by Jeff Hammond

Updated: January 11, 2006, 9:11 PM EST

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SPEED Channel testing recap shows Jan. 11, 7 p.m. ET: Nextel Cup testing from Daytona Jan. 15, 7 p.m. ET: Craftsman Truck testing from Daytona Jan. 16, 7 p.m. ET: Nextel Cup testing from Daytona Jan. 17, 6:30 p.m. ET: Nextel Cup testing from Daytona Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m. ET: Nextel Cup testing from Daytona Jan. 22, 7 p.m. ET: Busch testing from Daytona Feb. 1, 7 p.m. ET: Nextel Cup testing from Las Vegas

Jeff Hammond: The cars that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been driving at the Daytona test have been raced in the past. One of them finished third in the 2005 Daytona 500, and another finished fifth in the last year's spring race at Talladega. Even though these cars have the new 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo nose and the rear tailpiece, the No. 8 team is pretty happy. They plan to build a new car before the Daytona 500, and they may bring it back next month. Their car is exactly where they want it to be at this point in time.

Earnhardt's teammate, Martin Truex Jr., has chassis and cars that were built by his team to the specifications they thought they needed, but the cars are definitely slow. On Monday night, DEI director of competition Steve Hmiel and crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion decided something needed to be done so at 10 p.m. ET, Hmiel loaded up five crew members from not only the No. 1 team but some of the guys that work on the No. 8 team. They're back in North Carolina, constructing a new car for Truex that's more along the lines of what Earnhardt is racing.

One good thing about testing is you discover your shortcomings, and DEI already determined that they need to build another new car before they get back to Daytona next week with Paul Menard and then for Speedweeks. They've put an all-out effort into taking care of that task.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, don't be so worried right now. The No. 8 has never really been at the head of the pack when it comes to putting up fast testing times. The difference in their program and a lot of other programs is they're always a factor at race time so I wouldn't get too panicky yet.

Stewart skips, misses car chief

Tony Stewart spent part of his time away from Daytona testing posing with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard trophy and the Nextel Cup Series championship trophy at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday (Michael Conroy / Associated Press)

Mark from Waterville, Ohio: If Tony Stewart skips the Daytona test, does that mean he will be able to test at another track later on in the season? With the consistency he has shown at the restrictor plate tracks, it may be more beneficial for him to skip testing at Daytona and focus on some of the other tracks.

Jeff Hammond: No, NASCAR's new testing policy schedules specific dates at only six Nextel Cup-sanctioned tracks (Daytona, Homestead-Miami, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Lowe's and Richmond). All other tests can only be at non-sanctioned tracks. I would like to say that drivers are glad to test at Daytona, but it's very boring for them. All they're doing is hitting their marks lap after lap. Rather than asking somebody of the caliber of Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart to do go through the motions, you can see why a team may get somebody else who's excited about being there. It's one of the necessary evils with all the limitations from springs to shocks to body configurations at restrictor-plate tracks.

Sometimes, it's hard to get a veteran to be excited about this very tedious work. A lot of times, you would just as soon leave a veteran at home because you don't want to hear him whining, crying and saying, "Well, I ain't doing nothing but holding the thing wide open and turning left." Daytona testing is building a database and backing up information that has already been documented in the wind tunnel.

A Daytona test isn't for the driver; it's for the car and the engine. Jeff Gordon's crew chief, Steve Letarte, summed it up the best so far. He said, "Between the wind tunnel, the seven-post shaker, the chassis dyno, the engine dyno, all the body scanning and everything that's been done and built in our speedway cars, we have a pretty good idea before we unload what the target numbers should be for speed on these racecars. We just need to be able to back it up by having our driver go out there and make laps."

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While Stewart isn't testing the No. 20 car, Joe Gibbs Racing has capable drivers — Jeff Fuller and Mike McLaughlin — who know how to make competitive runs. When it's time to race, Stewart's expertise and ability to draft will come into play. His absence during testing definitely hasn't hurt his team in the past, and it lets him enjoy doing some things away from the track. It's good when you can bring in someone who is excited about being there.

Another interesting footnote is Scott Diehl, who has been the longtime car chief on the No. 20 car, has elected to retire after winning the championship last season. Diehl has been one of the parts of the puzzle for this successful operation. He will be sorely missed. Coming from Michigan and working his way through the ranks with Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs, he's had a very successful career, winning a couple of championships. He's a very capable leader and a very experienced mechanic. He decided it's time to make a change. This sport can be very hard on you and your family so I wish Diehl well. He's going to come back to help the team at the Budweiser Shootout, but this year's Speedweeks will be his last time at the track with the No. 20 car.

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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 autographed copies of Jeff Hammond's new book "Real Men Work in the Pits" plus magnets, hats and more, check out www.dwstore.com.

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