Ryan Smithson just can't take his eyes off Jason Leffler's Kewpie doll curl. Credit: Autostock

Track Smack: Offseason

What is up with the feuding at Penske? Will it hurt the team?

Marty Smith: It's nothing new. We all know about the Rusty/Jeremy mess from back in the day. The Newman/Wallace deal started last year, but that doesn't mean it can be ignored. That's a potential virus that could eat the organization from the inside out. If I were Mr. Penske, I'd nip that deal in the bud in a hurry.

Lee Montgomery: They haven't been best of friends for a while now, and it didn't exactly slow Ryan down any -- or Rusty, either. That being said, it can't help, especially in this day and age when communication between drivers and deals is vital.

Ryan Smithson: It just seems silly to me that two grown men can't pick up a phone and call each other to smooth things out. But I guess a grudge is a powerful thing, and certainly not new in sports. But I doubt it will affect the performance much.

Dave Rodman: From what I hear, they have a potentially big problem there that does not involve either of the drivers -- though, since they are the ones most apt to suffer because of it -- they ought to rectify it -- or settle things so they know which page each other is on.

Marty Smith: Are you saying management is the problem, Dave? I've heard some rumors to that end.

Dave Rodman: Yup. It will take some powerful digging to get to the bottom of this canyon, but I think that's it in a nutshell -- the drivers are not exactly the root of this problem -- they are just the most visible aspect.

EMAIL Lee Dave Ryan MartDawg

Marty Smith: Rusty said he wants to arrange a meeting with Newman, and all he asks for is respect.

Lee Montgomery: That's not too much to ask.

Dave Rodman: As Ryan said, the truly baffling thing seems to me to be that as much as they have said 'they'll talk' -- here we are, more than three months after the last spat, and no clearing of the air has taken place.

Lee Montgomery: It's really simple. They're both hardheaded guys, but I have no doubt that they'll be fine once the season starts. Rusty simply can't take a chance on starting off the season still in disagreement with Ryan.

Marty Smith: I disagree, somewhat. In this day and time, teams that are cohesive are far more successful than those that aren't. Penske has some catching up to do, and I think a better Newman/Wallace is a better Penske Racing.

Lee Montgomery: I think they both know it, too.

I don't want to be a fool for you, just another player in your game for two, you may hate me but it ain't no lie, bye bye bye ...

Ryan Smithson: I remember Larry McReynolds and Todd Parrott didn't exactly talk every day at Yates, and they still did OK. But it's kind of embarrassing for them to be fighting.

Lee Montgomery: Any kind of infighting isn't good, no matter what. Of course, looking at it from Ryan's side, why should Ryan care? He's won a lot of races the last couple of years.

Marty Smith: True, LeeMo. Most competitors could give a damn if you like them, so long as you respect them.

Dave Rodman: But the flip side of that coin is, respect involves a lot of give and take, along with about everything else in racing -- and these teammates ought to exhibit enough of that to smooth the waters for everyone else's sake that is a victim of this.

Ryan Smithson: He won't, Lee, because he does not have to live with Rusty for long.

Lee Montgomery: Still, I think I'm on Rusty's side on this one. Show the man some respect. He's been around a lot longer. Besides, he's Ryan's boss.

Ryan Newman shows how he used to write the answers on his hand for engineering exams at Purdue. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

Dave Rodman: But Lee -- that's what makes it tough, and Ryan addressed that subject last week. It's hard to have someone who partly owns your car as a competitor and not to have any conflicts -- unless one guy is simply waxing the other, week in and week out.

Marty Smith: He needs to be a forward thinker, though, Smithson. Rusty will be on TV eventually, and can make Newman's life quite difficult in that capacity, if he so desired.

Ryan Smithson: You mean Newman, Marty?

Marty Smith: Yes, Newman is smart, man. He's got to think further down the line than just November.

Lee Montgomery: Yeah, it's no good for anyone to let troubles linger. They just fester after awhile, no matter how you feel about it.

Ryan Smithson: I consider Newman the type of person who doesn't need people to like him to concentrate on his deal much.

Dave Rodman: Ryan, I think you're right. Singular focus, I think you could call it.

The last Max to drive in NASCAR was named Max Prestwood? Bobby, you're making that up! Credit: AP

Lee Montgomery: That narrow focus has made him great. It's made him a great driver, anyway.

Marty Smith: Yeah, he could care less what anyone says -- especially us.

Ryan Smithson: He's an interesting person. Tough to deal with sometimes, but it's the way he thinks -- and he's a lot smarter than us.

How important is the upcoming Vegas-Fontana test?

Marty Smith: Absolutely crucial. He who figures out the setup during testing at Fontana and Vegas is he who gets out of the box quickly during the season -- and a quick start will be vital this year, to get ahead of the curve in the race for the Chase.

Lee Montgomery: The most important test of the year.

Dave Rodman: I think virtually everyone is planning to be there -- and I think everyone has already taken advantage of some venue -- whether it was a stretch run test last year or something at a Kentucky or Nashville this year -- to look at this new package.

Ryan Smithson: This test will give us an early peek at who will make the Chase. It's probably five times more important than Daytona testing.

Lee Montgomery: With the new rules, you need time to adjust your stuff, and this is the first crack at it.

EMAIL How can we improve Track Smack in 2005? Send us some suggestions, and if enough of y'all think alike, we'll get them ingrained.

Marty Smith: With a smaller spoiler and softer tires, the cars are much looser, so these tests will prepare teams for what to expect when the real racing begins.

Dave Rodman: The most interesting aspect -- though I hate to even have to think about keeping score -- is how many cars are gonna get wadded up in this whole early season exercise.

Lee Montgomery: This test won't make your season, but it could break it. Stink up the joint at Vegas and Fontana, and you could be in for a long year.

Dave Rodman: Like you said, Marty -- the cars in this new configuration are bad loose, and with the level at which these guys try, the competition in this season-long build to the Chase mode and just standard pressure -- like Kasey Kahne said at Daytona, there's gonna be a bunch of torn-up stuff.

Ryan Smithson: If a team screws up the Vegas test, if they can't get a hold of the new spoiler, it'll set them back months. Not weeks.

Lee Montgomery: Funny thing is, the teams will get back the downforce they lost with the spoiler reduction -- just a matter of when.

Ryan Smithson: I doubt it, Lee -- that is a lot of spoiler.

I wonder if anyone will notice if I sign it "ex-Ford driver?" Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

Marty Smith: True, boys. The importance of these testing sessions can't be overstated. They will lay the groundwork for the entire season.

Dave Rodman: Speaking of downforce, that Dodge Charger is a mean looking racecar. You could style a pretty amazing paint scheme around those looks, with a little imagination.

Lee Montgomery: Anyone who skips this test is foolish.

Ryan Smithson: No one is, really. No one big, anyway.

Marty Smith: Jeff Gordon is not big, Smithson. He's only about 140 pounds.

Ryan Smithson: Jeff Gordon is 140 pounds while holding two cans of paint.

Marty Smith: While wearing a body-length fur coat, after jumping in the Atlantic.

Lee Montgomery: One hundred and forty pounds of all driver.

Dave Rodman: All you need to do is take a look at Jason Leffler, or Bobby Hamilton Jr. to know that size, does not a driver make.

Lee Montgomery: Can you see Jeff in a Super Fly suit?

Marty Smith: We saw him as Ricky Funk, didn't we?

The opinions listed here are solely those of the participants.