Insider's View: Wally Dallenbach

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- The real Winston Cup season starts this weekend at Rockingham. Everything that happened at Daytona is just a memory at this point and teams can now settle in for the meat of the schedule.

	Wally Dallenbach

NASCAR did the right thing on Sunday at Daytona. They made the right call and really in my mind, the only call to end the race. I know a whole lot of people don't agree with me on that, especially 42 drivers. There's only one guy who is happy when a race gets shortened and that's the driver in the lead.

The rulebook plainly says when a race it past its halfway point, it is official. Should the Daytona 500 have its own set of rules and consideration because it's NASCAR's "biggest race?" I don't think so. In fact, I think the Brickyard 400 is bigger than the Daytona 500, so everyone has their favorites.

Michael Waltrip is now a two-time Daytona 500 winner and you shouldn't take anything away from him because he won a shortened version on Sunday. It's true, Michael's two 500 victories have both come under unusual circumstance and I'll bet if he won next year, in a complete 500 mile race without any controversy it would be his favorite of the three.

But you take a win anywhere, especially at Daytona, anyway you can. He ran well, he led the most laps and he deserves the trophy and check.

As a driver, you don't think about making the change from the two weeks you spend at Daytona preparing for the 500 to racing at Rockingham. The two tracks are as different as night and day, but to the driver, it's just part of the job.

Rockingham is really a different animal. The track surface is very abrasive and after a couple laps, your tires are already about to fall off. You really have to come off the trailer with the car already in the ballpark, that is set up and ready to run. I don't think the crews get enough credit for doing this, having the car set without turning a lap.

Rockingham is a fun place to drive, even if you're out there by yourself, unlike Daytona where when you lose the draft of a pack or even another car you're all alone and just riding around. At the Rock, you have to stand up in your seat. It's almost like ice racing, they way the car slides around in the turns. You have to approach like there's an egg under your gas pedal and really finesse the car.

Rockingham's not a fun place if you have a loose race car. It's tough when you're car's pushing all day too.

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There's been a lot of talk lately about changing the schedule and eliminating two races a year at places like Rockingham, Darlington, Martinsville and maybe even Charlotte. I'm sure that talk will pick up around the Rockingham garage this weekend.

I'd have to say in my opinion, for the sport to grow, we probably do need to bring the series to other markets. There are like eight races now within 200 miles around the Southeast and that's just too concentrated of an area to make sense.

I'd like to see two dates a year at places like Phoenix and even Indianapolis and new markets like Houston and Denver added to the schedule as the sport grows. Unfortunately we'd have to sacrifice a few races to do that, more races can't be added to the schedule, and Rockingham is one of those tracks the series probably should visit only once a year.

I like the young guys on Sunday and here are my "Picks to Click." Kurt Busch showed at the end of last year he was going to be a factor in this year's championship run and, with a second place finish at Daytona last Sunday, that team brings a lot of momentum into Rockingham.

Jimmie Johnson showed he could win in his rookie year last season as well and ran exceptionally well at Rockingham, so look for him to be a contender Sunday. And I can't rule out Jeff Gordon, who has such a strong record at North Carolina Speedway. Jeff and his team seem to have a new sense of focus and getting a win out of the box early would be a great boost to them.

As for the longshot, I'd take Ricky Craven. He's run good at Rockingham in the past and seems ready to turn things around.

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