NASCAR Notebook
17 march 2006
Erin Crocker has been struggling, but that's probably expected, as tough as the Craftsman Truck series is. But this weekend, Crocker, the former Sprint car star, will really be on pins and needles, and so will team owner Ray Evernham, in her first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"We have been working really hard since we struggled at California," Crocker said. "Ray has put a lot of the Cup resources into the truck. And Atlanta is a track that suits my driving style a little better. I think we will be a lot better this weekend.
"I have never been to Atlanta, so I have been playing the NASCAR 2006 video game on Play Station 2. And I watched the Truck race from last year to prepare for this Friday's race.
"It's definitely a little setback going to a track I've never been to. You cannot beat experience, especially at Atlanta, probably the fastest on the schedule. And it is definitely a handicap with the new testing rules."
NASCAR's proposed "car of the future" continues to create waves in Detroit, even though NASCAR Chairman Brian France is delaying full rollout until 2009.
It is to debut next spring at Bristol, where aerodynamics is not a significant a factor. And France is trying to get the whole program rolling, but it has been dead-in-the-water because the car, as currently configured, is simply unraceable because of its aerodynamics.
Nextel Cup team owners are paying lip service to France over the issue, or at least not complaining quite so loudly. But testing has been halted.
Dodge's John Fernandez is trying to be optimistic about the overall concept, though he concedes he is worried about technical issues, particularly the fact that drivers cannot drive the car safely in traffic.
"We're a little nervous, yes," Fernandez conceded.
"NASCAR is, I think, settling in on a 'front-splitter' and rear-wing as the way to go. From a manufacturers' standpoint, that might offer some advantages, because those two aerodynamic devices could be the dominant aerodynamics of the car, freeing up the body for more 'identification.'
"We have a long way to go to perfect that car and make sure it is a good, safe product."
The current hang-up - NASCAR hasn't provided any good, solid blueprinting for the car, or any assurances that the version they're looking at today will not change radically down the road.
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