q: Hi Tom. What are your thoughts on the penalty situation? A lot of people on different message boards think that Harvick should have been penalized for what he said at The Glen. Also, that both Montoya and Harvick should have had some kind of penalty assessed. Personally, I don't agree with them, but there seems to be a consensus of opinion that NASCAR doesn't always play fair. — Cindy from Columbia, Ky.
A: Hi there! I think NASCAR should have given Harvick and Montoya bonuses for getting people excited about NASCAR and talking about it, too. I think it was great theater and what Harvick said, while somewhat off-color, was the quote of the year in NASCAR so far.
Line 'em up
Q: How does the tire carrier line up the wheel studs and the holes in the wheels so quick. Does the hub have a keyway on it? — Bill from Columbus, Ohio
A: Welcome. I'll try to shoot a hub picture tomorrow, but basically, there are lines painted on the hub that point to the studs and make it easy to visually line up.
Common sense vs. dollars and cents
Q: Can you explain the difference between Cingular changing their name to AT&T and NASCAR not allowing them to change the cars and logos, however, Nextel is changing their name to Sprint? And next year, the Cup race is supposed to change to the Sprint Cup race? Looks like the same rule should apply to both companies. — Crystal from Bixby, Okla.
A: You raise an important point. Common sense dictates that if Nextel is allowed to change its name to Sprint, then Cingular ought to be able to change its name to AT&T. But this isn't about common sense, it's about what rights each company negotiated with NASCAR in their respective contracts. When Nextel agreed to pay NASCAR $750 million over 10 years to be a series sponsor, it understandably wanted certain contractual protections. This issue will be settled in court, which is unfortunate. You'd hope common sense would prevail.
Another round for Gordon and Kenseth?
Q: I think there's more the story between Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon last week. I feel that there's some tension between the two drivers. What do you think? — Bobby from Malverne, N.Y.
A: Thanks for the question. If Gordon stuffs Kenseth into the wall this weekend, I might be inclined to think you're correct. But at Michigan, Gordon took responsibility for the wreck, saying he didn't get out of Kenseth's way fast enough. For now, I don't think there's more to it than that.
Chase no different than other playoffs
Q: How can NASCAR make someone about 500 points out of first tied for the lead at the start of the Chase just because he has the same amount of wins? — Owen from Anacortes, Wash.
A: That's easy. Because they can. Kurt Busch is 747 points behind Jeff Gordon right now, but right now is just 20 points behind Gordon & Jimmie Johnson in terms of Chase points. And as you note, Johnson is 512 points Gordon right now but tied in Chase points. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? On the other hand, in the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc., every playoff series begins with the opposing teams at 0-0. Whoever steps up in the playoffs wins. This is no different.
No garages
Q: How many garages does Bristol have? — Tom from Cincinnati, Ohio
A: Welcome back. Bristol has no real garages at the moment. The cars line up diagonally in their pit stalls during practice, and the teams work on them there on pit road.
Lights wouldn't have helped at Michigan
Q: Anyway to make all tracks get lights? There was nothing on TV Monday night or Tuesday night. Would have loved to see the race 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, but I had to work. — Jay from Madison Heights
A: Thanks for the question. Yes, I suppose NASCAR could force all the tracks to get lights, but I don't see it happening. And with all the rain at Michigan, lights wouldn't have made a bit of difference in terms of when the race was run.
Q: With Ryan Newman's and Greg Biffle's contracts being up after next season, I was wondering what you thought the chances were one of them were to end up at DEI? If you think there's a chance of that and DEI couldn't talk Mark Martin in driving the 8 for one year, what do you think about Kenny Wallace? I don't think Kenny can win a championship. But I believe he can easily keep them in the top 35 for the next year. Thanks for your time. — Robert from Memphis, Tenn.
A: Welcome to Bristol and what should be one of the best race weekends of the year. In theory, either Biffle or Newman could end up at DEI in 2009, I suppose, but I think each of them might have better opportunities elsewhere. Interestingly, Elliott Sadler was here in the Bristol infield media center a few minutes ago and said he wouldn't want to drive the No. 8. "I can't see anyone else driving the No. 8 car but him just because that is all he's had in his lifetime," Sadler said. "Being that he is the biggest name and biggest face in the sport. I'll be honest - I wouldn't want to drive the No. 8 car. If they put that on my car I would want to do something different with it. Put a half behind it or a letter or something like that. I don't want to drive the No. 8 car." Few other Cup regulars want to drive it, either — not because of DEI, but because the number has so much history with it that they wouldn't feel right driving it. And no offense to Kenny Wallace, but DEI officials have repeatedly said they will put together a championship-caliber team once Earnhardt leaves. While Wallace is a great sponsor representative, he's not going to win a Cup championship, and I think a lot of the team's fans would be angered if he was put in the No. 8.
Same old same old for Bodine
Q: Now I know that Todd Bodine still drives the 30 Toyota Tundra in the Truck Series, but I was wondering which Busch ride is he going in next season? I have heard the 10 car that's been driven by Blaney this year but, as you know, things can change. — Travis from Edinburg, Va.
A: Hi, there! Todd Bodine will drive a Germain Racing Toyota Camry full-time in the NASCAR Busch Series next year. That's the same team he drives for in the Truck Series now.
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