Considering the vast number of engine failures this season, particularly at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, seeing several engine developments this past week is of little surprise.
Richard Petty Motorsports vice president and director of competition Mark McArdle said this week that RPM does not plan on using Dodge’s new R6P8 engine until later this season. Though Penske has used the engines with without failure this year (except for Kurt Busch being down a cylinder at Las Vegas), McArdle says that any unknown with the engines is not worth the risk of losing points for the teams. With A.J. Allmendinger’s team not being locked into the first five races this season and RPM’s other teams wanting to remain in the Top 35 in owner’s points, RPM officials did not want to find themselves with teams missing races, like the No. 10 team did in 2007 and 2008.
NASCAR is considering changing the gear rule for the 2010 Vegas race, due the amount of engine failures teams encountered last week. Doug Yates, owner of Yates Racing and head of Roush-Yates’ engine program says the gear ratio allowed at Las Vegas last week, combined with an improved tire compound, allowed teams to turn just under 10,000 RPM at the end of the straightaways, pushing engines sometimes past their limit. Roush Fenway Rasing experienced three engine failures in Sunday’s race alone (Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, and Carl Edwards), equaling its total for all of 2008. Yates says that he has spoken with NASCAR officials and they are looking in to the matter.
Prior to Sunday’s race, several Toyota teams realized they had developed problems and decided to change motors and start the race from the back. David Reutimann, Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Scott Speed, and pole-sitter Kyle Busch all developed motor problems during last weekend’s practice sessions. The only Toyota driver to not finish the race was Todd Bodine in the No. 64 entry. Toyota Racing Development president Lee White says that Toyota teams are reverting back to the oil pump used on their motors last season and are making other mechanical adjustments, including heavier parts and different lubricants, to insure the motors’ durability. Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota’s most competitive team, builds its own motors and does not use TRD motors.
Other engine failures this season include two by Hendrick Motorsports driver Mark Martin and one by teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick officials say that the failures of Martin and Earnhardt Jr. at California two weeks ago were due to a bad batch of parts. Martin’s engine also failed again last week, likely due to the high RPM numbers.
Several different paint schemes out and about in Atlanta this week
As the season wears on, different sponsors begin showing up on hoods throughout the garage. Carl Edwards, whose primary sponsor on the No. 99 Ford is Aflac, will sport the colors of allergy medication Claritin. Marcos Ambrose, who has an array of sponsors this year, will drive with Kingsford colors on the No. 47 this week.
Richard Childress Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears each get to put on different driving suits in Atlanta. Bowyer and the No. 33 team will adorn BB&T colors instead of Cheerios and Mears and the No. 07 team will be watching DirecTV, instead of drinking Jack Daniel’s. Their teammate Kevin Harvick will see Reese’s on the hood of the No. 29 this week, instead of Shell.
As reported here last week, Reed Sorenson and the No. 43 team have begun a partnership with Super 8 Motels. Those decals will be on the team’s Dodge this week.
Aric Almirola’s No. 8 EGR team, which is still searching for a full-time sponsorship, has partnered up with Cub Cadet for the Atlanta race.
Entry list looking different for race number four
Teams that have missed races are beginning to reconsider original plans to run the full schedule. The No. 51 Black Jack Racing team has missed all three races this season and has decided to not attempt this weekend’s Sprint Cup Series race. The No. 73 team that Mike Garvey owns and drives for, which is based out of east Georgia, is also 0 for 3 this year and is missing from this week’s entry list.
Front Row Motorsports is still committed to running the first five races with driver Tony Raines in the No. 37 Dodge, but has missed the first three races. Raines also drives Front Row’s No. 24 Nationwide Series car.
Mike Bliss, Phoenix Racing’s Nationwide Series driver, is in the driver seat of the team’s No. 09 Chevy this weekend, replacing Sterling Marlin. Marlin missed the last two races for the team and driver Brad Keselowski, who is slated to attempt 10 races this season with Phoenix, missed the Daytona 500.
Georgia’s Bill Elliott and the Wood Brothers begin race two of their partial race schedule this weekend, by attempting to put the No. 21 in the Kobalt Tools 500 field.
Each of the several under-funded or new teams that have attempted each race this season return to try and run at Atlanta.
Full-time teams fearing the wrong side of the Top 35
As the fifth race approaches, some snake-bitten, ill-performing Top 35 mainstays form last season find themselves on the dark side of security. Aric Almirola, who has encountered many problems in the No. 8 for his first full season, has an average finish of 34.7 and is outside the Top 35 barrier. Other teams have had the same misfortune.
Paul Menard and the No. 98, locked into the first five races, via the Yates Racing No. 28 team’s points, sit 39th in points. Other full-time teams locked into the Top 35 last season, but sit on the bubble now include: the No. 82 of Scott Speed (36th), the No. 5 of Mark Martin (34th), the No. 39 of Ryan Newman (33rd), and the No. 20 of Joey Logano (32nd). The points spread is still very close for these teams and can change dramatically in two weeks.
Upstart teams that have a shot of uprooting the aforementioned teams include the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports/EGR team of John Andretti (30th) That team is locked into the first five races, but did not run full-time last season. Others with bounces in their step include David Gilliland in the No. 71 (37th, despite the team only making two races) and Regan Smith (35th and also has only been in two races). Smith’s Furniture Row team is running only a partial schedule.
Other smaller teams that are attempting the full schedule have both missed races and run poorly, resulting in placements outside the Top 35.
Milestones and beautiful weather make for marquee weekend in Atlanta
Atlanta Motor Speedway has a knack for attracting poor weather during race weekends, but this weekend is an exception. After seeing snow and sun during the last year’s March race weekend and rain during the October race, the forecast for this weekend’s race calls for sunny skies and afternoon temperatures in the 70s.
Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 marks the 100th Cup race for Atlanta Motor Speedway. The track opened in 1960, with Fireball Roberts taking the first checkered flag. Friday night’s pole qualifying session will determine who leads the first lap of the century-mark race.
Alabaman Rick Crawford, who cut his teeth racing Georgia small tracks, will make his 300th career Camping World Truck Series start in the No. 14 Circle Bar Racing Ford as well.
Georgia boys glad to be leave Las Vegas, eagerly await Atlanta
Unadilla’s David Ragan and the No. 6 UPS Ford team lost momentum last week, blowing a motor early in the Shelby 427 in Las Vegas and finishing 42nd. Ragan took a big hit in the points and now sits 24th in the standings. Kyle Busch won the race; Jeff Gordon leads the standings. In Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300 Nationwide Series race, Ragan wrecked and placed the Discount Tire Ford in 26th, falling two spots to 6th in points. Greg Biffle won the race and Carl Edwards leads the points.
Peachtree City’s Reed Sorenson finished 34th and the No. 43 team now sits 25th in the Sprint Cup points.
In the Nationwide Series race, Watkinsville’s John Wes Townley wrecked two No. 09 Zaxby’s Fords, one in practice and one in the race, finishing the race in 38th. He now sits 38th in points and faces the possibility of not being locked into the Top 30 in owner’s points, with is the same threshold in the Nationwide Series as the Top 35 is in the Cup Series.
Georgia Ken Butler III had another respectable outing in the Aaron’s No. 23 Chevy, finishing 17th. Despite not running in Daytona, he sits six places ahead of Townley in the points, in 32nd. The Nationwide Series is off this week.
Listen to WSB’s Racing Show for live coverage from Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Captain Herb and I will be on the air from 12-1:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sunday. Listen to News/Talk 750 WSB in Atlanta or online at wsbradio.com.
