The stage is set for a time bomb to go off this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
It's amazing how the whole week leading into Bristol and the debut of the COT car turned out to be a blur, but in slow motion. I know people are going to ask, "How can you have both?" It seemed like everything was happening so fast, but it was definitely a much different race than we expected. I don't think anybody could have predicted that Kyle Busch, not one of the usual Bristol contenders, would pull off the win.
Other things that we anticipated didn't come to pass, including torn up front noses and splitters laying on the racetrack. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it's like a time bomb. The timer has been turned on. Eventually, all of these things will happen, and teams will need to go back and grab a wing because they knocked it off backing into the wall. We just didn't see it at Bristol. That's surprising, and NASCAR had to be pleased.
We could see a lot more cars with damage and a lot more guys being turned around. Drivers will think about what they should have done at Bristol, and some will think that they shouldn't have given a little bit for fear of knocking the radiator out of the car. But they should have a lot more confidence this week.
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NASCAR TV schedule and more |
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Programs of the week
Sunday, 3/22 on FOX
1:30 pm: Food City 500
This week on SPEED
Friday, 3/20
Noon: Cup practice
1:30 pm: N'wide practice
3:00 pm: NASCAR LIVE
3:30 pm: Cup qualifying
4:30 pm: N'wide practice
7:00 pm: Trackside
Saturday, 3/21
11:00 am: Cup practice
12:20 pm: Cup practice
Sunday, 3/22
11:00 am: NASCAR in a hurry
11:30 am: NASCAR Raceday
8:00 pm: Victory Lane
All times ET
Race Trax: Updates, live results
NASCAR on SPEED schedule
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Who to Watch
Kyle Busch: The only thing that could stand between Busch and a good weekend is NASCAR after saying in Victory Lane that the Car of Tomorrow sucks. I don't think that sat really well with the powers that be. I applaud his willingness to be candid, but I question his timing. Those comments might have been better served behind closed doors, but you've got to do what you've got to do. That's one thing about the Busch brothers. They're not afraid to speak their minds and deal with the consequences afterward.
Tony Stewart: After leading 257 laps at Bristol, a fuel pump derailed Stewart's shot at a win. Look for him to redeem himself on Sunday.
Jeff Gordon: You've got to look at the guys who were a factor last week, and the records of these short track racers prove they are good at all short tracks. The winningest active driver at Martinsville, Gordon, will be back in search of his eighth win.
Jeff Burton: It seems like Burton is on track to make another championship run this year. He had a very good second-place performance at Bristol.
What to Watch
More beating and banging: Some frustrations will carry over from last week. Several drivers struggled with the COT at Bristol, and they were inadvertently in the way for a lot of other drivers. Drivers won't put up with slow cars two weeks in a row, and they will get more aggressive. They will be in more of a hurry and less tolerant. Last week, they said, "This is the first time for everybody. I'm not having a really good day. My opponent just happens to be having a worse day." This week, drivers will say, "Let me help put you out of your misery." There's going to be more beating and banging, pushing and shoving than there was at Bristol. Driver confidence will be higher the second time around with the COT, and crew chiefs will be up on the chip, telling their drivers, "Hey, get him out of your way. You've got to go. You've got to go." When that starts, we're going to see what we normally see at these places. People are going to get upset, and people are going to get roughed up. We'll have a shortage of patience and an abundance of torn-up race cars.
Recycling race cars: There aren't many Cars of Tomorrow available so you have to protect what you've got. Kyle Busch's crew chief, Alan Gustafson, said the winning car at Bristol will be his backup car at Martinsville. Normally, your Bristol car isn't scheduled to go anywhere until August. This time, there's such a COT shortage that a lot of teams are turning around their Bristol cars, not only as backups, but maybe even for primaries.
Tire talk: It's the first time Goodyear has run that style or hardness of tire at Bristol and Martinsville. They all understand the load factors in the corners so I don't expect any problems. NASCAR and Goodyear are working to make sure those guys don't get too low on air pressure. If they go too low, they'll cut down sidewalls or create a problem where they damage the construction of the tire and get into the wall or lose a tire.
No Martinsville test, no problem: Although teams couldn't test at Martinsville, many headed to Greenville-Pickens, Caraway Speedway, Hickory, N.C. and even Lakeland, Fla. to get ready for this race. After Bristol, they have a better idea of what to expect, what your car will take, what it won't take, and you also know how much harder you can get after this thing now compared with last weekend.
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 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.
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