Motorsports

Boys (already) are back

By BRANT JAMES, Times Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH - Hendrick Motorsports is setting the standard. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is setting the media agenda. It's almost like the 2007 season never ended. The fact the offseason is barely two months long might have a little something to do with that sensation, too.

But after just three days of testing by half of the Sprint Cup (formerly Nextel Cup) field at Daytona International Speedway this week, some familiar story lines re-emerged. Toyota is suddenly becoming pretty interesting, too, as the rest of the field readies for testing on Monday and the Feb. 17 season-opening Daytona 500 edges ever closer.

What we learned after half of the Sprint Cup field tested this week at Daytona

1. Hendrick Motorsports, which won 18 of 36 races and another championship last season (with Jimmie Johnson) remains the benchmark of the series.

2. The "Car of Tomorrow," "Car of Now," or whatever becomes its name, is at least appeasing drivers with its attributes at Daytona, so far. A test at Las Vegas this month will be more telling because it's a 1.5-mile track, the kind that comprises much of the schedule.

3. Toyota is already much more competitive than last season, leading the charts during drafting practice Tuesday and Wednesday. Kyle Busch, the newcomer to Joe Gibbs Racing, was among the best.

Three drivers with something to prove

1. Casey Mears:Jeff, Jimmie, Junior ... and Casey. That's a four-time champion (Jeff Gordon), a two-time defending champion (Jimmie Johnson) and NASCAR's most popular driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr.). Yes, Mears won more races last season (one) than Earnhardt, but his bust doesn't quite fit on this Mount Rickmore. Time to evolve.

2. Greg Biffle: The Roush Fenway driver arguably lost the 2005 title because of a hung lug nut with three races left.He struggled in 2006, missing the Chase for the Championship. His team's "Car of Tomorrow" struggles hurt in 2007.

3. Kasey Kahne: He flopped in what was supposed to be his breakout season, finishing 19th in points and winless in 2007 after eighth with six wins in 2006. Kahne pleaded not guilty to pushing a security guard at Homestead in November and is being sued. He has the mantel of Budweiser's new driver, replacing Earnhardt, but not exactly a clean slate. Guess it's a good thing the ladies think he's dreamy.

Image is everything

Dale Earnhardt Jr.on meshing his free-spirited image with old soul Hendrick Motorsports, a certain topic of discussion throughout the year:

"I joke with (team ownerRick Hendrick) and say, 'Look, man, I'm going to pick your shirt out for media day.' He said he'll let me pick his shirt out. I tucked my shirt in to go to this appearance, and he was taking pictures of it with his iPhone. He was e-mailing them to me the next couple days, and he was like, 'Aha, gotcha! You tucked your shirt in.'

"He knows we're going to be aggressive in keeping our image and staying like we want. I like to wear T-shirts and jeans. That's easy for me, and call it lazy or whatever, he's not going to be too hard on me about that. I think sometimes I've been able to work that toward my advantage. That has been part of what has endeared me to the fans, and he's smart enough to know it would be a huge disservice and a big mistake to make it any different."

Upcoming Speed Weeks buzz phrase: front-end travel

According to Kevin Kidd, engineer for Elliott Sadler's No. 19 Dodge: "Aerodynamically, what we're trying to do in the cars is get the front splitter as low to the ground and as sealed up as we can. So front travel is the amount the wheels move with respect to the chassis. There's a given travel we're trying to find that puts that splitter just a sixteenth of an inch off the ground because that's where it is making the least amount of drag, the most amount of downforce. Finding ways to do it is the hard part."

Story lines for the second session

1. Two-time series champion Tony Stewart eschewed the Daytona test the past three seasons; in part because he was pretty confident in his abilities after logging nearly 7,000 miles there and in part because he likes to indulge his sprint car interest in the annual Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. The introduction of a new car (that needs adjustment for the bumpy Daytona surface) and Toyota motors into his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Chevrolet has lured him South early this year.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.was so eager to begin his tenure with Hendrick Motorsports that he jetted from the Charlotte, N.C., area to Daytona on Monday to kibitz with his new teammates: two-time defending champ Jimmie Johnson, four-time champ and 2007 runnerup Jeff Gordon and Casey Mears, who tested in the first session. Hendrick cars were atop the time sheets this week. Earnhardt hasthe toys. Now it's time to play. And win.

3. The past two Indy 500 winners begin their first full year of their NASCAR careers. Both are guaranteed entry into the first five races - Sam Hornish Jr. via an owner points swap with Penske teammate Kurt Busch;Dario Franchitti by taking over a secure ride at Ganassi. But they jump into the deep end quickly in the sport's most high-profile, high-anxiety regimen.

[Last modified January 10, 2008, 21:09:44]