NASCAR Cup Series

Drafting could make for unusual partners

Published Jun. 27, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

At Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR drivers need friends.

They need them more than Facebook junkies.

Their success – or survival – depends on how many they have and how loyal those friends are in crucial situations.

And with the two-car draft creating a new style of restrictor-plate racing, friends, teammates and partners are more important than ever.

And that could create some strange bedfellows this week at Daytona International Speedway.

Drivers used to draft primarily with teammates, close friends or drivers wheeling the same car make. They often drafted with the same drivers year after year at Daytona and Talladega, creating some predictable hookups at the end of the race.
But the new, quirky tandem drafting technique has changed all that.

Teammates, friends and other associated partners don’t always work well together.

Your favorite drafting partner might not be able to give you a push when you need it most. Or he might prefer to be pushed rather than to push.

A Ford might not run as fast behind a Chevy as a Toyota. Or a Dodge might run hot while tucked up beneath the rear end of a Ford.

One driver’s car might overheat quicker than another, leaving the driver he is pushing at a big disadvantage.

Or a favorite drafting partner might not be adept at making the necessary swap between who pushes and who gets pushed, causing the twosome to lose too much time and track position.

As a result, the bizarre idiosyncrasies of the two-car draft may force drivers to work with rivals they wouldn’t be seen with in the garage or motorhome lot, creating some odd pairings come crunch time.

As the series returns to Daytona for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400, what sort of strange pairings are likely to materialize under the lights?

Here are a few we would like to see:

Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, or any RCR driver

Busch is a wanted man in the RCR camp after he wrecked Harvick at Darlington Raceway and roughed up an RCR Camping World Truck Series driver at Kansas.

Harvick attempted to punch Busch at Darlington, and team owner Richard Childress finished the job at Kansas Speedway, slugging Busch in the Truck series garage.

Harvick and RCR officials have made no bones about their disdain for Busch and hopes of doling out more vengeance.

But what if Busch has the fastest car this weekend at Daytona?

You can bet that Harvick or another RCR driver will latch onto his rear bumper in a minute if it means getting to the front or winning the race.

Busch drafted with RCR’s Bowyer at the end of the Daytona 500, so the two might be inclined to find each other again Saturday night.

Will their Hatfield-and-McCoy-like feud be put on hold for a week if it comes down to winning a race?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin

They are teammates at Hendrick Motorsports and have enormous respect for each other.

But Earnhardt Jr. was miffed at Martin for running him into the wall at Michigan International Speedway, and Earnhardt Jr. said so, calling out his teammate.

They were quick to bury the hatchet and put the incident behind them last week, and drafted together during the Daytona 500.

Martin owes Earnhardt Jr. one, and there would be no better place to repay that debt than with a push to the front at Daytona.

Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers

The two are coming off a classic confrontation last week at Infineon Raceway.
Stewart, irritated that Vickers was blocking him, spun Vickers early in the race.

Vickers, fed up with being pushed around, retaliated, spinning Stewart in the same turn and sending his car airborne and leaving it suspended on top of a tire barrier.

Clearly, we have a new feud.

But Vickers has had a fast car at Daytona in the past few races there and Stewart is one of the best restrictor-plate racers in the business.

Will they forget last week and hook up if they have to?

Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski

These two once raced for the win at Talladega, and it ended badly.

Keselowski blocked Edwards on the final lap, the two made contact and Edwards’ car went flying through the air and into the catchfence. That ignited an ugly feud highlighted by Edwards sending Keselowski airborne the next year at Atlanta.

The two have stayed away from each other this year, but both have emerged as contenders.

Edwards finished second in the Daytona 500 and leads the points standings while Keselowski has come on strong of late.

Could the two bitter rivals wind up being drafting partners in their next restrictor-plate showdown?

Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya

These two have had a feud nearly as juicy as the Kyle Busch-RCR throwdown. Newman spun Montoya at Richmond and Montoya retaliated, wrecking Newman on purpose.

Newman vowed to get even, and he apparently did, allegedly punching Montoya in the NASCAR hauler the following week.

But, both drivers wheel fast Chevys, and both should be contenders at Daytona.
Can they let bygones be bygones for a week?

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson

They are teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, supposedly good friends and used to be mentor and protégé.

But Johnson has won enough races and championships to be the envy of the garage, and no one is more envious and bitter and tired of Johnson than Gordon, a four-time champion and the sport’s biggest star until Johnson came along.

The two have had their scraps and scrapes before – including a rift at Talladega last year – so it would be interesting to see how much the two teammates would help each other at the end of the race.

Trevor Bayne and David Ragan

The two worked together at the end of the Daytona 500, and Bayne won NASCAR’s biggest race after Ragan made a critical mistake on a late restart.

They are teammates – sort of. Both drive for Roush Fenway Racing, Ragan in the Sprint Cup Series and Bayne in Nationwide. But Bayne drives for Wood Brothers Racing – a Roush affiliate – in Cup.

Adding even more intrigue to the pairing is the fact that Bayne could be the driver who replaces Ragan in Roush’s No. 6 car if Ragan is released at the end of the year.

Still, the two drivers worked well together at Daytona in February. Will they do it again?

Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin

This one has a Hollywood, soap-opera-type feel to it – the young, good-looking kid being tabbed to replace the aging veteran.

Though not bitter rivals, Kahne is replacing Martin in Hendrick’s No. 5 car next season, a deal that was worked out early last year.

Martin, meanwhile, is looking for a new ride for next season. Red Bull Racing – Kahne’s current team – was thought to be a possibility until Red Bull announced last week that it is pulling the plug on the operation, leaving that organization – and Martin – in limbo.

Would Martin be willing to push the guy who is replacing him next year?

And would Kahne be interested in scoring some points with his future teammates by pushing Martin to the front?

Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin

This one also could have a bit of off-track, behind-the-scenes drama to it.

Edwards drives for Roush Fenway Racing, but his contract is up after this season.

One of the teams he is said to be interested in and talking to his Joe Gibbs Racing, where Hamlin drives.

Edwards worked mostly with his Roush teammates at Daytona in February, but what if he suddenly hooked up with Hamlin, who was a contender in February and worked with several different drivers?

Imagine the grumblings and rumors if Edwards and Hamlin suddenly hooked up and helped each other get to the front.

Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Kevin Harvick won the Coca-Cola 600 in May when Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel on the final lap. Afterward, Harvick said he felt bad for Earnhardt Jr. and almost wished Junior would have won.

Almost.

Harvick has reiterated several times how he hopes Earnhardt Jr. wins a race soon and emphasized what a boost it would be for the sport.

Harvick races for RCR, the team that led Dale Earnhardt Sr. to six of his seven Cup championships. Earnhardt Jr. is close to Harvick and team owner Richard Childress and is practically a stepson of the organization.

The story would have a perfect fairy tale ending if Harvick repaid the gift he received at Charlotte by helping the popular Earnhardt Jr. snap his long winless streak.