NASCAR bans testing at sanctioned tracks for '09 (cont'd)

"My hat is off to NASCAR for stepping in and doing that," said Eddie Wood, co-owner of the Wood Brothers team. "They're the only ones who could do that. Racing people by nature, they're wanting to beat the other team, the other guy, whoever. And if those guys are testing, we're going to test. We tested as much this year as anybody, per team, and I know what it costs. My hat's off to them. It's a really big step. It's almost like they're protecting us from ourselves."

Added Dale Earnhardt Jr., also a Nationwide Series car owner: "Oh, I'm happy about that," he said of the ban. "I've looked forward to that happening a long time ago. I think it's a great choice. It's going to save each individual team, the 5 car, the 24 car, about $1.5 million a year. So it's a great move."

There were some dissenting voices. Elite organizations, those which have proven most immune to the current economic slowdown, have entire teams dedicated to testing. Joey Logano prepared for his rookie season at Joe Gibbs Racing by testing dozens of times in the new Sprint Cup car, providing his teammates with valuable information they could use at the racetrack. And Jimmie Johnson, who needs a finish of 36th or better in Sunday's event to clinch his third consecutive championship on NASCAR's premier series, tested exhaustively this season as his No. 48 rebounded from a sluggish start.

"I think it's a mistake," Johnson said. "I think the teams need a chance to work on their cars to improve their programs, to put on a better show. If we had this rule the start of this year with all the development work that needed to be done with the car, not only for the No. 48 team but the whole series, I don't think we'd be where we are today."

Car owner Rick Hendrick agreed.

"I wanted to continue testing. That was what we wanted to do," he said. "But we're going to do what NASCAR tells us to do. I've heard numbers that it could be [a savings of] $700,000, $800,000 to $1 million a team, depending on how much you test. You've got to have airplanes to get there, tires, it's almost like running a race when you go test. The economy's tough, and NASCAR has decided to do that, then we'll abide by it."

Some of the details of the new policy have yet to be worked out. Helton said Goodyear, which uses NASCAR drivers to occasionally test new tire compounds, will continue with that practice. Ideas like the use of data acquisition in lieu of testing, or allowing rookies more track time on race weekends, are still on the table. And if a special situation requiring a test session arises -- an example being the disastrous race this past summer at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- Helton said NASCAR will still react.

"Certainly there could be a special test, if NASCAR felt like it was necessary, because of some unknown today that could crop up along the season that would require the further development of a tire or a new situation at a racetrack," Helton said. "That's something that could pop up. We don't see that right now, but certainly we're not closing out the completeness of being able to react to something that's thrown our way."

While the teams lose track time, the biggest casualty might be Preseason Thunder, the two weeks of testing at Daytona International Speedway that help NASCAR build momentum toward its season-opening race.

"I'm shocked that we won't test at Daytona," Burton said. "I always believed even if we had a testing ban we would test at Daytona, because, I don't know it's always been what we've done."

Helton said NASCAR pondered the idea of an exception for the sport's marquee facility, but ultimately chose to implement the ban everywhere. "The ultimate decision was that the best-case for this scenario was, no means no, and it being applied across the board for the entire season," he said. "We feel like there are other ways we can promote the start of our season ... other than cars on racetracks."

The ban also covers a number of smaller tracks on the Camping World East and West circuits, places like Greenville-Pickens Speedway, South Boston Speedway, Stafford Motor Speedway and Irwindale Speedway. Under previous testing policies, teams would often test at those small, regional facilities to get around NASCAR limits on testing at Sprint Cup tracks. Now, finding anywhere to test will be much more difficult.

"It's definitely going to save teams some money," Jeff Gordon said. "I just don't trust the crew chiefs enough. I'm trying to think of what track we might be able to test at, whether that means that we'll be testing less but traveling more. I know how these guys are. They want to get track time. They want to get ahead of the competition, and if you get behind, you have to catch back up. You have to do it somehow, and usually on the track is the best way to do it."

Teams will certainly try. There are a few tracks out there -- like Virginia International Raceway and Rockingham Speedway -- that fall outside the ban. Johnson's team is determined to find them.

"We still have to get on the track and work. We still have to test. We cannot sit still, and we won't," he said. "I guess our guys need to get to work and see what tracks are available and where we might be able to run and get some track time. I guess it's just too early right now to know what it will look like."

Denny Hamlin agreed that testing, in some place and in some fashion, will still take place. "One way or another, it's going to get done, whether Goodyear calls for it or whatnot," he said. "But them cutting out the big tests, Daytona and whatnot, you're there for three days for not a whole lot of reason. We go to these racetracks and don't learn a whole lot, because the rubber's not put down on the racetrack. So we really don't learn anything until race weekend anyway."

With no testing, more of a responsibility will almost certainly fall on engineers who operate equipment like seven-post and pull-down rigs, which help teams simulate setups and environments they might find at the racetrack. "I think you'll see more of the engineers stepping out, to have the setups and a lot of simulation work done before we get to the track," said Robbie Loomis, vice president of Petty Enterprises. That prompted some concerns that smaller organizations without all the high-tech toys might suffer. Wood, co-owner of a single-car team, begs to differ.

"I think everybody who's in here has access to them," he said. "Ford Motor Company has [as seven-post rig] that we use probably once a week. It's like going to the wind tunnel. We have all the toys and stuff. They're not in our shop, no. I don't own them. But we have access to them. Everybody in here does."

Even so, the idea of potentially expanding race weekends and allowing for more track time hasn't been completely ruled out. It will be two or three more weeks, Helton said, before NASCAR makes a final call on that. Hamlin would like to see event schedules left as they are.

"We get a lot of practice," he said. "We get almost three hours of practice every weekend. That's a lot. If we can't learn it by then, we shouldn't be in the sport."