Reality Tv Spoilers

The picture of Realignment 2004 ... and beyond ... is becoming clearer with every passing week--or is it?

The closer the Nextel Cup Series moves toward the midway point of the season--and returns to NASCAR's home base of Daytona, where the 2005 schedule is expected to be announced around the time of the July race--the more trial balloons are floated for debate in the court of public opinion.

Vamoose to Mexico City, and abandon Watkins Glen? Exit the Sandhills of North Carolina for the concrete jungle of New York? Drop a Darlington date for uncharted territory in the Northwest? Move a Martinsville date to Toronto? A Texas two-step and doubling down in Las Vegas also have been mentioned, as well as shortening the races at Pocono--perhaps even shortening the track. And speaking of length, how does a 40-race schedule sound?

Although the sanctioning stage, when NASCAR works on race contracts with each track on the schedule, has begun, it's premature to think that any date is a lock--except for the Daytona 500--until the lawsuit filed against NASCAR by Speedway Motorsports Inc. shareholder Francis Ferko is settled.

But if there's any validity to the rumors escaping from the NASCAR mill, 2005 will take on a different appearance.

Before the schedule is complete, NASCAR needs to decide which tracks make the most sense and which markets can add growth to the fan base and are attractive to sponsors. The team owners I've talked to want to be in metropolitan areas that appeal to existing and potential sponsors. If that means moving away from some of the Southeastern markets, so be it.

Inevitably, there will be winners and losers, and some could lose through fallout because there's more to realignment than just moving an existing race date to another week in the schedule.

Schedule adjustments are needed for a variety of reasons. For instance, there are weather considerations. Anyone who remembers the rainouts of 2003 will agree that racing in Florida and the Southwest at the beginning and the end of the schedule makes sense, and racing in Florida in the middle of the summer doesn't. Plus, there are conflicts with other races--the Brickyard 400 can't be scheduled in May, for example--and other sports, especially the NFL in the fall. That's when the schedule maker could get creative and move races to Saturday and Wednesday nights or later on Sunday, with an eye toward West Coast viewers.

There are too many racing layouts that are similar. Variety is a beautiful thing, and there should be a ban on building any more 1.5-mile tracks. But distinctive tracks such as Rockingham and Darlington might remain on the schedule only by limiting their events to one day, Wednesday, with the races at night.

By the way, NASCAR is perfect reality TV. Maybe it could create a show in which Donald Trump finds apprentices savvy enough to finally build a track at the Meadowlands or Atlantic City. Considering the headaches of getting anything built in and around New York, racing there might have to wait until 2006. Ditto Seattle, if rain delays construction. But if I could put together the schedule of the future, it would add seven new markets--including two foreign ones--and it would end up exactly where it started, on the beach, but this time with the Nextel Cup on the line.

For the latest NASCAR news and analysis by FOX commentators Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds--plus Lee Spencer's weekly Power Poll--go to www.foxsports.com keyword: NASCAR.

TSN's POWER POLL

Driver                  TSN points   Nextel Cup points

 1 Dale Earnhardt Jr.      750             997 (3)
 2 Matt Kenseth            729           1,013 (2)
 3 Kurt Busch              713           1,032 (l)
 4 Kasey Kahne             634             902 (7)
 5 Jimmie Johnson          602             923 (6)
 6 Elliott Sadler          586             942 (5)
 7 Tony Stewart            549             946 (4)
 8 Jeff Gordon             529             891 (9)
 9 Ryan Newman             507             834 (10)
10 Kevin Harvick           499             897 (8)

Through race No. 7, at Texas. For a complete
TSN Power Poll rundown and an explanation of
the points breakdown, go to www.foxsports.
com/named/public/NASCAR/Cup/PowerPoll

SPEED READS

* As close as the competition in the Nextel Cup Series has been this season, NASCAR needs to think twice if it's contemplating any significant changes in the cars, such as altering the rear spoilers. Race teams had a hard enough time catching up in the offseason and do not need a challenge like that midway through the year.

* The momentum Robert Yates Racing gained from Elliott Sadler's victory at Texas will carry the team well into the summer months. Considering the new Ford Racing engine should be ready to race soon, Sadler and Yates teammate Dale Jarrett can be expected to pick up the pace for the May 2 race at California, where speed makes all the difference.

* Pit and track position is at a premium at Martinsville, a .526-mile, paper clip-shaped track. Teams that tested there will have an advantage for Sunday's race. With 43 teams squeezed into less than a quarter-mile on pit road, a top qualifying position is essential so that a favorable stall can be secured.

The Spencer plan

1. Daytona 500. Speedweeks become Speedweek. Bud Shootout, the Twins, the Craftsman Truck and Busch races and the 500 must be squeezed into one week.

2. Homestead. Stay and play in the sun. Take in spring training as a bonus.

* Week off. Busch and Trucks race to maintain momentum.

3. Las Vegas. First of two dates in the desert.

4. California. Warming up to the West Coast.

5. Atlanta. Moving closer to home.

6. Martinsville midweek. One-day Wednesday show. Still packs the house.

7. Texas. Avoiding twisters is a good thing.

8. Sonoma. Spring in the wine country.

9. Bristol. It's about time we got here.

10. Darlington midweek. One-day Wednesday show.

11. Talladega. Who said Mardi Gras has to end?

12. Rockingham. Run it the Saturday before Mother's Day.

13. Richmond. How much excitement can you stand?

14. Charlotte. Have the all-star race the Friday before the 600.

15. Dover. Time to migrate north.

16. Michigan. A pristine place to summer.

17. Chicago. The Windy City is better in the sunshine.

18. Milwaukee Mile. The perfect place to combine the Summerfest and racing.

19. Nashville. Or Memphis. Either would be a good addition.

20. Pocono. Moving the caravan to the mountains.

21. Toronto. Wouldn't it be cool to have a road course on the streets? Maybe the Mounties can direct traffic better than Barney Fife.

22. Seattle. Racing through the raindrops.

23. Pikes Peak. The track is higher (1 1/16 miles) than it is long (1 mile).

24. Kansas City. Real barbecue for racing bubbas.

26. New Hampshire. The clock is ticking to make the Chase.

26. Richmond. So you thought you were going to be eligible for the Chase?

* Week off. Shootout looms.

Chase for the Championship

27. Bristol. Under the lights is a perfect place to start.

28. Indianapolis. A cool place for the Brickyard.

29. Talladega. A restrictor-plate event to shake things up.

30. New York. Pick a borough, any borough. Or Jersey, if you must. And make it a short track on a Saturday night.

31. California. High-speed high jinks.

32. Darlington. Who will prevail on the track too tough to tame?

33. Charlotte. A week home to regroup.

34. Texas. Start of the Western run.

36. Mexico City. Need a road course in the final 10 races.

36. Las Vegas. Double your pleasure, double your fun.

37. Phoenix. The points battle heats up in the desert.

38. Daytona. Finally, the true Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing.

* Wednesday * Saturday

INSIDE DISH By LEE SPENCER

NASCAR's new Nextel Cup testing policy--which provides drivers with additional dates--has paid off for many teams looking for a single day of practice to freshen setups. Bobby Labonte did just that last week at Martinsville, where the Cup teams will race Sunday. "We hadn't tested there in about eight years," says Labonte who won the spring race there in 2002. "The track is a lot different. The bottom groove isn't as good as it used to be, but I still look forward to it." Labonte was second in last spring's race at Martinsville but finished 41st in the fall, when his engine failed 271 laps into the race.... Rusty Wallace opted out of testing at Martinsville and will instead turn his sights on Richmond, which has undergone a $40 million refurbishing in the last two years. The most dramatic changes are the installation of SAFER barriers and the repaving of the 0.75-mile track, which started in October so the pavement would have time to cure before the race May 15. It's the first time the surface has been paved since 1988, when it was reconfigured from a 0.542-mile track, but Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz doesn't expect the renovations to "change the track's characteristics, geometry and banking." ... The development of the Evernham Motorsports chassis is paying early dividends for the teams of Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield and Bill Elliott. Kahne and Elliott led multiple laps at Texas. According to team owner Ray Evernham, there are many advantages to an in-house chassis program. "You've got your delivery option," Evernham said during a recent news conference. "You've got quality control. If you want to make a little change, you can custom-make the things. If you find any little advantage at all, you can keep it." One advantage Evernham might have to do without in the short term is a third car for Elliott. Because of a lack of sponsorship, Elliott doesn't expect to return to action until the Brickyard 400 in August.... Rumors swirled last week about Johnny Sauter being released from the No. 30 Chevrolet team, which is 24th in the standings, and getting replaced by Johnny Benson or Dave Blaney. Another garage rumor: Jeff Burton's No. 99 Ford, which is 30th in the standings, will shut down if sponsorship is not found by the end of May, and Burton will move to the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by Robby Gordon. However, anyone who knows Richard Childress, the owner of the No. 31, realizes Childress left after the Texas race for Canada's Northwest Territories to go hunting. Considering he has Cingular sponsorship, Childress no doubt had state-of-the-art cellular service, even in the subarctic, but racing matters were probably the last thing on his mind.... Most racers would jump at the chance to compete at the Nextel Cup level, but Craftsman Truck driver Bobby Hamilton isn't one of them. "I left Winston Cup because I wasn't in a car that was capable of winning every week," says Hamilton, who's third in truck series points. "Right now, racing in Cup would take away from my truck effort, and unless Ray Evernham or Chip Ganassi calls with a ride, I won't be going back."

Down the road

Advance Auto Parts 500

* When: 1 p.m. ET Sunday

* Lenght: 263 miles, 500 laps

* TV: FOX

Run with this:

On a hot day, track temperatures can exceed 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat is the enemy of tires, which can measure as hot as 300 degrees after a green-flag run at a tight, high-banked track like Bristol. Tires will blister at 260-270 degrees, and at that point, drivers need to be wary of an impending blowout.

Mobil 10W viscosity grades (OW-20, OW-30, OW-40) provide ultimate temperature protection ranging from 400[degrees]F down to colder than -50[degrees]F.

Mobil Command Performance

M@IL BONDING LEE SPENCER ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

With Michael Waltrip leading the Busch Series standings, what is your opinion of Nextel Cup Series drivers who race in the Busch Series?

Mark Askelson, Twin Valley, Minn.

Mark: I'm all for it. Having Cup drivers in the field raises the level of competition, and fans get a better show. Promoters can sell more tickets by advertising the appearances of name drivers. The aspiring drivers in the field benefit from racing against higher-caliber competition. In addition, what the Nextel Cup drivers learn in the Busch race often transfers to the Cup race, making it more competitive.

E-mail: lspencer@sporting news.com

LEE SPENCER'S INSIDER

lspencer@sportingnews.com

COPYRIGHT 2004 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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