Gentleman Start your whining.

[Roselady3]

How equal is the new superspeedway aero package?
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
January 20, 2002
11:51 AM EST (1651 GMT)


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Determining the legitimacy of NASCAR’s new aerodynamic package for Daytona and Talladega all depends on whom you ask.

Throughout the entirety of manufacturer testing at Daytona International Speedway, Chevrolet and Dodge consistently posted the best times, leaving those in the Ford camp frustrated, confused and frantically searching for answers.

When asked to comment on Ford’s lack of competitiveness Friday, championship car owners Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress, both of whom place Chevrolets on the racetrack, pulled handkerchiefs from their pockets and mockingly wiped their eyes.

Three-time Daytona 500 champion Dale Jarrett discussed the aero package Saturday morning at the Winston Cup preview.

“Right now, we’re a little behind. Why? I’m not totally sure,” Jarrett said. “Obviously, you look at (Robert Yates’) engine program and I’d venture to say we’re not behind there. So we may have an aero thing. Collectively, that’s a Ford theory. I’m not sitting here complaining or whining or whatever, but that’s what it is. It’s fact. Look down the (time) sheet.”


NASCAR continues to experiment with the height of rear spoilers.


The time sheet says this: 10 Chevrolets, three Dodges and a Pontiac are in the top-14. The first Ford? Geoffrey Bodine’s lap on the first day of the first session that placed him 15th overall. Jarrett, who won the 2000 Daytona 500 under a similar rules package, was 25th.

Some say the blue oval boys are sandbagging.

“I was reading the paper coming down here where Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress seem to think that we’re not showing everything,” Jarrett scoffed. “Believe me, I would have put any one of their drivers in my car at Daytona and let them drive around.

“Maybe their wide open is a better wide open than mine. But every time I left the pits at Daytona it was as hard as I could go. Whether anybody was holding anything back, I don’t think so. I can assure you, there were a couple times I tried to push it through the floorboard because I was so frustrated.”

NASCAR finally relented, and toyed with a few experimental changes. First they cut a quarter-inch off the Ford spoiler. That pulled them a bit closer. NASCAR then cut another quarter-inch, which again narrowed the proverbial playing field. Overall, Ford picked up three-tenths of a second.

“We need a half-inch off the rear spoiler just to be competitive,” said Rusty Wallace. “Believe me, if it’s not fair I’ll be up in there complaining. The late Dale Earnhardt was the king of that. I remember Dale saying once that Bill (France) Sr. would roll over in his grave if he saw this. I might be using that same comment.”

[Joe Fan]

Ford has every right to complain because look at the restrictor-plate results the last two years, it has been dominated by Chevy. And in a race where aero rules rule, then this shows that they had have an advantage, epsecially when Fords outnumber Chevies in the field and theoretically should have more draft help. Some of this might be the hard work put in by RAD (Richard, Andy and Dale) but this assumes that the Ford camp doesn't share information and work just as hard, which I know they do.

All in all, everyone has to remember how poor the new Monte Carlo was aerodynamically when it was first introduced and how much concessions NASCAR quickly gave them to get them competitive. It appears that NASCAR needs to do the right thing and penalize the other makes aerodynamically. Chevrolet always seems to get to sit where they are while the changes are made to the other makes. This allows the Chevy teams to enjoy the benefit of using old notes all season and makes the others work to find their aero help.

There are a few Ford drivers, who if they said they weren't sandbagging, I would be skeptical. But DJ is a honest as they come.

[Speedworx]

Oh here we go again!

I think Pontiac are in need of a little help. Haven't they been slowest in testing?

[Roselady3]

Wallace tests Ford spoiler
By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive
January 18, 2002
10:45 AM EST (1545 GMT)


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rusty Wallace stayed after school, so to speak, when the final test session ended on Thursday. No fear. The driver of the No. 2 Ford wasn't in any trouble -- he was just doing some homework.

With permission from NASCAR, Wallace and Andy Hillenburg (subbing for Ricky Rudd) made three more runs once testing concluded at 5 p.m. The teams wanted to find out what it would take to speed up their Tauruses.

After one lap around the track, the two teams took one-quarter inch off the rear spoiler. Then, after another lap, the same amount was taken off again.

Wallace said he was a little disappointed with the results.

"We picked up 3.3 tenths of a second, I was hoping we would pick up four," Wallace said afterwards. "NASCAR thought it would pick up five tenths.

"That's very dejecting when you compare it to what the Chevrolets and Dodges are running."

During the test sessions, Chevrolet and Dodge teams dominated the speed charts. Almost all the Ford teams were at the middle or back of the chart for most of the three-day session. The blue oval boys finally made some progress on the final day while drafting.

Wallace is hoping NASCAR takes a look at the current package Ford has to use.

Currently, the Ford spoiler is 57 inches wide and six-and-a-half inches tall. Dodges have the same size. Chevrolets have a 57-inch by six-and-a-quarter inch spoiler.

"Now, the only I can think of is to look at the restrictor plates," Wallace said. "The best thing to do is put a little more spoiler on the other guys. If the Chevy, Dodge and Pontiac cars all added a quarter of an inch to their cars I think it would then get us all pretty equal.

"I thought taking that much off the spoiler would really free the car up and get it going. The whole rpm range on the engine only picked up about 100 rpms, and that was it for taking a half-inch off the spoiler.

"That was the thing I couldn't believe."

Wallace was asked if he was the driver to lead the Ford teams into the NASCAR trailer to state their case.

"I'm not the one to do that," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not complaining -- I won't complain. We just have to get all the makes closer, that's all."

[Roselady3]

I think that the ONLY true way of finding out the truth of how fast the cars can actually go down there is to switch the drivers around a bit- Put the Chevy drivers into the Fords- The Ford drivers into the Pontiacs, The Pontiac drivers into the Dodges & the Dodge drivers into the Fords. THEN lets see what the lap speeds are. I'm all for making it fair. But how can we tell? There are too many games played.

[Speedworx]

Its a nice idea, but saldy it will never happen.

[CA Racetramp]

Now,now let's keep ourselves politically correct. We will have Shawna in the NASCAR ranks, so remember, Lady and gentlemen, start your whining.......LOL

[Budmakesmewiser]

it is all a big game,if i was running NASCAR which i might buy when i am a multi-billionair and put myself in the main chair,i would sort it out with math,and see if the real whiners still wanta whine.

[Roselady3]

You will have to learn how to spell it before you become one.


I feel that as money becomes a tighter issue with NASCAR- they will have to do something cheeper than doing these testing/sandbagging sessions.

[Lars]

Originally posted by Roselady3
You will have to learn how to spell it before you become one.


I feel that as money becomes a tighter issue with NASCAR- they will have to do something cheeper than doing these testing/sandbagging sessions.

I see someone has their name in lights now.

[Budmakesmewiser]

i am going to go to college for alot of things including grammar,but for now i just spell things the way they sound.