| | Dura Lube/Kmart 400
North Carolina Speedway: Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET (TNN)
The big question this week in the Dura Lube/Kmart 400 will be how the new Ford
Taurus body reacts to racing on a track where it needs more downforce than
at Daytona. Just as important will be how the new Chevrolet Monte Carlo
reacts at North Carolina Motor Speedway, a mile-oval that demands
downforce.
The popular school of thought is that if you had a great car at Daytona, it
won't be good at the smaller tracks like the Rock, and vise versa. We saw
the Chevrolets weren't that good at Daytona, does that automatically mean
they'll be better this weekend? Maybe.
|  | | Ward Burton scored his only Winston Cup win at The Rock in 1995. |
Several Chevrolet team crew chiefs have told me that they just had too much
rear downforce for Daytona's superspeedway. But, believe it or not, those
same crew chiefs say they'll still have that problem this week -- even
though the speeds will be slower. There is so much downforce on the rear end
of the Monte Carlos that it causes the front to push going up into the
corners. The Monte Carlos just don't seem to want to turn.
So, we'll just have to wait and see if the Chevy teams can get the
right balance. If not, it could be another long Sunday for the Chevys.
Will it be another good day for Dale Jarrett? He finished second at the Rock
last fall. But only twice in the history of NASCAR has a driver won the
season's first two races -- David Pearson in 1976 and Jeff Gordon in 1997.
Gordon won the Daytona 500 and then a week later in Rockingham, while
Pearson won the season-opener at Riverside and then Daytona.
Jarrett has never won at Rockingham in 25 career starts. But he does have
eight top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. His average finish is 14.8, but over
his last 10 races at Rockingham, Jarrett has earned the most points of any
driver at the Rock. Defending champion Mark Martin, who grabbed his first
career win at the Rock in 1989, is No. 2, while five-time Rock winner Rusty
Wallace is No. 3.
But I think you have to watch out for the Pontiacs this weekend. Ward
Burton, who won his first and so far only Winston Cup race here in 1995,
should be pretty good. Tony Stewart should also have a good run,
although it remains to be seen how the loss of front tire
changer Mike Lingerfelt affects the No. 20 pit crew. Lingerfelt was hit by
Stewart in the Daytona pits and suffered a broken leg. He'll be out for
several weeks. His loss could just throw off Stewart's pit timing, and pit
stops are always crucial at the Rock.
Alltell 200
North Carolina Speedway: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET (TNN)
Once again, there will be several Winston Cup drivers who'll pull double
duty this weekend in Rockingham. And one will be Matt Kenseth, who just had
just a great weekend at Daytona.
Kenseth may be in the running for rookie of the year in Winston Cup, but he
started the season by winning the NAPA Auto Parts 300 at Daytona. He then
turned around and finished 10th in his first Daytona 500. Kenseth also
picked up his first Busch Series win at Rockingham a couple of years ago
when he pushed none other than Stewart out of the way between Turns 3 and 4
to take the checkered flag. Kenseth likes Rockingham, has plenty of momentum
heading in here this weekend and the right car to challenge once again.
Jeff Green, the preseason favorite to win the Busch points title, is looking
to make up for last week. Green wound up on the roof of his Chevy just 13 laps into the season opener. Last year, he came to the Rock with a brand new team
and without any provisionals. When the rain washed out qualifying, Green
missed the race. He still finished second in season points. He'll have no problem
making the field this year.
Todd Bodine is another driver who always seems to run well at Rockingham.
Former truck series champion Ron Hornaday looks to rebound this weekend
after falling behind early in the pits at Daytona. Hornaday may be a "rookie" in
Busch, but he's no rookie. This will be his first race at the Rock. It might
also be a good place for him to get back on track.
Florida Dodge Dealers 400:
Homestead-Miami Speedway: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
The trucks are in Homestead, which is a much flatter track than Daytona.
There is no way you'd think Saturday's race would be as exciting as the
inaugural truck race at Daytona. But there have been some pretty good truck
races at Homestead over the years -- with a lot of battling up front.
Mike Wallace, who started the season by winning at Daytona last week, won
this race last year at Homestead. He's looking to not only start the 2000
season with two straight wins, but also repeat at Homestead. So we should
expect a pretty good race out of him.
Because Homestead's 1.5-mile oval is a flat track, expect a lot of
close-quarters racing. You can expect to see some pushing on the track for
position, and a lot of side-by-side racing. It really should be a good race.
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ALSO SEE
Yocum: Time to start digging out of a hole
Dura Lube 400 Breakdown
Weber: Tale of two teams
Ford teams feeling good heading into Rockingham
Another dynamic duo forming in 88 garage
Benson brings Daytona momentum to The Rock
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