Transition period needed for open-wheelers to Cup

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- It's no surprise that driving a stock car is harder than it looks, but why is that the case?

Less than 40 years ago, open-wheel stars like A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney and Parnelli Jones were just as successful in limited NASCAR racing, and stock-car aces like Bobby Jones, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison had competitive rides in the Indianapolis 500.

Wide open

For the first time in NASCAR, three former Indianapoilis 500 winners will be in the same Cup race including Sam Hornish Jr., who will make his first start after six failed attempts.

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So what happened?

As open-wheel cars became more dependent on downforce to increase speeds, engineering drove the technology of the sport. The skill set needed to pilot those rear-engine missiles then changed, accoring to many of the drivers entered in Sunday's Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Speedway.

And now that many of those drivers, including three-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr., have followed Juan Montoya into NASCAR, the question remains: How successful will they be in making the transition?

Jacques Villeneuve understands what Hornish is going through, because he's on the same learning curve.

"The car moves around a lot," Villeneue said. "You can't drive them too aggressively. When you do, you start sliding and you lose speed. It's not that you go off, you just start going a little bit slower and slower, and that makes it difficult to set the car up as well.

"Also, the track changes all the time. So it's just getting used to knowing how much sideways you want to be for it to be fast. You think, 'Well, I'm a little bit sideways, but is it too much? Is it not enough?' That's all the kind of stuff that you just don't know because it doesn't come naturally for us."

Dario Franchitti, fresh off an Indy 500 win and IRL championship, said it's a matter of "unlearning" how to drive.

"It's the same difficulties I'm facing, just getting rid of the habits from driving an Indy car and all of the feelings you're used to in an Indy car," Franchitti said. "You have to get used to what it requires to set up a stock car and the driving style you need to make a stock car go fast, because it's quite different."

J.J. Yeley came up through the open-wheel ladder and raced at Indy in 1998, finishing ninth despite spinning out on the first lap of the race. He said Hornish will have to learn how to describe to his crew chief what his car is doing rather than rely on data downloaded onto computers.

"I think once he gets the hang of it, he'll get out there and he'll be fine," said Yeley, himself excited about his move to Hall of Fame Racing and Toyota in 2008. "It's just a total different technical package for him. (Continued)