Changes abound: Schedule, Red Bull, RCR

1. Big-picture question: If you're in charge of the Sprint Cup Series, what changes do you make, to the schedule or otherwise?

David Caraviello: Well, the schedule seems very top-of-mind these days, so I'll start there. I cannot for the life of me figure out why NASCAR doesn't follow the Daytona 500 with Las Vegas. Phoenix is great and all, but if you want a big boost for your second event -- which almost always suffers from a letdown -- why not go to the one big city that embraces NASCAR more than any other? And that's Vegas.

Chris Stanfield: I thought what Kevin Harvick said at a recent news conference was interesting -- that the biggest boom the series had ever seen came in 2001 when drivers went to new venues in Chicago and Kansas, and you had all this movement with the schedule and you created all these new fans. So, I'm digging the change in the schedule, but wonder (in this economy) if people can really afford to take their family to the track regardless of where the race is held.

Raygan Swan: I think eliminating one of the two California dates and giving a place like Kansas a second date is a good move. No matter what markets you are trying to capture, I believe you have to service your loyal audience. Race where the demand is. Last, I am all for more Cup racing in the Midwest (Kentucky's new date) and DC will help us define the geographical locale of said region! Kansas? Midwest?

Chris Stanfield: Oh, and I'd add Bristol and a road course to the Chase ...

David Caraviello: Sorry, Raygan. Kentucky's in the South, and Kansas is a Great Plains state. No more Midwest for you! Chris, from a selfish point of view, I'll admit, I like the schedule changes. This is a grind, and anything new is nice. It will be kind of neat to go to some new places -- OK, one new place -- and some areas at different times of the year. In that regard, change is good.

Raygan Swan: Chris, I agree with the road course idea. It used to be that our Cup guys weren't strong on road courses and would use ringers, but they excel now. So put The Glen or Sonoma in the Chase.

David Caraviello: Of course, Harvick fails to mention that the attention and interest levels following Dale Earnhardt's accident also helped NASCAR reach the height of its popularity post-2001. We certainly don't have any interest in going through something like that again.

Chris Stanfield: Agreed, David. It seems kind of odd, though, that a road course wouldn't be a part of the Chase. To your point, Raygan, the Cup Series has evolved and the regulars are doing just fine turning right.

David Caraviello: I love road courses, but I just don't think one belongs in the Chase. Road courses are two of 36 events. That's all. Placing one in the Chase would make it 10 percent of the championship hunt, and out of whack with the proportion of road courses to the season overall. Now, if it added another road-course race, maybe. But that isn't happening.

Raygan Swan: Well, it would just be another wild-card race like Talladega. But you're right, it is not reflective or the season, and would be a bit for show biz, I guess. One other thing I had a question on was Michigan and Pocono. I still think those dates need to be further apart. I know David will tell us Pocono still puts up great numbers at both events, but what about Michigan? We are going this weekend, and I feel like we just left.

David Caraviello: I will admit, Raygan, that if I were in Brian France's office for a day, one of the first things I'd do is shorten the schedule to eliminate issues like the timing of the Pocono and Michigan events. Thirty races is plenty. Get done before the height of the football season. Leave people wanting a little more, like the NFL does so well. The issue is, maybe NASCAR's business model demands 36 points events, I don't know. But you won't see any shortening until at least the new television contract a few years from now.

Raygan Swan: Yeah, I don't see why we need to go anywhere twice, maybe other than Daytona, and I'm sure there are focus groups that point to fan fatigue. But the sport doesn't always make sense, it's more concerned with cents.

Chris Stanfield: Back to ticket prices. Am I the only one who thinks it costs too much to take a family to the track? If we're being honest, the racing has been good this season and I'm having a hard time believing that's the reason people aren't filling the stands. Everyone has to make a buck -- I get that -- but in a sport that deals in volume (packing the stands) can NASCAR work with the tracks to offer the baseball equivalent of the bleacher seats?

David Caraviello: Chris, NASCAR tickets have been reduced at a much sharper rate than many other pro sports. Shoot, many college and pro-football programs are still raising ticket prices. Is NASCAR too expensive for some people? Sure. But it's a diversion. You need discretionary income to do it, and that's dried up for a lot of people right now. And to be fair, Raygan, sports that don't concern themselves with dollars and cents go out of business. This isn't a charity or a social program. A lot of people seem to think they have some inherent right to attend NASCAR events, and that just isn't true, not here or in any sport.

Raygan Swan: You know, I don't think ticket prices are as big of an issue as people make them out to be, because we choose how to spend our discretionary or disposable income. I may be broke and skimping on my food bill, but I'm still buying a $5 latte at Starbucks. People choose how to spend their funds and where to make a sacrifice. If avid NASCAR fans want to go to the races, they'll just cut in other areas.

David Caraviello: We all do the same. And I choose to spend my discretionary funds on small-batch whiskeys. And after spending a full day in Kentucky this week, I could certainly use one ...

• Phoenix to follow Daytona as part of schedule shuffle
• Finally, Kentucky gets long-awaited Cup Series date
• Drivers ready for the new look to Cup schedule in 2011
• Chicagoland Speedway chosen to open 2011 Chase

2. Kasey Kahne will drive for Red Bull in 2011. A good move for him? What happens to Scott Speed and Brian Vickers?

Raygan Swan: There are seemingly too many options right now, and too many unknowns for Red Bull to decide. Until Brian is cleared medically to return to the track, it can't make an informed decision. Scott Speed has been a Red Bull athlete for a long time and the sponsor is dedicated to him, but the performance isn't there. Not that it is entirely his fault.

David Caraviello: Boy, there's still a lot about this we just don't know. Is Speed on the way out? Hard to believe, given how much Red Bull has invested in the guy. It doesn't cut loose its "Red Bull athletes" very often. Is Vickers recovering from his blood clots enough to drive next year? Again, we don't know. Will Red Bull field two cars or three? Again, not to sound redundant ...

Chris Stanfield: A good move indeed for Kahne. Both Speed and Vickers are interesting right now. We won't know about Vickers until the fall, but I gotta say, I hear a driver named Ambrose is looking to forgo his trip Down Under for a Cup ride. And if we're comparing potential -- as much as I like Speed -- I'd have to think hard about turning him loose with the talent currently on the market. Or save some face and add another car?

Raygan Swan: Like David said, too many unknowns, but I can tell you what I want to see and that is Scott Speed in the sport. I don't care if he runs mid-pack, really, I think his personality is a nice break from the norm.

David Caraviello: But it's definitely going to be strange, a guy paid by Hendrick driving for another team, and one backed by a different manufacturer at that. How much information can Kasey carry over to Hendrick in 2012? Will Kasey be in the loop on everything, or be treated like a guy who won't be around the next year? Lots of intriguing questions here.

Raygan Swan: I liked the Brett Favre analogy [Red Bull VP and GM] Jay Frye used: You just enjoy the fact that you have a proven winner for one season, who cares about the next? For that team, 2011 might just be all about living in the present. It can restructure and build around a flagship driver next season if it chooses.

David Caraviello: For Kasey, this is a coup. He's in what you'd have to think will be a competitive car for next season, and he kind of fits that whole Red Bull image. This is a win for him. And Red Bull no question gets a marquee driver -- but with complications, given his situation for 2012.

Chris Stanfield: Yeah, I keep trying to play this out ... if Speed and Vickers return, do you field three cars next season? And just for one season? Doesn't seem logical.

Raygan Swan: It is a great situation for Kasey, who can now say he's driven for every manufacturer! But seriously, it's a fine situation. It does fit his personality -- he'll get to skydive and whatnot. It won't be as stressful or high pressure and who knows, maybe he'll win a bunch of races, make the Chase and give that team a great perspective from a veteran and help Speed along.

David Caraviello: Raygan, no doubt, Kasey fits right in. But can Red Bull use him in marketing? After all, the guy's still being paid by Hendrick Motorsports. He's just driving for Red Bull. A hired gun. And does this mean Brian Vickers isn't recovering as it hoped? Is this just a fallback move in case he doesn't? Does Red Bull put enough money into this program to expand to three cars? Again, many more questions than answers at this point.

Raygan Swan: I don't think expanding is the answer. Look where that got Richard Childress Racing two seasons ago. And I guess it doesn't really have time to do much marketing around Kasey.

Chris Stanfield: Red Bull seems committed and the organization has the money. Why not follow the trend of running three cars in the Cup Series? You're right, Kahne's influence on Speed might help him progress -- or at the very least, push the team to achieve more.

David Caraviello: Well if Brian comes back and they retain Scott Speed, what choice do they have but to expand? And I would guess expanding to three cars for a single season -- and knowing that program will be shut down in 2012 -- is different than expanding permanently.

Chris Stanfield: Would you keep Speed in a car if Ambrose could join the team?

David Caraviello: Chris, have you been eating too much Vegemite? If Ambrose gets a ride with Richard Petty Motorsports as expected, that becomes a moot point, doesn't it? And I don't know if Marcos, who's a little older and has a family, exactly fits Red Bull's target demographic.

Chris Stanfield: Details, details, David. Come up here in the clouds, where the air is cooler ....

• Kahne to drive for Red Bull Racing Team in 2011

3. RCR has signed Paul Menard for the 2011 season. Is once again expanding to four cars good for the organization?

Raygan Swan: It didn't work well with Casey Mears and RCR said so. I don't know. What is different now? Menard and Mears are about the same caliber of driver, too, so this confuses the heck out of me.

No driver can rock the sideburns, so says Raygan Swan, quite like Paul Menard.

David Caraviello: Boy, you'd think after what happened with the whole Casey Mears situation, and the way the entire organization suffered when RCR last expanded to four cars, that Richard Childress would be hesitant to do this. Only thing I can guess is, RC feels like his program is on more stable footing and can handle the expansion better this time. Plus, a sponsor comes with the deal.

Chris Stanfield: Mears didn't have millions of dollars backing him his entire career, so Menard is a different story. And couldn't you spread that money around the organization?

David Caraviello: But goodness, you look at all those Chase berths, what the organization has done this year -- it's very clear that RCR has the three-car thing figured out. I guess you never say no to dollars, though.

Chris Stanfield: Exactly, David.

David Caraviello: And Chris, your question is a good one. Is Menards paying enough just to back Paul's program? Or is that check big enough that RCR has some left over to spread across the rest of the organization?

Raygan Swan: Menard has improved slightly on the Nationwide side, but I haven't seen much on the Cup side to say, 'Hey come drive for me,' but what do I know. This sport operates on so many different levels I can't keep up so whatever, glad to have Paul and his crazy sideburns still in the series, I suppose.

Chris Stanfield: RCR is losing some hefty bucks when Shell/Pennzoil leaves ... That's kinda where I'm going, David. This smells of money, not that Menard can't improve from somewhere beyond top 20 in the standings ...

Raygan Swan: Shell is leaving, yes, but I was under the impression Bud was going to Harvick next year. So it would have plenty of cash.

David Caraviello: Even if Budweiser comes aboard on the No. 29 as expected, Shell/Pennzoil is obviously a huge-dollar account, big enough to unseat Miller Lite as top sponsor at Penske Racing and bump Brad Keselowski into the No. 2 car next year. RCR and Harvick have been so good this year, it's easy to forget they don't have sponsorship on the No. 29 for next year. At least not officially, not yet.

Chris Stanfield: But is this enough cash for one team? Can you spread it across more than one? I think your best chance of doing that is with Menards sponsorship. The other thing is that Menard is nice on the equipment. He's not exactly racking up the DNFs.

David Caraviello: To be fair here, Paul Menard has shown some flashes, particularly on plate tracks. But goodness, the guy surely knows how to broker a deal, doesn't he? From Yates to RPM to RCR? That's trending in the right direction. Money talks very loudly these days.

Chris Stanfield: What more can you say, really? Money does talk. And stable money rules the day.

Raygan Swan: It's the sideburns, David.

David Caraviello: How? I'd think they'd produce more drag.

Raygan Swan: Grow some and see how your luck starts changing.

David Caraviello: Um, I have sideburns, thanks very much. Nice to know that women notice them. Sounds like time for a little more small-batch whiskey ....

• RCR signs Menard, returns to four-car stable

The opinions expressed are solely those of the participants.