by Jeff Hammond

Feb. 20, LIVE from Daytona Speedweeks TV schedule NASCAR on FOX schedule More NASCAR

During Daytona testing, teams focus on horsepower as well as drag to find speed. When they leave Daytona and start looking at the rest of the season, the main focus will be on NASCAR's new rules and the way they affect the race car's balance and handling.

No matter where you go, handling is always at a premium, but when we leave Daytona and go to California and Las Vegas for the second and third races of the season, handling will be the main mission for all of these teams. A lot of teams are heading west to start testing and working on the new package.

Part of the package is a new Goodyear tire. When NASCAR cut the rear spoiler a year ago, Goodyear came up with a different construction and compound combination to try to get what we call "mechanical grip" back into the tire. It was a softer compound with a little softer flex in the sidewall to get better grip and hook up to the race track which makes drivers a little happier.

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In 2005, NASCAR cut the rear spoiler once again, which means they took away a lot of the downforce that the teams are used to. Some drivers already realize that there's going to have to be a lot of balance and combination changes to the race car to make them happy so they can run side-by-side to put on exciting racing.

The rear spoiler at Daytona is 6 3/4 inches tall. That's a lot of rear spoiler with a lot of downforce and rear drag. But when the teams start testing in California and Las Vegas, they will have a 4 1/2 inch spoiler. It's more than two inches smaller than the Daytona spoiler and an inch less than what they had last year ago.

The Preseason Thunder tests on the West Coast are going to be huge, maybe even bigger than the Daytona tests, as teams try to use what they have learned in the wind tunnel to adjust to the race tracks. You won't see substitute drivers at California and Las Vegas. The main driver will be behind the wheel of these cars because if you want to be good in 2005, you're going to have to test early and make sure you leave no stone unturned.

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FOX race analyst Jeff Hammond led Darrell Waltrip to two of DW's three Winston Cup championships as his crew chief. They also teamed to win the 1989 Daytona 500.

For Jeff Hammond's "Real Men Work in the Pits" magnets, Hollywood Hotel hats and more, check out www.dwstore.com.

For photos and appearances, visit Jeff's web site www.jeffhammond.com.