8/5/02……… Ignition Changes Ahead? In the last few years, the auto manufacturers have been developing and perfecting the use of electronic traction control. The sanctioning body this season has been trying to come up with ways to keep the Winston Cup teams from somehow figuring out how to incorporate the traction control into the racecars on the sly. NASCAR President Mike Helton made the statement earlier this season that the traction control devices would be considered illegal if found during the inspection processes and heavy fines and points losses would be suffered by any team caught using the traction control systems.

NASCAR, apparently somewhat daunted by the ingenuity of some of the crew chiefs and race mechanics, has come up with the idea that the ignition boxes should be mounted on top right side of the racecar's dashboards, out of reach of the drivers, and clearly visible for every one to see at all times. By making this change, the sanctioning body feels that no electric wiring will be able to be hidden that could be used in incorporating a traction control device that was tied into the main ignition system.

In the display that they showed the teams in the garage area at Pocono, the primary ignition box with its coil was mounted on the left with the primary rev limiter mounted in the middle and the backup ignition box and coil mounted on the right. The backup system did not permit a rev limiter or tack signal wire.

A sign that solicited suggestions and input from garage area personnel read: “The purpose of this layout is to keep all ignition system components and wiring exposed and in clear view. Accessory wiring not directly needed for the ignition system must be routed and remain on the left side of the car and never cross over to the right side of the dash.”

NASCAR officials feel that it will be more difficult to incorporate the traction systems by tying them in with the accessory wiring that will all be located on the right side of the car. The new system that was on display is supposed to segregate the accessory wiring from the main ignition wiring, with no accessory wiring allowed to cross over to the right side of the dash where the ignition boxes are located.

Some key team members think that the visible system is just plain ugly, and should be mounted under the right side of the dash. Others have reservations that the systems mounted on top of the dashboards will be a factor that could hinder the driver's safety during a wreck, especially one that has force enough to buckle the dash. They are also concerned that the boxes will come loose during a wreck and injure the driver. They suggested installing nets over the boxes, or tethers to hold them in place if they are to be mounted in that position on top of the dash.

Series director John Darby stated that what was on display was just a concept, and idea, and was open to any and all suggestions. He said that if the system was eventually used, it would be mounted with driver safety being the number one concern.

Brickyard 400……… Bill Elliott and the No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge was the dominant combination to beat at Indianapolis. Elliott won with the same car that he won with at Pocono on the previous weekend. It's hard to imagine what it is that makes that car so fast, but at any rate, it has been untouchable two weeks in a row. I'm sure NASCAR has gone over the machine very carefully to see if they could find any discrepancies that may lead to rules infractions.

There were lots of strong cars during the race that were jockeying for the win, and most of them were Fords. Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, and Mark Martin were very fast, and it was Wallace who lost the race to Elliott when he went into a corner a little too hot and drifted up the track which gave Elliott the opening he needed to pass on the inside for the lead. Twelve laps later, it was all over, with Wallace crossing the finish line in the second position followed by the Fords of Matt Kenseth and Wallace's rookie teammate Ryan Newman. Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five in his Goodwrench Chevrolet.

There was a lot of hype about the SAFER barrier system that was attached to the walls in the corners on the Indianapolis track. Kurt Busch was the first to really test them by whacking the wall hard after being bumped out of the racing groove by his nemesis Jimmy Spencer. Busch has just made a clean pass on Spencer, and Spencer then drove into the back of him causing the mishap. It appeared to have been done on purpose, although Spencer naturally denies that it was. Spencer claims that Busch must have slowed considerably immediately after the pass. Yeah right! Both drivers have been summoned for a meeting with the sanctioning body concerning their latest altercation.

At any rate, the SAFER barrier system was tested a few times with startling results. None of the drivers were hurt, the system wasn't damaged, and it appeared to have definitely softened to blow for all of the cars that came in hard contact with it. I would call the system's debut in Winston Cup a remarkable success. I should point out that the 16 inch foam padding behind the tubular steel rails had been extended to 26 inches due to the heavier weight of the Winston Cup cars as opposed to the lighter Indy cars. The next test of the SAFER barrier system in Winston Cup may come at the Talladega track, as soon as engineers can figure out how to install the system over the really high steep banking. It is almost impossible to actually stand up on the track in those corners, let alone having to work in the area.

Sterling Marlin is still the point's leader in the race for the championship. He suffered problems due to an altercation on pit road that hurt his aerodynamics, than towards the end of the race, he was reported to have lost a valve in his engine, and dropped back to the rear of the lead lap. His closest rival in the point's chase, Mark Martin, also suffered problems late in the race and was forced to drop back several positions. As a result, Marlin's bad luck didn't cause him too big of a hit. The leader now has 2866 points. Jimmy Johnson's top ten finish moved him up one spot to second place, with a -93 behind Marlin. Mark Martin was relegated back to third place with a -109. Jeff Gordon remains in fourth place with a -125 while Rusty Wallace moved up three positions to fifth with a -171. Bill Elliott's second win in a row moved him up three spots to sixth with a -210. Tony Stewart remains in seventh with a -211. Ricky Rudd has dropped down two spots to eighth with a -232 while Matt Kenseth's third place finish moved him up one spot to ninth with a -266. Kurt Busch's altercation with Jimmy Spencer really cost him dearly in the point's race. Busch rounds out the top ten, losing five spots with a -286.

8/12/02……… Rudd Still Holding Out… According to reports, Ricky Rudd's future is still on hold. It seems as though Rudd has been playing the media game now since early last spring when he let it be known that he was thinking about retirement for the 2003 season. The main rumor concerning Rudd's plans with his present team, Robert Yates Racing No. 28 Havoline/Texaco Ford, has involved Elliott Sadler, who announced early this spring that he was leaving his ride with the Wood Brothers No. 21 Motorcraft Ford. Early speculation, which has proven to be somewhat substantiated by recent reports, has Sadler joining Robert Yates Racing.

We've suffered through long awaited announcements that have fallen by the wayside on more than one occasion. Rudd had stated repeatedly that he would announce his decision regarding his future in Winston Cup on July 15th, a date that uneventfully came and went. It seems that Rudd has been rumored to be joining chip Ganassi Racing for the 2003 season. Ganassi, who already fields the No. 41 Target Dodge driven by Jimmy Spencer and the No. 40 Coors Dodge driven by Sterling Marlin, has been rumored to be spreading out to a three team organization.

As the rumors and speculation progressed, it appeared that Rudd was taking his Havoline/Texaco sponsor with him to Chip Ganassi Racing. What has thrown a monkey wrench into the works is the fact that Havoline/Texaco wants to retain the car number 28, which has been associated with them since the late 1980's. Robert Yates Racing owns that number, which has also been with the racing organization since the late 1980's. Dale Jarrett and Ernie Irvan have also driven the No. 28 with Robert Yates Racing.

The latest rumors that have surfaced at Watkins Glen has Ricky Rudd stating that it's apparent to him that there isn't a place for him with the Robert Yates Racing organization in 2003, so he is going to be moving on. His present sponsor, Havoline/Texaco has announced that they will be holding a press conference on Tuesday, August 13th to make a special announcement.

Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen They allowed Tony Stewart to rack up another victory after a very controversial restart with one lap remaining. It was the result of one of NASCAR's red flag fiascos. There were two previous restarts near the end of the race in which Stewart jumped the start ahead of the orange cone that was hanging on the fence coming out of turn eleven signifying the restart line where the leader was supposed to throttle up in anticipation for the green flag.

On the last restart, Stewart jumped the start by several hundred feet, causing the second and third place cars to lose out on a chance to race him to the checkered flag. There was a lot of complaining about Stewart's tactics, but up to this point, nothing has been done by NASCAR concerning the controversial issue. Stewart made the comment in victory lane that "the restart line was not in a place where it was beneficial to a driver." In other words, Stewart decides where to restart, not NASCAR. Tony Stewart is now dictating the race rules and regulations to the sanctioning body. Well, that's a little crass, but the fact is, Stewart has them on the ropes. They have him on probation. If they correct him or black flag him for a rules violation, like jumping a restart, then they will have to suspend him. It's clearly obvious by NASCAR's actions that they are not prepared to suspend Stewart. As a result, they had to let him get away with stealing the win, with an illegal restart. What NASCAR has evolved into, is nothing short of a sad state or affairs. It is beginning to appear the World Wrestling Federation could take some important lessons from NASCAR.

8/19/02……… Car model Silly Season is a new twist in NASCAR these days. With Joe Gibbs Racing announcing recently that its manufacturers switch from Pontiac to Chevrolet will take place before the 2003 season begins, the Pontiac division of General Motors has been scrambling to find a replacement in its ranks.

PPI Motorsports owner Call Wells III made the announcement recently that he was switching from Ford to Pontiac for the 2003 season. Essentially, this means that Ricky Craven's No. 32 Ford Tide ride will be a Pontiac. Other recent news hinted that Wells may field another team for 2003, but that news remains a rumor without much steam.

Another rumor that surfaced this weekend that may have more steam is the one that has Morgan McClure Motorsports switching from Chevrolet to Pontiac. It was stated by the TNT race announcers that an announcement to that affect is due within the week. Morgan McClure Motorsports fields the bright yellow No. 4 Kodak Chevrolet which is currently driven by Mike Skinner.

The recent aero test on the GM models conducted by NASCAR in the Michigan race didn't seem to affect the Pontiac's performance as much as it did with the Chevrolets. The Pontiac's didn't really do any better than usual, with their finishing positions coinciding with previous stats earlier in the season.

The Pepsi 400 turned out to be "Dale Jarrett Day" as the veteran driver pulled a win out of the hat after spinning out early in the race. Jarrett's UPS team repaired a bent right fender and got him back in action to contend for the win. He passed Jeff Burton win just a few laps remaining and held off hard charging Tony Stewart for the win.

For once this season, the race went off with out any NASCAR controlled red flag finishes or controversies surrounding who may have bumped whom into the wall. Was it a boring race? I'd have to say that I've seen more exciting competition. Michigan is an easy track to race on with lots of width for a driver to find the best line that suits his racecar's set-up. Four wide racing is a common site at Michigan, even in the corners.

The number one villain at Michigan was the ever present "aero-push." When the cars get too close to each other, the air gets taken off of either the front or back ends which makes them spin out. The more NASCAR attempts to correct the situation, the worse things seem to become.

When a driver finds himself up against the rear bumper of another car while cornering, he may very well have to get out of the throttle in order to keep his car under control. The rear spoiler on the other car in front of him will take the air off of the front of his car, causing it to tighten up, which won't allow it to turn into the corner.

The same can be said in reverse if a car gets too close to the rear and gets it's nose up under the rear bumper of another car. The car in front will lift, causing it to get loose and spin out. The reason the car lifts is that the roof of the car behind it has taken the air off of the rear spoiler of the car in front. The air passes from roof to roof, and the nose under the rear bumper will lift the car because there isn't any air going over the rear spoiler on the car in the front.

Quite a few drivers interviewed in the pre-race show before the Michigan race broadcast claimed that the present aerodynamics have ruined racing. Back in the late 80's and early 90's when the cars had more of a boxed design, they were much easier to race and the drivers had more control over them. This changes that NASCAR has initiated this season have added dramatically to the dreaded aero-push, causing at least a couple of wrecks during any given race.

Next week the Winston Cup series returns to Bristol, Tennessee and races under the lights in the Sharpie 500. The race will be televised by the TNT network on Saturday, August 24th. at 8 P.M. Eastern. Qualifying will be televised live by TNT on Friday, August 23rd, at 3 P.M. Eastern.

8/25/02……… Chip Ganassi Racing is looking for a driver now that they didn't make a deal with Ricky Rudd. Some of the media outlets are reporting Ganassi to be the loser on the Rudd deal, but Ganassi doesn't see it that way.

True, Rudd has the experience and reportedly still has the zeal to race and the drive to win, but he wasn't a driver in which a growing team could build with. Rudd's days behind the wheel of a stock car are numbered. At 45 he feels that he may have from three to five years left in the driver's seat. On the other hand, he may get bit by the retirement bug again before his three year contract with the Wood Brothers Racing organization has run its course.

Ganassi is reported to have a list made up of prospective drivers. Due to Ganassi's open wheel history, it has been speculated that he may choose a driver from the open wheel ranks. He claims that an open wheel driver will not be his first choice. He prefers a driver with roots in stock car racing. Depending on the driver, it can take up a whole season just getting a driver acclimated with the switch between open wheel racers and stock cars, then it could take another couple of seasons for the new driver to hone his skills.

On driver who Ganassi claims to have on his list is Jerry Nadeau. Nadeau has open wheel roots, and has been driving stock cars long enough to know which end to point towards the checkered flag. He has one career win with Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 25 Chevy. Another driver on the list is John Andretti, who is rumored to possibly be seeking to leave Petty Enterprises, which seems to be the case every season.

Sharpie 500…… The .533 mile concrete track of Bristol Motor Speedway at Bristol, Tennessee, hosted the Sharpie 500 under the lights. Jeff Gordon won his 59th career event, and ended his 31 race dry streak. There has been a lot of talk about Gordon's dry streak, but actually, 31 races isn't even an entire season, so it's not anything to write home to mother about. There have been lots of winning drivers in the past who nave suffered a couple of winless seasons in their careers.

The top ten starters with their finishing positions:

1. No. 24 Chevy – Jeff Gordon – finished 1st
2. No. 8 Chevy – Dale Earnhardt Jr. – finished 3rd
3. No. 15 Chevy – Michael Waltrip – finished 22nd, 2 laps down
4. No. 2 Ford – Rusty Wallace – finished 2nd
5. No. 9 Dodge – Bill Elliott – finished 17th, 1 lap down
6. No. 10 Pont. – Johnny Benson – finished 12th
7. No. 32 Ford – Ricky Craven – finished 16th, 1 lap down
8. No. 97 Ford – Kurt Busch – finished 6th
9. No. 22 Dodge – Ward Burton – finished 37th, wrecked
10. No. 17 Ford – Matt Kenseth – finished 5th

The tempers were flaring big time during the short track race. The bumping and banging went on right up to the last bang that Gordon put on the rear of Rusty Wallace's car to get him sideways so he could take the lead with three laps remaining. Wallace had taken the lead away from Kevin Harvick with 18 laps remaining, but couldn't hold off the faster car of Gordon.

A temperamental race wouldn't be right without an incident involving Robbie Gordon. Gordon rammed the back of Rookie Jimmy Johnson, spinning him out during one of the 16 restarts before the green flag flew. Gordon was penalized two laps for his troubles, and then complained to NASCAR that no one else who spun out a competitor received a penalty.

Ward Burton made it known that he's really unhappy with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior got under Burton and they got together, sending Burton into the wall, taking him out of the race. Lots of drivers claimed that their competitors weren't using their heads; they were going all out for positions, regardless of who they bumped out of the way. I can remember watching Kurt Busch bump and ram several different cars out of his way during the event, beginning with an unscrupulous move on Ricky Craven in the No. 32 Tide Ford. Some of these people are going to learn one of these days that "what goes around, comes around."

Next week the boys of summer make their way to Darlington, South Carolina for the Mountain Dew 500. The event is scheduled to be televised live by the TNT network at 1 P.M. Eastern on Sunday September 1st. Qualifying for the event will be televised live by TNT on Friday, August 30th at 3 P.M. Eastern.