Wheel of Misfortune

To maintain success at the Winston Cup level, teams must continually implement new variables into an ever-evolving equation - one few are capable of solving.

It's a constantly revolving carousel that goes something like this:

Ace driver + brilliant, no-nonsense crew chief + anal-retentive engineering team + laser-fast pit crew + unmatched equipment + overflowing abundance of money = mid-pack.

Mid-pack? Teams can pack that much punch and still not rank among the Winston Cup elite?

Yep.

Most mid-level teams are plenty capable, but lack at least one key ingredient that separates the best from the rest, namely chemistry.

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Makes you wonder, doesn't it, how a team can have proper backing, a proven driver and a good pit crew, and still finish 15th every week? Something's obviously missing, but what?

What advice would you offer at this point in the season to help turn around the fortunes of struggling Winston Cup teams?

Speedracer20: Well, I am a racer myself who runs without any sponsors. I know how some of the teams are feeling. To run ovals, a car and driver must be ready to run at top speeds. In oval racing, equipment is very important. I would say to a struggling team to keep trying. Get to know the right people. Make the right friends. If that doesn't work, then maybe the team should be reorganized. Good teams will always have their moment to shine. Also, never forget about detail. Whether it's at the wind tunnel or on the dyno or on the track. One little change can make a world of difference. Add 1 psi on a tire, and you could be competitive.

See anal-retentive engineering team. Speedy Gonzalez is right on with this response.

As close as NASCAR has become, and with the sanctioning body's concentrated effort on achieving parity, even the smallest detail can provide the difference between first and 31st. And it does. Every single week.

Mytmunch_3: It might help to get an engineer from one of the front-running teams. These guys know their stuff. If you can afford it, go for one of them.

Far easier said than done, Munchman. Skilled engineers have completely changed the concept of race preparation, and having them in-house is a crucial advantage.

I remember discussing a test with Hank Parker, Jr., last season after he ran an Evernham Motorsports Dodge at Kentucky Speedway. All he talked about was the engineering team and a line of computers he said would be "Bill Gates' idea of heaven."

But with engineering expertise comes a hefty price tag. Quality engineers command as much money as anyone in today's NASCAR, and not just anyone can afford them.

Speaking of money...

rocketeer20: I think that money is the biggest factor in turning around the teams, but it's a Catch-22. The teams that are successful can get the sponsor money and the teams that are not as successful have trouble finding sponsors. I'm surprised that team owners that don't have the big money haven't gone to having three or four major sponsors a year. Promise the biggest sponsor the best races, like the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, Bristol night race, or the Brickyard. Then have the next largest sponsor pick some races. That may help bring in the money for some of the struggling teams.

My what a novel thought: The rich get richer. The poor get poorer.

Genius, I tell you.

Some teams do utilize rocket man's strategy, and it enables them to run the entire schedule, especially in the financially-strapped Busch Series where teams such as BACE Motorsports have enjoyed sporadic success with part-time money.

Rogcha22: Quit.

That's the spirit!

NAPAMikey15: Keep trying. Be a field filler, and get some experience, like Fukuyama. If you give up, you're not gonna get anywhere. Most likely, you've come through the ranks of your local, hometown short track or dirt track, and a few trophies to show for it. If you wanna be a Cup guy, keep running. Going to the Busch series won't necessarily help. Look what happened to Buckshot and Shawna. Where are they? We don't even hear their names mentioned anymore. If you don't wanna be a local, one-run, one-hit-wonder, travel around with Cup, show your stuff, and, hey!, who knows...you could be driving as Jeff Gordon's or Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s teammate. Hang tough!

Telling a true racer -- especially at the Winston Cup level -- to accept being a field-filler is like asking a gourmet chef to man the fry station at McDonald's.

8DaleJr8: One thing I hear time and time again is how important seat time is. This is especially true in the Winston Cup Series. If a driver is failing to qualify for a race it is essential that the team evaluate the situation and if this is becoming a pattern they may need to consider going to a lower series. The Busch series is the best place to be if you are a struggling Winston Cup driver. The money obviously isn't as high as it is in the Winston Cup but it is a lot better competition wise. You want to be competitive and you want to have a chance at winning. Once you are established as a force in a lower series then big teams with a lot of resources will begin to notice you. If you get a spot on one of those teams you will have great equipment that can help make you a champion plus the driving experience of Busch racing. In my opinion, no one should leave a lower ranking series and go to Winston Cup until they have a title or at least come in second for a couple of years.

So let me get this straight, you don't think Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson or Kurt Busch belong in Winston Cup? They all left lower series' for Winston Cup without winning a title or finishing second.

Tony Stewart never even won a Busch race. Seat time is crucial, certainly, but it doesn't have to come in the Busch Series.

Longhorn: The most sound advice I could give this early in the season is: Move over and let me drive.

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Last week I had to give Darrell Waltrip props for his computer savvy. This week, all the love goes to Todd Bodine.

RattBahlz: Take your sponsorship and your driver and go to the Busch or Truck series. If you have enough money to try for every race in Cup, you should have enough to run one of these series. Not only that, but you should be competitive enough to beat out the field fillers that plague each series. In the case of A.J. Foyt, that team probably shouldn't have left the Busch series. The same goes for BACE Motorsports.

Not so fast, Willard. This all comes back to the greenbacks. What you fail to understand is that finishing dead last in Winston Cup pays more than winning most Busch Series events. Tony Raines is 41st in Winston Cup points and has won $604,976. David Green, the Busch Series money-leader, has taken home $283,620.

Do the math. Bill Baumgardner did, and he's a smart businessman. His net worth is similar to that of various European nations.

What's next? Hire Dr. Phil as team manager?

Mcgoo: The trouble with NASCAR is that there is no cap on spending, therefore the teams with the most money capitalizes. This shows by the points and the wins they have. The teams that are struggling don't have the sponsorship backing, and may do better on a lower level. This is going to continue with teams like DEI, Roush and a couple of others running well. I don't see a fix in the near future, even if there is a cap on spending, because the car manufacturers are also involved with theset eams. Any solutions?

Nope, sorry. If I had the answer I wouldn't be behind this computer right now.

I'd be hanging out in Bill Gates' idea of heaven with the boys who make the big bucks.

The Last Lap appears on NASCAR.com every Tuesday.

The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.