You Got Answers? I want Yer Answers! By-Danny Zeeff Welcome to InsideThePitBox.com!! Check out ALL our sections and features here!! There is plenty to keep you busy on our main page! While Rob likes to give advice and answers via his Dear Robby page, I'm having more fun getting answers from you, the readers. It amazes me how many well thought out and informed responses I've received since throwing out some common questions to you. Not being selfish with other people's views, I'm happy to share them with you although I reserve the right to throw in my two cents worth when I feel it will be worth your money. I won't use any names unless you request it, but I may at times allude to your geographical location when I think it's pertinent or will be good for a laugh. This time by I'll pass along some words of wisdom concerning what to do about Daytona and Talladega? Far and away the number one response was to get rid of the restrictor plates, and cut the power some other way. Reducing the cid by destroking the current mills to 305 was mentioned, as was cutting compression. A related thought that I respected did not involve cutting power, rather, let em rip but restrict the rear end ratio so the cars could go 210, but they'd be turning 9500 rpms to do it. I think this makes sense in that you are giving drivers the power to get out of trouble and race, but there's no way they can go 500 miles flat out without blowing sky high. Next up was making the sheet metal "stock". This would take away all the aerodynamic tricks that have led to jam packed restrictor plate racing. The pressure would be back on the manufacturers to produce a stock street car that was wind tunnel friendly so it would be competitive in superspeedway conditions. Unfortunately, I find this seemingly logical answer to be unrealistic simply because the big three are building automobiles for you and I to buy to drive to work, take the kids to soccer practice and fetch the groceries while not worrying about how it's going to draft at 185. Editors Note: If you would like to have your opinion on this or any topic heard, join the ITPB staff this Wednesday night 2-26-02 for the first of hopefully many "Fan Forums" in our chat room, which allow you, the readers, to tell us what you think and interact with the staff. Click HERE to register your nickname and then join us at 6:00 EST on Wednesday 2-26-02!!! Hope to see you there!!! A less aggressive, and more practical solution is to take away a lot of the airdams and spoilers while leaving the cars race cars, which is what they are. We call them stock cars but what that really means any more is that they have fenders. Don't blame me!! I had nothing to do with it! More than one person suggested flattening out the church roof angled banks in the turns. Yeah, the driver would have to do a whole lot more driving. The engineers at Good Year would get in a lot of overtime trying to figure out how to make a tire that would hold up to those kinds of Gs for as long as the drivers, which might not be that long, but the worst case scenario of this style track is the car spinning into the corner and not having the high banking so good old gravity can keep him out of the wall. I've heard too many drivers place the danger of Loudon not in it's speed but in the flatness of the track causing the car to go straight into the wall. This line of thought comes from Rusty Wallace, among others, and I am not going to disagree. By the way, my suggestion of utilizing chicanes went over about as well as I thought it would, like an extremely loud one in a very packed church. I expect no more mercy in response to this week's question. It's been announced that Toyota is actively pursuing the possibility of joining the Craftsman Truck Series. This was Dodges way of entering the Big Show and one has to assume that Toyota is looking further into the future than Next years Truck season. The Jap cars are getting bigger and racier all the time so is this an inevitable step in the evolution of Nascar, the beginning of the end, or Armageddon itself? To answer your first question, no, there is no rule that precludes non-American manufacturers from becoming approved competitors in Nascar at any level. Let me know what you think, and if a simple e-mail seams insufficient, check out our main page to see how you can join us, the staff of ITPB, in a live [and hopefully lively], discussion on all things racing. Also, don't forget to throw the kids in the wagon and drag em out to the local short track. If they're puttin on a good show I want to know for a future column. Happy Racin, Danny Zeeff DannyZ@insidethepitbox.com Thanks for visiting InsideThePitBox.com!! Check out ALL our sections and features here!! There is plenty to keep you busy on our main page! (Editors Note:The views and opinions of our writers are just that, theirs. If you have comments, write to them. We take no responsibility for their articles... Do you blame us?) Article archives Return to the Main Page