Fork in the Road - NASCAR

Auto Racing Digest, May, 2001 by Ken Willis

With a new television contract and the most competitive field in Winston Cup history, it should be another formative year for NASCAR's top series

THROUGHOUT NASCAR'S HISTORY, there have been several events that are considered crucial to its evolution.

There was, of course, the actual founding of NASCAR, in 1947, by "Big Bill" France. That was followed by other landmark occurrences: the building of Darlington Raceway in 1950 (the first paved superspeedway); the building of Daytona International Speedway in 1959; the partnership with R.J. Reynolds in the early 1970s which provided a title sponsor (Winston) for the big-league series and streamlined the schedule; the first flag-to-flag TV coverage of the Daytona 500 in 1979; and the gradual expansion of the sport (geographically and demographically) through the 1990s.

If NASCAR's movers and shakers are correct with their prognostications, the 2001 season will someday be looked upon as another important step on stock car racing's path to the mainstream American sporting scene. The reason: television. Not just television as race fans have known it, but wall-to-wall, high-profile, everywhere-you-look network television. This season marks the first in a new era of TV coverage that--financially and artistically--puts NASCAR in the same economic company with America's older, established team sports.

NASCAR's new television partners, Fox and NBC, will show the majority of races on their networks, and others on their cable affiliates. Some longtime, diehard race fans--accustomed to the familiar faces and styles of ESPN, CBS, and TNN--are suspicious, but NASCAR officials are hoping that a series of future innovations will take race coverage to a whole new, improved level.

The effectiveness of the quality of the new television coverage is just one of the questions to be answered this year. There are many others, beginning with the actual competition on the rack.

A crowded field

Never has a season started with so many teams considered viable contenders for the Winston Cup championship. As many as 10 drivers should battle for the title this year, and at least another half-dozen or so are top-10 contenders.

It all begins with the defending champion, Bobby Labonte, whose steady climb in the points standings in the late '90s culminated last year with his first Winston Cup championship. Labonte clinched the title using the modern-day method: several wins, a boatload of top 10s, very few mistakes, and very little bad luck.

Labonte returns this year with everything intact from his championship season--most notably the well-oiled Joe Gibbs Racing team. He may also benefit from remaining in the Pontiac family. The two-car team of owner Bill Davis and the now three-car effort of Petty Enterprises have moved to the new Dodge camp, and some would suggest the Gibbs group will be helped by more focused attention from the manufacturer.

Labonte doesn't have to look far to find the man who may be his chief rival this year: teammate Tony Stewart, who horsed the No. 20 Pontiac to a series-high seven victories in 2000. Stewart is an all-out racer who values wins above everything else, but in his first two seasons in Winston Cup he watched as his first teammate competed or the series' points honors and his subsequent teammate won that title. As a result, Stewart has become very aware of what a championship means to a team and a driver--and how to win one. Stewart is a fast learner, and if he sets his mind to points gathering rather than simply winning, he might be the driver who keeps the tire in the Gibbs garage.

Much like last year seemed to be the right time for Laborite, many believe this year could be the breakout season for Jeff Burton. The Virginian has piloted the No. 99 Ford to top-5 points finishes in each of the past four years, and has won 10 races over the past two. For years it's been assumed that if owner Jack Roush was to field a championship team, it would likely be the No. 6 car driven by Mark Martin. Nowadays, it doesn't necessarily appear that way.

That's not to say Martin isn't a threat. After a 2000 season filled with tough breaks, Martin enters the new campaign with two important advantages. First, he has a fresh focus, driving only the Cup Series after giving up his Busch Series duties. Second, he has fresh finances. His team's new deal with title-sponsor Viagra makes the No. 6 squad one of the richest in NASCAR.

The two-car effort under the Robert Yates Racing flag is headed by a pair of well-decorated veterans: 1999 champion Dale Jarrett and a rejuvenated Picky Rudd. Jarrett had a good season as defending champ in 2000, and with his new big-money sponsor (UPS) seems poised to contend again. Rudd didn't earn a trip to the winner's circle last year--his first season with Yates--but he piled up the points and should do so again in 2001.

And what of Jeff Gordon? The three-time champ lumbered through a transition year in 2000. Gordon had a new crew chief and new race-day pit crew. And what were the results? Three wins and ninth in the points--great stuff for most, but a slip for someone of Gordon's stature. Look fox-improvement in 2001.