Let's Rock 'n' roll

Drivers move on to Rockingham after Daytona downers

Ryan Newman walked away unhurt after his spectacular crash at Daytona. AP

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (AP) -- His wheels were in the infield grass, his car was a crumpled heap of twisted metal.

Daytona was a disaster for Ryan Newman after a frightening wreck sent his car barrel-rolling through the grass. It was an early exit from the biggest race of the year and sent him home in last place in the points standings.

No biggie, he thought.

The real racing begins this week in Rockingham.

"Daytona is just one race. It doesn't make or break the season," Newman said. "We wrecked out. There's nothing we can do about that except pack up and move on."

That's the standard refrain from everyone in NASCAR except Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip. The winner is the only one who leaves Daytona satisfied.

North Carolina Speedway opens to teams on Thursday, not a minute too soon for drivers and crewmen eager to get on with the season.

"Daytona is a big deal. It starts our season and we all put everything we have into it," said Jimmy Elledge, crew chief for rookie Casey Mears. "But at the end of the day, the winner only gets 185 points -- same as the winner at Rockingham -- so we leave Daytona knowing how you finished there doesn't make or break your season."

In a 36-race schedule, the Daytona 500 is almost separate from the rest of the year. No other race requires a weeklong qualifying process that includes two laps in time trials and a 125-mile race.

Only three more races -- two at Talladega Superspeedway and the July event at Daytona -- require the use of smaller gas tanks and a special restrictor plate that reduces speeds.

Beginning with Sunday's race at North Carolina Speedway, followed by stops in Las Vegas and Atlanta, teams will have other issues to worry about: tire management, downforce in the corners, and a strong engine for the straightaways.

"In the first four races, you can pretty much figure out where you're at," car owner Ray Evernham said. "You're not really going to know where your car and team stacks up until after Atlanta."

At "downforce" tracks like Rockingham, engines are unrestricted and there's generally more side-by-side racing.

"I can't wait to get to Rockingham where I can pass and I don't need a buddy to help me," Jeff Green said.

Green started from the pole in the Daytona 500, but he finished 39th because of a lack of drafting partners and a blown tire.

Of course, a driver's finish at Daytona means little for the rest of the season.

Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500, then finished 24th in the overall season standings. Tony Stewart finished last in the 2002 Daytona 500 and went on to win the championship.

Daytona 500 winners have gone on to take the series title only four times since the modern era started in 1972: Jeff Gordon (1997), Richard Petty (1974, '79) and Cale Yarborough (1977).

"Last in the points is certainly not where we want to be," Newman said. "But it doesn't really matter. We've got three races in a row here to start climbing our way out of the hole. Daytona is over, the season starts this Sunday."

 

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