The surface at Lowe's Motor Speedway won't ever be the same. Credit: Autostock

Last Lap: It's in the bag

International Speedway Corporation, and in turn NASCAR, made considerable headway in the Staten Island racetrack project during champion's week in New York. Saw it myself.

And interestingly, progress wasn't due to a sudden new zeal for NASCAR among New Yorkers, rather, it seems, an appreciation for goodwill and good ol' boys.

	MARTY SMITH •   E-mail Marty •   Opinion Archive •   Store: 'I Agree With Marty' tee

Last Tuesday, a quintet of Nextel Cup stars appeared at an ISC function benefiting the Staten Island University Hospital Pediatric Burn Unit, during which they participated in a brief question-answer session about all things cuddly and warm about NASCAR -- fan focus, family atmosphere, charity and the like.

And while the banter wasn't groundbreaking, the drivers' comments were. And more importantly, audience response was.

Judging by discussion with attendees -- including local government types -- Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch and 2005 champ Tony Stewart opened many an eye to a compassionate, refined, sympathetic NASCAR, the antithesis of the stereotypical beer-guzzling, 'backer chawin', grammatically-challenged, hilljack straight outta Deliverance NASCAR that some folks up there still perceive.

Granted, logistics remain the primary concern among decision-makers, thus solidifying ISC's traffic plan its highest hurdle.

42Havoline: OK, mundane question just because I don't remember seeing anything about this. Why did Roush change the number on the 97 car to 26? I'm just curious. Is it to purge the association of 97 and Kurt Busch? It makes sense but I was just wondering about the logic there.

You are correct, Chip Goode, that Roush Racing thought it best to start anew with a new car number in the post-Kurt Busch era, a decision was already being contemplated prior to Busch's meltdown in Phoenix.

According to McMurray's people, all parties thought it best to start fresh with a new number, driver and paint scheme.

FANS VOICE AWARDS •   2005 Fans Voice Awards results

Drvr8lvr: Why do you hate Dale Jr. so much? What did he ever do to you? Have you ever driven a car? He would kick your a--!

I love these types of emails/responses. Truly. That one man's opinion can invoke so much responsive variance will always amuse and intrigue me. It is amazing. Really.

Junior fans think I constantly persecute their beloved driver, don't give him due credit for the pressure and difficulty of being Dale Jr., don't appreciate his driving talent and overall status as The Man.

At the very same time, fans of every other driver on the planet perceive that I coddle Earnhardt, give him entirely too much credit for achievement and ability when, in their estimation, he hasn't done jack compared to this or that driver and is merely a creation of crafty marketing.

And it's not just Earnhardt fans, mind you. They just happen to be the most outspoken. It's a wonderful thing, truly, that we're blessed with the privilege of so ardently disagreeing with one another.

Down and outPoints leader Tony Stewart cuts a tire and hits the wall More tire troubleSadler joins the laundry list of drivers with flat tires Trouble for twoA season of bad luck continues for Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Never forget: there's a distinct reason we have that privilege. Pray for our troops across the globe currently preserving that and all other American freedoms this holiday season.

24fan29sux: What will be done about Lowe's Motor Speedway, and will it still be in the Chase next year?

First of all, yes, LMS will once again host a Chase race in 2006. Matter of fact, the Chase schedule is nearly identical to the 2005 slate, the only alteration being a Talladega-Kansas date swap.

As for the LMS surface, track spokesman Scott Cooper said Wednesday the track will be repaved for 2006 and will be completed in time for the Nextel All-Star Challenge and the Coca-Cola 600.

ALSO •   2006 Schedule •   Lowe's Motor Speedway

Cooper was uncertain exactly when paving would start, though it likely would begin in January. The development team continues work with contractors to determine a date, and LMS plans to detail the project extensively during the Lowe's Motor Speedway media tour, so look for further details in mid-January.

Kellythe3fan: Marty, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Or better yet, if you were to compare your favorite food to your favorite racetrack, what would it be? (i.e. - Bristol - Chocolate - It's the guilty pleasure that 99.9 percent of fans love!)

Thanks!

P.S. I KNOW Marty will never read this, hence the reason I picked something totally off the wall!

Well, according to Mr. Owl, it takes three licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. But to make certain his assessment is correct, I did some research:

According to www.tootsie.com, a group of Purdue University engineering students assembled a licking machine, modeled after the human tongue, and determined that it takes an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. They then solicited the help of 20 volunteers, tried the same licking test and found that reaching the center required some 252 licks.

	RYAN NEWMAN •   2005 Stats •   Driver Page •   Superstore: Ryan Newman

Wonder if Ryan Newman participated in that experiment?

leeps1283: Just out of curiosity, who gets invited to the awards and who doesn't? Is every driver allowed to go or just certain ones in the standings?

Good question, MJ. NASCAR invites the top 25 finishers from that season's championship point standings to attend the black-tie event, but only the top 11 are given the luxury (many drivers would beg to differ) of gracing the stage to name off a laundry list of thank yous to every team and personal sponsor IN HIS CAREER. Not really. Just seems that way.

On that note, kudos to Matt Kenseth. His speech was awesome, took like three minutes and included every last necessary detail. Nice work, Cheese Curd.

Hey Marty,

A buddy and I have been discussing just how the decals and paint schemes are applied to the Nextel Cup cars and I was hoping you could settle this for us. I say they have a template set up on the computer for the entire car and it is applied as one big decal, he says they are individually done.

Respectfully,

Jason Drury

Great question, Jason. One my buddies on a Nextel Cup Series team tells me each sponsor decal is placed on each racecar by hand. Placement of the decals is detailed in the contractual agreement between team and sponsor, but considering that a human being places each logo on the car there is room for adjustment, generally within a fraction of an inch.

In some cases, namely for the superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega, some teams opt to paint the logos of their respective primary sponsor on the hood and quarter panels to reduce any drag created by the edges of the decals. (That is truly insane, in my opinion.)

What brush size was needed to paint the No. 43 car? Credit: Autostock

The contingency decals are different. Prior to the season, NASCAR gives each team a list detailing their desired layout on the fenders and door. Each of the contingency sponsors pays out varying amounts of money for performance, so many teams will place the higher-paying sponsor decals higher on the car and the lower paying ones lower on the car.

That's why you always see the Bud Pole Award sticker way up top. It pays well.

Julezinky: So Marty, did you ever see that "NASCAR Rule Book" this year or did I win my bet that it was written on the back of a Hooters napkin?

Yes, I actually obtained a copy and, shockingly, it is written in ink. I'd rather have a Hooters napkin.

How about this for a MartDawg Award: The Best Something about Mary Haircut. That would be you, dude, and your picture on NASCAR.COM! Happy Holidays!

Mike Conrad

Excellent, Mike. We could call it the Something About Marty Award. Actually, many folks think my faux-Hawk 'do greatly resembles Jimmy Neutron. I can see it ...

The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.