Last Lap: E-Mailbag

You'd swear I had dandruff, because I'm still scratching my head about Dover.

From Ryan Newman's pit road pirouette to Kasey Kahne's oil slick slip 'n slide (and collide, as it were) to the 19-car mosh pit that took out two of the best cars in the field, the MBNA 400 was arguably the most confusing Nextel Cup race I've ever seen.

	Marty Smith

On that note, it might be smart to direct questions regarding Sunday's event elsewhere, because I'm just as dumbfounded as you are on several fronts.

I do know this: It's high time NASCAR develops a rule against wounded cars reentering competition to pick up minimal championship points.

You can't blame Casey Mears for trying to better his finish – he wound up a solid 28th after wrecking hard early. But what happened to Kahne was pathetic.

More on that Thursday, but now on to some questions I can answer...

Marty,

Listen, I am fairly new to the NASCAR scene and so far am having a GREAT time following the races. Never knew it could be so much fun. I do have one question though, when the drivers say they are taking chassis # whatever to the race, what in the world are they talking about? Really hope you can help. Thanks so much.

Shannon, Panama City, Fla.

Shannon,

When a driver refers to a particular car's chassis number, it's simply the succession of chassis' to come through that respective team's shop. Take Jeff Gordon, for example.

Hypothetically, let's say Gordon is running chassis No. 2430. That's the 30th Hendrick Motorsports chassis to enter the No. 24 shop, specific to Gordon's team and prepared as a DuPont Chevrolet.

Marty Smith  Email  Archive

Hendrick's chassis department may have built 100 chassis, but No. 2430 is the 30th chassis given to the No. 24 team. Get it?

Marty,

How does NASCAR decide whether to restart single file or two lines? That was completely confusing yesterday how they had the 19 and 9 in the middle of the pack on that restart and the rest of the lead lap cars jumbled in there, some of them at the front so they'd restart half a lap down from the leader. What's the logic behind that?

Amy, Manhattan

I wondered this myself, Amy, so I asked NASCAR Nextel Cup Director John Darby for clarification Monday morning. Here's his response:

"In the event that there are a number of cars in between the leader and the second-place car that are one lap down and only the leader pits, two things happen:

"No. 1, as the field passes the leader (who is now on pit road) the cars that were one lap now become lead lap cars. No. 2, the second place car (once he passes the leader who is on pit road) becomes the new leader. Cars cannot pass the caution car which sets up a restart with the cars that are now on the 'tail end' of the lead lap starting in the lead-lap line in front of the actual race leader."

	John Darby

I hope that helps. I get it. Sort of. I think. Whatever.

Marty,

Can you tell me what PE means next to Kevin Lepage's name (in the finishing order for the Coca-Cola 600)?

Thank you, Jon Beaver

Great question, Jon. "PE" means "post entry," meaning Lepage's entry blank was submitted to NASCAR past the due date, hence disallowing Lepage the ability to earn championship points despite starting the race.

Is it just me, or are caution periods taking an extremely long time this year? Much longer than any time I can ever remember in all my years watching NASCAR. I understand that some of it has to do with Timing and Scoring issues, but good golly, it's unreal.

And to top it off, during yesterdays race, there were two Red Flags, which, I thought, were to clean up the track. If that is the case, why then are there umpteen caution laps after it goes back to yellow so the blowers can clean the track?

That should have been done during the red flag time. It is just getting frustrating watching so many laps go buy where there is no racing.

Mark Holland

No Mark, it's definitely not just you. Most fans and some competitors are frustrated by the recent trend of lengthy caution periods. Matt Kenseth was outspoken Sunday, saying if he were a paying fan forced to sit through so much yellow he'd be seeing red. Jamie McMurray was equally fired up.

"I think that was as biggest joke of a race as I've ever been involved in. I couldn't believe that," McMurray said. "It was kind of ridiculous, all the cautions and the oil on the racetrack. It kinda looked like an ARCA race I thought. That's pretty bad."

NASCAR has had so much trouble with scoring issues this year that they're taking as much time as necessary to review the scoring loop and any necessary video footage to assure every car is in its proper place. They also want to assure the track is clear of debris, but mostly the hold up comes from the effort to line up the field.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was frustrated by a lengthy caution earlier in the year, and radioed his crew with an opinion thereof. Bad idea. He was reprimanded, so he had a unique perspective Sunday evening:

	Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"I learned this year to keep my mouth shut on the radio when you have a different opinion about NASCAR's opinion," Junior said. "It's a mistake to voice your own opinion over your radio when NASCAR is sorting it out. They have a lot of people up there trying to help them and a lot people with a lot of different opinions already in that booth up there trying to help them figure it out.

"They don't need every driver and every crew chief banging on every officials shoulder on pit road. I don't think it's a creditability issue or a problem or a crisis or anything like that. It was an odd situation. It rarely ever happens. NASCAR did what they did.

"I'm sure there a lot of guys that are disappointed about the way they finished or what happened to them. I didn't have a problem. There were cautions for a reason. It wasn't like they were dropping the flag on the racetrack every time. If you don't think you enjoy the race, don't buy a ticket next year.

"Cautions are cautions. Due to the rule changes they've made, the cautions have been lengthened. There's no way around it. Today we had a pretty messy racetrack for the last half of the race. NASCAR is trying as hard as they can to get things cleaned up.

"With the recent incidents we had with corner workers and guys getting injured and the fatal injury in Daytona, it caused everyone to take their time a little more and make sure it's done right under caution. We don't want anybody to get hurt. I don't think anyone says a word today if we didn't have that 25-lap caution."

	Ryan Newman

Hey Marty,

A big hello from a NASCAR Hotbed -- Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Always wondered but never asked, what is the difference in a Busch and a Nextel car? Engines, Weights, Templates? What rules make a difference in the two cars?

Thanks, Allen Martin

Allen,

The main difference between Cup cars and Busch cars is horsepower, though the cars' wheelbases, total length and width are also different. A Cup car produces some 790 horsepower at 9400 rpm, whereas a Busch car will produce 660 horsepower at 7900 rpm.

A Cup car is 200.7 inches long and 72.5 inches wide with a 110-inch wheelbase, while a Busch Series machine is 203.5 inches long, 74.5 inches wide and has a 105-inch wheelbase. A Cup car is half an inch taller than a Busch Series car, and carries a two-inch longer rear spoiler (57 in. compared to 55).

Hi Marty,

Could you please explain the difference between qualifying trim and race trim? I've written to everybody but I don't get any answers.

Thanks, I love your articles.

Dan Moore

Well, Danny, you can count on us, boss. Sometimes, anyway. The main differences between qualifying trim and race trim lie in the engine. Teams use thinner oils in qualifying trim than in race trim, and since qualifying is just a two-lap run, they'll tape off the entire grill to cut down on drag.

But during the race, they must use thicker oils to reduce friction over the long haul, and they'll open up the grills to let air flow through and cool down the engine. If you've ever seen a paper plate or other debris get caught on a grill, you see how quickly the engine will overheat.

Marty,

I'm sure that you've been asked this question before, but I've never heard anything about it so I will ask you. I know these drivers try to hydrate themselves before and during a race.

What happens when they have to...use the restroom? With all the liquids they intake, they're going to sweat a lot of it out, but do they have to go when they're in a long race? Stupid question I guess, but I am curious.

That's not a stupid question at all. Matter of fact, I'd venture to say it's the most-asked question in all of motorsports. More often than not, drivers will sweat those fluids out. But if they do happen to experience an uncontrollable urge to go, they simply go.

Speaking of, it's time for me to go. I've wasted plenty of your time already.

Be good, and keep those questions coming...

The Last Lap appears on NASCAR.COM every Tuesday.

The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.