Now remember Kurt, uh, I mean Jamie, uh, I mean Matt. Credit: Autostock

Track Smack: Talladega

Guys, is it really feasible for the Busch Series to ever run different cars than what is seen in the Nextel Cup Series?

Marty Smith: They're definitely looking at doing so, Robin Pemberton said so last weekend. But I'm not sure it wouldn't further separate the haves and have-nots. It won't change the depth of resources any. But if the manufacturers buy into it, it could certainly help market American-built cars.

Ryan Smithson: It makes me think of the old Goody's Dash cars, which ran things like the Ford Probe and the Pontiac Sunfire. It was pretty cool. Bad thing is, these small Busch owners would have to build all-new cars. Way too costly for them.

David Newton: The thinking is fewer Cup guys will want to drive in the Busch Series if the cars aren't so close to Cup. My guess is that won't stop the ambush.

Dave Rodman: Your historical perspective fails you again. Sportsman cars, which were the linchpin of the Busch Series right up until the late 1980s, were nothing like Winston Cup cars. The Daytona Busch qualifying record holder, I believe, is a Nova, or its Buick equivalent.

Ryan Smithson: They certainly have to do something, guys. At the very least, take away points from the Cup guys, but that would be bad too. You'd have a Busch champ with seven top-fives.

Marty Smith: I mean, won't sponsors be just as apt to sponsor Kevin Harvick in another Chevy car as they would a Monte Carlo? Is putting Brewco Motorsports in Mustangs going to make them more marketable?

Dave Rodman: Good point, Marty. Car types are the least of the Busch Series' issues. I thought the COT was going to create a massive influx of current Cup cars into Busch -- if they change the dimensions to allow it.

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Ryan Smithson: One Busch Series crew chief told me that the Car of Tomorrow would kill the small Busch teams anyway.

David Newton: Don't forget that NASCAR eventually plans to implement some version of the Car of Tomorrow into Busch.

Marty Smith: Good point, boys. Very good point.

Ryan Smithson: Dale Jr. in a Cobalt. I can see it now.

Dave Rodman: Are V6s next on the horizon?

David Newton: There was a lot of talk last weekend about the Camaro being used.

Dave Rodman: It's nice to see they still make a Camaro.

Marty Smith: The one true score, there, would be to the manufacturers. So might this be a means for NASCAR to appease them in the COT deal?

Ryan Smithson: I really hope we see a major engine change in our lifetime in NASCAR.

Marty Smith: Smithson wrote a good story about engines back in January or so. I think it was Doug Yates who discussed the viability of smaller engines. It's insane that teams are still using the same engine block from like 1985.

Dave Rodman: Make that about 1975.

Ryan Smithson: It was Doug and Robert both. They want to see four-cylinder motors with 800 horses. Basically, Robert wants his offspring to work on something different than he did.

Rodman is right, those engine blocks...are they not actually 1960s, Rodman? Push rod V8, 358-cubes. I mean my dad drove that in high school. And he's 60.

David Newton: Rodman would know.

Marty Smith: One word: carburetor.

Dave Rodman: You got me on the exact datage. Remember, they used to use big engines: 427s, etc. And it seems they switched out of that somewhere in the 70s.

Ryan Smithson: Bottom line, and I am sure we all agree, it wouldn't hurt for them to try.

David Newton: Personally, I think they should go to Hybrids.

Dave Rodman: But that basic Chevy 350 goes waaaaay back.

Will soft(er) bumpers help at Talladega?

David Newton: They may slow down the bumping for the first three-quarters of the race, but when they get to the final 20 laps or so, all bets are off.

Ryan Smithson: Man, I don't know. I think they will still be bump-drafting. Too much to gain by doing it.

Dave Rodman: It was probably a less invasive potential solution than hypnosis, or lobotomies.

Marty Smith: Over here, Rodman. Over here.... We're over here.

I think some drivers will have to tone it down a bit, for sure. But Jeff Gordon said a couple weeks back that it won't change much.

Ryan Smithson: And Newton's right. They will just take care of the motor temp a little bit, and then go for broke.

Dave Rodman: Look back at Tony Jr.'s comments from Shop Talk -- it's in the drivers' hands, as usual.

David Newton: I like Rodman's idea for lobotomies.

Ryan Smithson: Lobotomies were still accepted as helpful in Rodman's day.

Marty Smith: What if Rodman had Mike Helton's job?

Dave Rodman: Dale Jr. was priceless when he said that all the guys will do in practice is figure out how hard they can bump draft.

Because at some point, they have got to know what it will do to help them -- and they have to know how much and where it's gonna cave in the noses.

Kevin Harvick after learning Richard Childress bagged an elephant while on safari in Africa last week. Credit: Autostock

Marty Smith: Heck, that was announced two weeks ago. By now they've already come up with some other solution anyway.

David Newton: So we're going to see them bang the bumpers up in practice to see how far they can go, then replace them before qualifying?

Ryan Smithson: That is one thing that took me years to learn about the top teams, Marty. The top teams always have a countersolution to a solution.

Marty Smith: Plural, Smithson. Countersolutions.

Dave Rodman: As we always say, at least I do -- these guys are professionals. It won't be any more bodywork, probably, than you usually see on a superspeedway opening day for inspection.

David Newton: Maybe Knaus will come up with a switch that will push the bumper back out after it's been pushed in.

Ryan Smithson: Take away the spoiler, they will find downforce up front. Et cetera.

Marty Smith: The minute that topic was broached last year, the speedway programs were already contemplating ways around it.

Marty Smith: I remember ol' Tony Furr made some sort of ratcheting dowel rod device at Atlanta when Nadeau was in the 25 that held the front valence out and pushed air around the car better. It was genius.

Dave Rodman: Until he got caught, right?

Ryan Smithson: Marty, remember when Jerry ran out of gas there a year later? Furr was on radio, saying, "Dadgummitt Jerry, weave the car! Weave the car, damn it!"

I mean ran out on the backstretch with a big lead.

Marty Smith: Oh yeah, totally. Man, Nadeau was bad to the bone at Atlanta.

Predictions?

Ryan Smithson: We all had pretty good weeks last week. Everyone picked someone in the top-10 except for Marty [Kyle] but he got the pole.

Dave Rodman: If he can dodge all the melees, Dale Jr. scores his first win with Tony Jr. as his crew chief. He is overdue and Tony says he can out-drive DEI's minor engine deficiency.

Ryan Smithson: I know I am totally up Stewart's keester every week, but that is the toughest team in the garage.

Marty Smith: Stewart. Finished second at both Talladega races last year, and probably would have won in the fall had the caution not come out. Won Daytona in July.

David Newton: I'll go out on a limb and pick Martin Truex Jr. with Dale Jr. pushing him to the victory. That is, if Truex doesn't go speeding down pit road on purpose again.

The opinions expressed are solely of the participants.