CUP: SPEED Talent Q&A

CUP: SPEED Talent Q&A - Phoenix

SPEED analysts preview Round Two of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season...

SPEED Staff | Posted March 01, 2013 Charlotte, NC

Phoenix International Raceway is up next for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

SPEED ANALYSTS BREAK DOWN THE SEASON OPENER AND PHOENIX

Q: How big a deal was a top-10 finish at Daytona for some of the small teams to start off the year?

“Some of the little guys – Regan Smith, Michael McDowell and JJ Yeley -- those teams and drivers struggle just to get to the track every week. They struggle just to qualify. They left Daytona saying they got a top-10 finish in the biggest race of the year. That cash is huge for their seasons.”

--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst

“Daytona was very important to some of the smaller teams. It gives them visibility and puts them on the map, which can only attract additional sponsorship dollars as the season goes on. However, Daytona is such a unique race that the performance may not carry over in the weeks ahead.”

--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: The Daytona 500 was a bit of 2012 déjà vu for Joe Gibbs Racing with engine failures. Should that camp be concerned they’ll see a repeat of Kyle Busch’s multiple engine woes again in 2013?

“Both Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch had some troubles in the engine department at Daytona. TRD had some difficulties with their engines that plagued them all year long in 2012. They hope to nip this in the bud right now because both of those guys already are behind the eight-ball when it comes to battling for the championship.”

--Bob Dillner, SPEED analyst

“Of course they should be concerned. Kyle is coming off what he has called the worst season of his career, and no team wants to start the season with two blown motors in the first race. So, you better believe they’re working overtime to find out what happened.”

--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: How long do you expect the momentum Danica Patrick brought the sport at Daytona to last?

“Congrats to her and her whole Stewart Haas Racing team for what they did to get that car on the pole. They told me they set out to put her on the pole so her Speedweeks would be easier, but now we go to Phoenix and all the intermediate tracks, where it’s a different story for her.”

--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst

“It would carry to infinity. If Danica does well this year, it’s going to be awesome for NASCAR and will make the sport’s year. But Daytona is a different animal and I think she will struggle starting this weekend at Phoenix.”

--Bob Dillner, SPEED analyst

Q: What will be different about the Gen-6 car at Phoenix versus the COT? What are you expecting at Phoenix?

“Just like at Daytona, they’ll be about 150 pounds lighter than the COT, which certainly will help the grip of these race cars, but that rear spoiler has so much more downforce than last year’s car. They’ve been working on this car for two years and so much effort has been put into the downforce tracks like Phoenix and Las Vegas. I think they’re going to be very fast. When you give drivers that much downforce, they don’t have any problem running side-by-side with each other.”

--Larry McReynolds, SPEED analyst

“We have to remember Phoenix still is a recent repave, and therefore, the sense I got talking to drivers is it still may be a one-groove race this time around. What everyone is looking forward to is going to Vegas in another week and seeing a stellar show there. We’ll have to wait and see if Phoenix is a one-groove track this time around or not.”

--Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

Q: Hendrick Motorsports dominated when the COT was first introduced, and they finished 1-2 at Daytona, the first Gen-6 car points race. Do you look for them to dominate this year or do you expect a more level playing field with the new car?

“Although they finished 1-2, I don’t think they will dominate this year. Remember that Daytona was RCR and Kevin Harvick’s week until he got caught up in that early-race wreck. I don’t think any particular organization has a corner on the market at the moment. Hendrick did a great job engineering that COT, but I don’t think one team will dominate this year.”

--Matt Clark, SPEED analyst

“It’s way too early to tell right now because there are so many good organizations and each will be good at different tracks.’

--Bob Dillner, SPEED analyst

“Every time there is a rule change, Hendrick Motorsports comes in right behind NASCAR. There always is an advantage to being at Hendrick. I’d say all the teams probably were on as equal footing going into Daytona as they’ll be all year long. It may get harder for some of them to keep up from here on out, but that remains to be seen.”

--Kyle Petty, SPEED analyst

“Year in and year out, they’ll always be a threat to win the title. What we’ll see this year is one team jump out and get ahead of the others on the mile-and-a-half tracks. I don’t think we’ll know until after Bristol or Martinsville which team has a leg up on the competition with this car, but I expect someone will have one.”

-Tom Jensen, SPEED.com Editor-in-Chief

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