Smack: Looking for a road ringer this week in Sonoma

1. It's road course time again, with the Sprint Cup tour heading to Sonoma. If you're the owner of a middling team, do you hire a road course ringer?

David Caraviello: Absolutely. Why not? Fans pay to see the stars of NASCAR, and if you're running in 30th place, odds are, you're not a star. So put someone in the seat who can give you and your team a more realistic chance of winning. All for it.

Dave Rodman: That's a 50-50 question, and it depends on commitment. And of course, this top 35 situation now plays into it as well. If you're committed and you're trying to develop an all-around driver, you stick with him. But if the yaw of the top 35 looms, you ring it up, probably.

Duane Cross: No question -- you owe it to the sponsor, who may like your regular driver, but exposure is the key. Ringers give teams the opportunity to get that much-needed exposure. Owners also owe it to the guys who work on the cars; a good run can do a lot for the morale of a team. The best finish possible is the goal each week, so why not step out and snag a ringer who may get you another five, eight spots in the race?

David Caraviello: Of course, there's the little matter of actually finding a ringer. Really, there aren't that many out there who can seriously get the job done, especially now that Marcos Ambrose is running full-time. Pickings are a little bit slimmer.

Dave Rodman: The cool thing about the way the point system is structured, if you're in the swamp at this point of the season, as you said David, you aren't escaping that, so you might as well maximize things. The secondary issue might become keeping your regular driver pumped up -- but Regan Smith didn't seem to have a problem with that last year, now did he?

David Caraviello: Not at all, Dave. And yet, I'm looking at the entry list for Sunday's race, and you don't see many ringers that you'd say would have a good chance to win. Ron Fellows, Boris Said and Brian Simo are all running for what you might call lower-rung operations. Patrick Carpentier in the No. 55 might be the only true "ringer" out there this weekend, at least the only one taking over a full-time, fully-funded Cup car.

Dave Rodman: It's pretty interesting -- and a pretty strong statement about how good in general NASCAR drivers are -- that road course ringers have a general lack of success driving Cup cars on road courses. That makes someone like Irv Hoerr's eighth-place debut at Sonoma back in the day so impressive. Just like finding the right young gun, an owner has to find that unpolished gem who can get the job done -- and overall road course success isn't the only answer.

Duane Cross: As for the regular driver, he should have enough confidence and understand it's a one-off deal. If not, he needs to hone his road-course skills away from just two weekends a year.

David Caraviello: And like Dave said, the regular Cup drivers on average are a lot stronger on road courses than they used to be. That's why you probably aren't seeing as many ringers as you used to -- well, maybe that and the economy, which might be limiting a team's ability to hire a Said or a Fellows for a one-off deal.

Looking up

Juan Montoya is in the midst of his best season despite the fact he is in winless in 71 races. Luckily for him he's returning to the site of his only Cup win with his confidence high.

• By the Numbers: Sonoma
• Fantasy Preview: Sonoma
• Fantasy Report: Sonoma
• Preview Show: Sonoma
• Track Facts: Infineon

Dave Rodman: Exactly. You can't minimize how good these guys actually are in these cars -- and that's the Cup regulars I'm talking about. Back in the day guys like Ricky Rudd and Terry Labonte stood out, but Davey Allison and Ernie Irvan were damned good on road course. These days, you've got more Cup regulars who can really get it done in Cup cars, as the ringers are finding out.

Duane Cross: David, I'll make the argument that Carpentier should be behind the wheel for 36 races. He did enough last year to prove he can drive a stock car. If Martin Truex Jr. doesn't work out with Michael Waltrip Racing, Carpentier would not be a bad Plan B.

Dave Rodman: For sure Carpentier deserved to be in a car this year, Duane -- and unfortunately a lot of people are the worse off for it. Us, unfortunately, because he's a great guy to work with; the fans, because he's a real character and whatever sponsor would align themselves with him because, I think, with a little more time in stock cars he had potential that was only a few fractions behind A.J. Allmendinger.

David Caraviello: Also, look at all the guys with road course backgrounds that have full-time rides these days, guys like Juan Montoya, Allmendinger, and Ambrose. One of those guys could really win Sunday. Montoya especially, given the leaps forward he's made this year.

Duane Cross: Juan has three top-10s in the past four races -- and he won here in 2007. No question he should be running at the front of the field on Sunday evening.

Dave Rodman: If something like fuel mileage (choke) doesn't leap up and derange the race, he certainly could. It's hard to imagine someone running off at a course like either Sonoma or Watkins Glen -- and particularly in this crowd we're talking about -- but Montoya could do it.

Duane Cross: The Earnhardt Ganassi folks have picked up the pace on the No. 42. I still believe that team can be competitive in the long run. It was in such a hole that it's going to take time -- and more than just 15 or even 36 races. But EGR will be on the beam.

Dave Rodman: And DC, to your point about potential winners, I'm sure you remember when Brian Simo was out there in a Richard Childress Racing car. It was a top 10. In the second-class stuff, not such a threat, to the point he's struggling to qualify. That's a pure equipment issue.

David Caraviello: No question about that, Dave. I just miss all the ringers that used to be in this race. They made Sonoma seem that much more exotic. And that's before we ever got to the wine!

2. General Motors is pulling its funding of Nationwide and Truck teams. Ford and Dodge pulled out of Trucks last year. How will those departures affect the competitive balance of those series?

Dave Rodman: Not to downplay what's going on, because it illustrates greater challenges for much greater crowds of people; but like with anything else, Hendrick, Roush and Gibbs are still going to be out front. Everything will remain relative. Miracles, like James Finch's win at Talladega, might still happen. But while the look of things might change, the balance of power will not.

Duane Cross: There wasn't a lot of competitive balance in the Nationwide Series before; now there may be. The haves are always going to be in a better position, but maybe the have-nots will be able to somewhat close the gap.

Foreign influx?

As domestic manufacturers pull back on their racing programs because of bankruptcies and falling automotive sales, might NASCAR look to more foreign carmakers to fill the gap?

• Complete story
• GM talks Cup cutbacks
• GM cuts in N'wide, Truck
• Sound off: Reaction to GM

David Caraviello: Well, from a Truck perspective, it sure looks like the Toyota show now, doesn't it? And you have to wonder if that's the canary in the coal mine, and one day Cup is going to look the same way. Not impossible to envision, given the issues domestic manufacturers have going on these days.

Duane Cross: Jack Roush saw it coming, didn't he?

David Caraviello: Well, I don't think Jack saw Detroit going in the tank. Strange thing though, his trucks seem to be hanging in there, even without Ford funding. Shows it can be done, although Jack does have quite the empire to back it up.

Duane Cross: Thing is, carmakers can say all the right things. NASCAR can say all the right things. In the end, how about a return to the days when folks built engines and raced them, regardless of the emblem on the hood? After all, it's now just a decal. Certainly the manufacturers can talk about how racing has improved their products, but getting back to the roots can't be a bad thing.

Dave Rodman: The general ill health of the secondary series obviously is a big concern, and the Grand Canyon-like gap that already exists won't change much. Teams are going to find ways to stay as close to their same way of operating as they can.

David Caraviello: And we still don't know how much money we're talking about here. You have to assume Kevin Harvick's team received a substantial amount -- relatively speaking -- by the way he reacted. No "we stand by Chevrolet" in that statement at all. But others say the input is minimal, and the tech help won't go away.

Dave Rodman: Speaking of that, it'll be real interesting to see where, if anywhere, this new generation Nationwide car goes. Duane, to your point -- that would be a chance to get back to a more basic, more manufacturer-oriented piece. But it may be too late to keep the manufacturers real involved.

Duane Cross: Question is: If (when?) the car companies bounce back, will they continue to spend big bucks within racing series? For all the uproar over GM, Ford, Dodge spending money on sponsorship and naming rights, if the companies become profitable will the lessons of history be learned?

David Caraviello: Well, I'd have to think their racing interests are a relative drop in the bucket compared to what they're spending in other areas. These are companies overextended in a lot of ways, paying too many people to build too many cars that folks just don't buy. They're always going to have to market and advertise, and racing is a part -- a glamorous part, but a part nonetheless -- of that process. So yes, I think they'll be around, but not nearly in the capacity we've become used to.

Duane Cross: I agree, David -- this is a monumental time in the sport, and the future will look nothing like what many had envisioned. I don't think that's a bad thing, either. The car makers will still have a presence but it won't be as overwhelming.

Dave Rodman: The most interesting aspect of this is going to be how the manufacturers are going to be able to adjust, and how much hardware they'll be able to make available, and how much engineering support they'll be able to give. Everything has a price, and if a manufacturer was giving you time in a wind tunnel, someone was still paying. Since you still have to pay engineers, and assuming there'll be less money to pay fewer people, even something that seems priceless, like engineering support, isn't, and won't be as available. I'd have to think they couldn't spend the money they've been spending if it wasn't of value, and successful. So relatively speaking, I think they gradually might come back, but it will take a long time -- a real long time and maybe a whole another generation of bureaucrats.

David Caraviello: But all that said, this situation -- on the Cup side, at least -- still hasn't translated into a competitive advantage for anybody. Greg Biffle, a Ford driver, said last week he didn't think it ever would, given how people have cut back. So you have to wonder ultimately if all this is going to make much difference at all.

Dave Rodman: You'd have to compare relative line-item budgets from different teams, and we know that ain't gonna happen.

David Caraviello: Better chance of sneaking into the Pentagon, Dave!

3. Reigning Truck champion Johnny Benson was seriously injured in a crash last weekend while competing in a super modified in Berlin, Mich. Should that be a wake-up call to top NASCAR drivers who enjoy such extracurricular activities?

David Caraviello: Jeff Gordon said it best. His first reaction was, what kind of car was it? What kind of safety features did the track have? I'd be asking all those questions, too. And I'd stay far away from tracks and vehicles that don't meet the kind of requirements I'm used to.

Dave Rodman: All Johnny's accident did was point out that this is a damned dangerous endeavor we're involved in. When they get to NASCAR's national level, whether the spectators are aware of it or not, the drivers are familiar with it, accept it, and I don't see it changing a thing.

Autostock

Johnny Benson

Tough week

Bad news came in a pair Michigan weekend as Johnny Benson suffered serious injuries in a supermodified crash and Carlos Pardo lost his life in a NASCAR Mexico event.

• Benson out of the hospital
• Benson injured in race crash
• Pardo dies in Mexico event

Duane Cross: These guys cannot be bubble-wrapped from late Sunday to early Friday. These guys make decisions based on their comfort levels. If they don't like the situation -- model, track, etc. -- then they won't participate. Otherwise, you can get your noggin bumped skiing on Lake Norman.

David Caraviello: In other sports, athletes have contracts that bar them from doing things that could potentially take them out of action -- skydiving, skiing, motorcycle riding, etc. You wonder if NASCAR team owners would ever go to that extent and bar their guys from competing at local tracks.

Dave Rodman: We don't know if anyone doesn't have that in place already.

David Caraviello: Given the amount of extracurricular activity going on out there, odds are overwhelming that they don't. Of course, guys might just do what David Pearson did back in the day, and compete under assumed names. Hard to keep these guys from getting behind any kind of steering wheel.

Duane Cross: The first time Dale Earnhardt Jr. signs in under a nom de plume, it'll be on YouTube in about 10 minutes.

David Caraviello: True, Pearson didn't have to deal with that, did he?

Dave Rodman: But the point is, this is what they do. By the time they get to the national level, in most cases they have the means to exercise their passion in their own stuff. Robby Gordon is the extreme example. Kyle Busch has the same thing going on in late model cars. The shame of it for Johnny is that what started out as a hobby, to whatever degree, might have become a throwback-to-a-former-day source of income, maybe.

Duane Cross: These drivers are a breed that many cannot fathom; the money, the opportunities ... it's life to these guys. They have earned it and they can do as they wish. Certainly the owners are going to stress common sense, but the mind set is, "What could possibly go wrong ..."

David Caraviello: Yes, Dave, Johnny was in a different situation. So is Robby, to a certain degree, given his interests and rock-star status on the off-road circuit. But if I'm a Sprint Cup driver making $10 million a year and winning races, ain't no way in Hades I'm strapping in at a local track. Shoot, no way I'm spending my free time at a short track to begin with. I'm off to Cabo with the supermodel of the week. Of course, that's how I live my life now anyway, so not much would change.

Duane Cross: Glad you said it first!

Dave Rodman: Once you get past the equipment aspect, looking at the facility to make sure it has what it needs certainly is a concern, as you pointed out, David. And Duane, as you say, "it will never happen to me" is the mindset of everyone who's ever got into a racing vehicle. At least I hope so -- how else would you explain some of the absolute cartoon cars and safety equipment we've seen on race tracks?

Duane Cross: Exactly, Dave. It's a unique mindset, no question. And I have all the respect for those people (and a bit of bewilderment, considering some of the cars).

Dave Rodman: "No mind" might describe it, Duane.

David Caraviello: And how many local tracks have SAFER barriers? I'd say the percentage has to be very, very low. Along with the HANS device, that's one of the great live-saving systems of modern auto racing. I wouldn't race without either of them.

Dave Rodman: Good thing you have all that other stuff going on, then, because I would feel safe to say, in my supreme ignorance, that the percentage of local track distance with SAFER barriers is .00-something percent. If you're talking University of Nebraska-level SAFER and not hay bales, water barrels and tractor tires.

Duane Cross: For many of the local tracks, the SAFER barrier is cost-prohibitive; ditto the HANS device for wannabe drivers. Still, the desire to race (and make money -- both for the track owners and the drivers) is too great. Again, it comes back to "What could possibly go wrong ..." Well, a lot of things -- including flat-lining. But the mentality is that the reward is worth the risk.

David Caraviello: Of course, then you have Dale Jr. competing in a very modern car on a very modern race track, and he barely escapes a burning Corvette with his life. This stuff can happen anywhere, anytime.

Duane Cross: The death of Carlos Pardo speaks to that point. He was racing in a NASCAR-sanctioned race.

Dave Rodman: And it was a modern track. But something about the design was, uh, not quite right, and we'll leave it at that. But when you look at all the lower-level guys who have been killed, and the potential to be killed in something as "benign" as a four-cylinder "pure stock" car, you need a HANS device more than you need new tires. Look at it this way -- it's a one-time expense.

David Caraviello: Amen to that, Dave. Now if you guys will excuse me, I have to catch a plane to Cabo!

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writers.