Sunday, August 18, 2002
Rule change has some teams griping
Aid for GM cars unfair, they say
The Associated Press
BROOKLYN, Mich. - When NASCAR decided to give aerodynamic aid to Chevrolets and Pontiacs, the sanctioning body promised to re-evaluate the decision after today's Pepsi 400.
But some already are complaining about the decision last weekend to allow the GM teams to move their front air dams forward for this race at Michigan International Speedway.
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Event: Pepsi 400, Brooklyn, Mich.
Time/TV: 1:30 p.m./TNT
Track: Michigan International Speedway (d-shaped oval, 2 miles, 18 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 400 miles, 200 laps.
Defending champ: Sterling Marlin
Fast fact: Rusty Wallace has two of his five wins at Michigan Speedway in the Pepsi 400 event.
Next race: Sharpie 500, Aug.24, Bristol, Tenn.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a Chevrolet sweep of the top five spots in qualifying, posting a lap of 189.668 mph Friday that raised the ire of the Dodge and Ford camps.
“We clearly don't have a level playing field for all manufacturers,” said Jim Julow, vice president for Dodge Motorsports. “But we've showed that we know how to run on the flat tracks this season and proved we know how to win at Michigan, so we'll just have to work twice as hard.”
The Chevys were permitted to move the dams below the front bumpers forward by an inch. Pontiacs got just a half-inch, and Bobby Labonte qualified 11th in the fastest Grand Prix.
Bill Elliott, driving a Dodge, has won two of the past three races. He qualified sixth here, the first non-Chevy in the field, and teammate Jeremy Mayfield's Dodge was seventh.
Kevin Harvick will start second, followed by Earnhardt's teammates, Michael Waltrip and Steve Park. Robby Gordon, Harvick's teammate, will go from the fifth spot in the 43-car field.
None of them noticed much of a difference in qualifying. Waltrip started second and finished fourth here in June. Earnhardt was third on the grid for that race.
“We've qualified great here every time, so I don't think it's had a huge effect on us,” Earnhardt said. “Sunday is going to be a different day.”
Practice speeds Saturday seemed to validate Earnhardt's point. Ryan Newman ran the fastest overall lap in a Ford, and Tony Stewart's Pontiac led the second session.
Earnhardt was 10th in the final practice, and Waltrip was eighth.
“What you need to look at is whether the Chevys are able to hang with the Dodges and the Fords 30 or 40 laps into a run,” Waltrip said. “If they are, that's cool.”
In 22 races this season, Chevrolet has five victories, including two by rookie Jimmie Johnson. His teammate, Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon, is fifth in the standings despite enduring a 30-race losing streak that began last season.
Does Gordon really need the help?
Perhaps, but Jack Roush, who fields four Fords, isn't sure one of his cars would get the same assistance from NASCAR.
“It looks like NASCAR is really quick to look at any situation where it looks like a Chevrolet can't win and fix it,” Roush said.
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Rule change has some teams griping
