by Jeff Hammond

Comment

I know the last couple of weeks have been frustrating from a fans' standpoint. Heck, for that matter, maybe even from a competitor's point of view, too. We just aren't seeing the racing we thought we were going to get.

And last weekend's race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., may have produced the perfect example of "stinking up the show." It just wasn't very exciting.

Are the Racing Gods plotting against us?

Yes, you can salvage any racetrack. I think we have seen across the board how you can do that — just look at tracks like Homestead-Miami Speedway in recent years.

But I am going to tell you something that NASCAR and Auto Club Speedway probably doesn't want to hear: The fix for this problem is putting the race date back where it belongs in Darlington. I swear its part of the curse that was put upon them because they never should have moved the Southern 500 to begin with. Talk about a track with character — that's Darlington Raceway. That place was a Labor Day destination point. I don't know, maybe it's the Racing Gods getting back at them for doing what they are doing in California. Maybe things will be better starting next year when the track swaps positions on the schedule with Atlanta Motor Speedway.

To be fair, I don't know that the track in California is the problem. Let's face it, Bristol has a bunch more banking, and they faced the same issues a couple weeks ago. So are we going to blame the track? What's the other common denominator here? The answer is this new car.

Time to figure it out

Maybe we need to slow down, back up and look at the big picture.

What is actually going on here? Fortunately, it's not the same team that is hitting on it every week and running away with things. It's been Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and this past weekend, it was Jimmie Johnson's show. It could be someone else who dominates this weekend at Richmond. You just don't know why it's happening this way.

I think we are really going to have to look hard and do some serious analysis about what we can do to make this better. I am just being honest. I just wasn't that impressed with the racing we saw this weekend. I am looking for the opportunity where these guys can put on more of a show with passing and hard racing.

It is frustrating for all those involved. I think we all are disappointed because again, this is not what we had hoped for in this deal. You can't tell me that the folks at NASCAR right now aren't the same way. I mean c'mon, this isn't what they are looking for either.

It is similar to the tire situation a few months ago. Everyone wanted to crucify Goodyear. It seems like everyone is looking for somewhere to lay the blame all the time. I just think we should all step back, acknowledge there is a problem and work collectively to fix it.

NASCAR is smart enough to realize that this car needs some work. Remember, this is the first time this car has ever been run full time. Sure, you are going to have growing pains — that is a given. But the anticipation was for better racing, so the frustration comes from the realization that it hasn't worked out that way yet. Sometimes you just don't know what to say or do.

We are hoping and praying the racing will improve because now we are going back to these tracks with this new car not for the second time but now for the third time. The hope is we can be better and we can work in some areas that will allow us to be better. There clearly is more effort to make these cars handle better at places like Dover and Richmond. We have to build a database and pull the information out that is necessary to fix it. That's what NASCAR did when they built this car from the safety issue.

No one can deny that this car has been tested time and time again. The results have shown less injuries than ever before — everything from broken shoulder blades to broken ribs, even to losing someone, there has been a dramatic decline with this new car. NASCAR set out to make the car safer, and they have passed that with flying colors.

Now, by working on the safety side of it, they may have gotten complacent on what they needed to do on the competitive side of it. Maybe they were looking for more help from the teams, but the teams have now had their shot at it. So maybe it is time for everyone to sit down and put their heads together and figure out a way to fix this.

Like I told someone the other day, maybe they need to move the left front back. I have heard complaints that the drivers don't feel like the left front is hooking up and they are driving on three wheels. So maybe there are some things we have to identify. I mean, this is what we are going to race, so now we just need to tweak on it to make it better. In the process, we may never get it to where we want it. I just know when I watch a race, I want to see four, five, or six guys get up on the wheel and race one another.

I don't think there is anyone within our sport that is 100 percent happy right now with what is going on. I am being honest with you — I don't like it, and I know you don't either.

NASCAR is not ignoring this, I can promise you that. I can promise you they don't have their head stuck in the sand thinking this is going to fix itself overnight. So don't think that and don't get frustrated from that point.

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But please understand, we just can't throw something at this for the sake of throwing something at it. It simply costs too much and owners will tell you that you can't just keep throwing money at it. We need to come up with the right solution first and then implement it. As NASCAR has said before, they are trying to let this thing go a full season before making changes. This will allow them to build that database of information.

It's not all bad, though

Let's not lose sight that we have been treated to some really good finishes this year. We have been treated to some really good racing, too. We just haven't gotten all that we were looking for from start to finish. As we said, let's work through it.

Let's use Toyota as an example. Remember what they went through last year? They didn't quit. They kept working and made their product better. That's exactly what we need to do with this new car. Collect and analyze the data. Get feedback from numerous sources. Things are being worked on. Goodyear continues to strive to build a better tire for this new car. All these things are being worked on week in and week out. Collectively they will make our racing better, but it just takes time.

What I have been telling the fans I talk to that are frustrated as I am is don't give up on what this sport is all about. It will be fixed. Sure, it hasn't been what we wanted this year, but it will get better. Trust me; no one in our NASCAR world wants to have it remain the way it is. That's just counter-productive for everybody.

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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 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.