Keeping up with the fast crowd

Sporting News, The, Feb 11, 2002 by Lee Spencer

This should be a wild ride.

The 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup season figures to offer drama, silliness, hissy-fit rivalries, young stars, cagey veterans, bad boys and good guys--all the makings of a made-for-TV soap opera on wheels.

The dominant figure is Jeff Gordon, who won his fourth points championship last season and, depending on your perspective, is a bad boy or a good guy but never a combination of the two. Gordon, even at the top of his game, won't find it easy to defend the title. Not with Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the prowl. Not with the resources Joe Gibbs, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Richard Childress provide for other drivers.

Don't forget about this sport's distinctive characteristics. Rivalries, for instance, are defined by ramming 3,400-pound hunks of metal together--drivers call it bumping--and rules are changed at the whim of the hierarchy.

There are 36 races--plenty of opportunities for every twist, turn and conspiracy theory imaginable.

The ever-changing rules

If you don't like the rules, stick around. NASCAR is sure to change them.

Ford already received a concession on its spoiler and front air dam trims because its cars' lap times were unsatisfactory during January testing for the Daytona 500.

And don't be surprised if all of the cars are using restrictor plates with larger holes before the Twin 125 qualifying races February 14 at Daytona. After teams ran laps in the draft during January tests, drivers complained that the 7/8-inch opening on the restrictor plate is too small for cars to have the power they needed to pass.

Don't forget that teams went to January tests at Daytona with rules they agreed to last October during a special meeting with NASCAR. That was shortly after a multicar wreck at Talladega angered drivers and prompted NASCAR officials to admit the rules at restrictor-plate tracks weren't working.

Confused? The bottom line: Teams spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for the four races on restrictor-plate tracks compared with the rest of the 32 races on the schedule.

There doesn't seem to be one solution that suits everybody, so stick around. The next rules change is just around the corner.

The biggest technical change for the season is the one-engine rule. Teams must use one engine per event--for practicing, qualifying and racing. If a team blows an engine before the race, it can go to a backup but must start at the rear of the field. The exceptions are the Daytona 500, because of the qualifying races, and the Coca-Cola 600, because of its length.

Though some believe NASCAR will eliminate the rule the first time Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart or Dale Jarrett loses an engine and must start at the rear during the heat of a points battle, Randy Dorton, engine builder for Hendrick Racing, says he doesn't think NASCAR will give in.

Terry Elledge, engine specialist for Bill Davis Racing, says teams now must build motors with a different objective. "We have to make them reliable over a long period of time," he says. "Everyone's in the same boat, so I think it's much more equitable."

Other changes: Goodyear will further reduce the number of tire compounds used at each track; teams have the option of using a steering wheel-mounted kill switch or a NASCAR-approved ignition-interrupt system; drivers can use a carbon-fiber seat; cars must carry a fire extinguisher within reach of the driver; anyone who goes over the wall must wear a helmet and a suit made of fire-retardant material; and all participants must be at least 18. --L.S.

NASCAR's Hatfields and McCoys

It just wouldn't be racing without a few friendly rivalries. Who can forget Ricky Rudd rubbing Rusty Wallace the wrong way last August at Bristol, only to have "Rubberhead" retaliate and dump Rudd's No. 28 Ford three races later at Dover?

Tony Stewart played bumper cars with Jeff Gordon at Bristol in the spring race. Tapped by Gordon near the finish, "Smoke" exacted his revenge on "Wonder Boy" after the race with a measured shot to the rear end on pit road.

Gordon uncharacteristically lost his cool in the season finale at New Hampshire when he rammed Robby Gordon, who had put the bump-and-run on the No. 24 Chevrolet moments before.

And there was Kevin Harvick vs. Bobby Hamilton at Martinsville, vs. Rudd at Richmond, vs. Jeff Green in a Busch Series race at Bristol, etc.

It's no gamble to say these dashes, and a few new ones, will play out through this season. NASCAR's talent pool shows no signs of shrinking violets; the newcomers seem to get feistier each year.

The five hottest rivalries, with ratings from cool to high heat, to watch for this season:

1. Gordon-Stewart. They are the most skillful drivers on the circuit, and this rivalry will continue for some time--as long as Stewart stays in Winston Cup. The incident at Bristol escalated because of Stewart's lack of self-control. Sure, Gordon knocked him out of the way, but that's how passing is done at Bristol, and each driver has given and received. Although Gordon has the utmost respect for Stewart as a driver, he says Stewart's intensity is "his best friend and his worst enemy at the same time."