As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta this weekend, I
think it is interesting to note that there are six teams that were
in the top 12 last year that clearly are a lot further out than
they had planned.
Those teams include Penske Racing’s No. 2 (Kurt Busch),
Richard Petty Motorsports' No. 9 (Kasey Kahne), Stewart-Haas
Racing’s No. 39 (Ryan Newman) and three others. I think you
have to reevaluate where you are team-wise by your performance.
Juan Pablo Montoya has performed well but doesn’t have the
results to show for it. He and his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team
have been fast, so for that team it is not a matter of needing to
panic right now. They’ve got good cars and have good power.
So they don’t need to do anything crazy.
On the flip side, there are other teams out there where the
performance is not what they were expecting. Let’s go back to
the Penske group. Aside from qualifying well, they really
haven’t been that consistent performer they or we expected.
Teams in that same situation can’t wait to start making
adjustments. Is there a weak link in the pit crew? Are we not
making the right adjustments on the car to go with the tires that
Goodyear is bringing to the track? What part of the puzzle are we
missing?
My point is a lot like in other sports: You can’t give
up ground. You can’t say well let’s wait until next
week when we have a weekend off. You have to be proactive in your
approach. The racing world is one that never really stops.
It’s a constant work in progress.
Even though Jack Roush pulled the trigger early on to make a
crew chief change on Matt Kenseth's team, I really don’t see
anybody else out there ready to make that kind of adjustment too
quickly. As far as I can see from my vantage point, I don’t
think you will see changes in the crew chief position for a few
more races yet.
One of the cool things these first three races have given us
is the continuing battle between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson.
Richard Childress, Kevin and the entire RCR group clearly have that
No. 29 car back where it is competitive week in and week out. If
they can keep giving Kevin cars like they have been, I think you
are going to see a side of Kevin we haven’t seen in a few
years.
I think we have just scratched the surface of some upcoming
great battles between Harvick and Johnson. Make no mistake, that
No. 48 team with Chad Knaus making the calls and Jimmie behind the
wheel is still a lethal team. I, for one, am thrilled to see
Harvick's team step up early in the season to make a statement that
they are going to challenge Johnson all year long.
In addition to Harvick, you also have to be impressed with
the runs of Jeff Gordon so far. Maybe the challenge to Johnson will
come from within Hendrick Motorsports this season. Jimmie’s
still King of the Hill and until someone knocks him off, well he is
the man because you know he isn’t going to roll over and play
dead.
