No immediate impact for revamped Pontiacs

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- While NASCAR has given the first changes to the Pontiac bodies since 2000, it appears it won't make an immediate impact.

Earlier this week, the sanctioning body -- after much lobbying by the manufacturer and its Winston Cup Series teams -- ruled that the Pontiac teams would be allowed a half-inch increase to the front air dam and a quarter-inch rear spoiler increase, effective this weekend.

After two practice sessions and qualifying, the top Pontiacs were from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable. Tony Stewart qualified 10th and Bobby Labonte was 10th fastest in Happy Hour.

"It's hard to see if it's going to effect the handling at all right now," Stewart said. "If we had a car with the other package on it and were able to test them back-to-back, I would probably be able to feel it a lot more.

	Tony Stewart

"The changes that they made weren't very big changes, but they were changes. We're grateful they helped us a little bit.

"We'll just wait and see. Hopefully, it's enough to help us a little bit but I don't think it will get us exactly where we need. But, at least it's a step in the right direction."

Labonte echoed his teammate's thoughts and went on to say there are more issues at hand than just aero push.

"We're still chasing a lot of other things, too, trying to get those things right," Labonte said. "Those [aero] changes aren't the thing that's going to put us first, leading 160 laps.

	Bobby Labonte

"That might get us to running comfortably in the top 12 or 14 all day. Then, we've still got to work on other things to make it better and help us go the next step.

"Now, will that help us chase down those other things? It probably will. We've just got to find them. And, we might not find them this weekend, but we might."

One driver at the other end of the spectrum was Stacy Compton. He was 37th on the final practice speed chart on Saturday and will roll off 33rd on Sunday.

"We're struggling right now," Compton said. "I wish we would have had a chance to test someplace before we got here.

"We're not very good right now. I think the rule change has potential and I think it will help. But it's just not helping us right now."