Tony is a big fan of the softer Goodyear tire. Credit: Autostock

Fontana will be first true test of new rules

Tire, spoiler, qualifying package makes for great unknown

The 10 days of Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway can be fun, especially for Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon, but drivers and teams look forward to the second week of the season more than one can imagine.

The second week is when the "real" racing begins, minus restrictor plates and drafting and packs of cars stacked three-wide.

The second week is when success or failure is in the hands of drivers and their teams - and their ability to communicate and make changes to go faster.

Elliott Sadler is looking forward to Fontana after a disappointing Speedweeks. Credit: Autostock

The second week, this year, is at California Speedway, site of this weekend's Auto Club 500.

"We've been in Daytona for 10 days doing nothing but focusing on restrictor plate racing, and we get to Fontana, and it's going to be the exact opposite," Gordon said. "It's going to take horsepower, downforce, balance, handling, and a total team effort with the pit crew and everything.

"So to me, this weekend is a true tale of who is going to be strong throughout the year. I'm looking forward to that opportunity. I'm hoping we can use this as momentum and keep up the great work."

He's not alone, of course.

Several drivers and teams are looking to build on the momentum from Daytona, while just as many are hoping to use California to right the ship for 2005.

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All the teams, however, are racing into the unknown this weekend. For one, teams have never raced at California Speedway this early in the year, as Fontana has taken North Carolina Speedway's place on the schedule.

But the biggest unknowns are the rules changes. NASCAR shortened the rear spoilers on the cars, while also allowing Goodyear to soften the tires.

Plus, this weekend is the first time new post-qualifying impound procedures will be used.

And finally, this is the first weekend anyone outside the top 35 in points from 2004 will have to qualify their way into Sunday's race.

Friday has traditionally meant qualifying for Nextel Cup teams, but with the new impound rules, teams practice Friday and qualify Saturday - largely with the same setup.

Many drivers like the new rule, for it virtually eliminates one-shot qualifying setups and lets teams concentrate on race setups.

Some drivers, though, will still go all out to qualify fastest.

"It's kind of like wait and see, but we made one (simulated qualifying) run at California similar to what you can do to the car," defending polesitter Kasey Kahne said.

"There are a few more things you can do before qualifying and change back. It wasn't too bad. You're not going to be able to run that lap with the nose weight and be able to get the car down like you want to.

Dave Rogers

"You're going to have to be careful with the tire and valance. There are things you're going to have to think about, but we'll still be able to go for poles."

Kahne, of course, is locked into the race, no matter what he does in qualifying. Some other drivers aren't, however. Jason Leffler, for example, has to be among the fastest seven or eight drivers outside the top 35 in points to make Sunday's race.

And with new spoilers and tires, that makes for a balancing act in qualifying.

"With our points situation, the new qualify and impound procedure and the tire give-up, it is especially important for us to find a balance between posting a quick lap time on the front side of a run without sacrificing too much speed late in the run," said Leffler's crew chief, Dave Rogers. "Our first goal is to secure a starting position in the race, but then we have to race well to work our way into the top 35."

And exactly how will the race play out? No one is really sure, for preseason testing didn't yield much information. The wind was blowing like a tornado in January, and teams didn't exactly want to race side-by-side anyway.

Dave Blaney

"I think it's going to make the racing a lot tougher," said Elliott Sadler, last September's winner. "With the spoilers cut out of 'em, I don't think you're going to see as much side-by-side racing. I think the drivers are going to have to give each other a little bit more room, until we get used to driving these types of packages.

"So I think you're going to see a kind of touchy-feely race at California and at Vegas until we get some of this stuff figured out."

That doesn't bode well for an exciting race.

"I really felt like this was going to make the cars very loose and unstable, especially in traffic," Kevin Harvick said. "I thought the balance on our car was good, and I didn't have any issues when I passed another car.

"We were more concerned at the test with the new Goodyear tire. The tire is great and it felt good, but the fall-off was more than what a lot of us thought it would be.

"That's not a bad thing, because it puts it back in the driver's hands. The real test will be when you get around 43 cars. But from my seat, I think it might work out fine."

Drivers said the new tires lost most of their grip after 20 laps, but that was during testing. Michael Waltrip hinted the fall-off might not be as dramatic as when all 43 cars get going.

Track Page California Speedway

"I think it is very interesting how the tires fall off, but that being said we see that a lot during off-season testing when the track has been sitting," Waltrip said. "But the more we go around it the less they fall off. That issue may have resolved itself by the time we get ready to race here."

Because of the dramatic loss of grip over a run, two-tire stops and gas-only gambles may be a thing of the past. Fuel-mileage gambles may also be history, for no one wants to make a full fuel run of 50-55 laps on the same set of tires.

"The fuel mileage game is going to be taken out of the equation because you're just not going to be able to stay out on tires without being killed by guys on fresh rubber," Dave Blaney said. "You might see it a little bit at the end of the race but nothing like we've seen before.

"The fall-off in speeds isn't far from what we've seen at Darlington and Rockingham."

And that puts a premium on a fast pit crew, for as Blaney said, "The more times you pit, the more times it's going to show up."

But the softer tire is what many drivers have wanted, especially a guy like Tony Stewart. When Stewart came into NASCAR, the way to win was to conserve tires and be good on a long run.

That changed when the tires got harder.

"Two years ago we were in situations where track position was everything and you could run 150 laps on a set of tires and be just as fast as a guy with 30 laps on his tires," Stewart said. "Last year we got away from that a little bit, and hopefully this year we'll get away from it even more and get it back to where it was when I started in this series.

"Back then you had to really pay attention to your tire wear and not overdrive the car too early.

"Hopefully, we'll get into that kind of situation again. You're still going to find a balance in your racecar. Everybody's cars aren't going to suddenly be loose.

"We'll be able to balance them out just like we always do no matter what the package is. We'll see how it affects all of us when we're in a crowd, and there's less air on top of our cars."

Stay tuned.