The Old Dogs bit back last weekend! In the ongoing battle over which group is going to win out this season, Dale Jarrett broke a lengthy losing streak dating to last season when he raced away from the pack at the end of the Pocono race two weeks ago. The veterans seemed to be leading the way, with only Jimmie Johnson remaining a strong contender by late race. Jarrett put the pedal down when it mattered, laying back until strike time arrived to steal the win from a few other stronger contenders. The Pocono Raceway is a track that runs like a speedway and road course all in one. With sharp lefts reminiscent of a road course and speeds up to 190+ MPH on the straights, drivers must use a setup accustomed to several conditions. It is not uncommon to see cars break pieces at Pocono and the streak continued, taking out several drivers that would have been around at the end if not for mechanical failure.
News for last weekend included a rules change, allowing the Pontiac Grand Prix cars to be able to adjust the front and rear dam spoilers for the first time in almost two years. Cars including John Andretti, Johnny Benson and Tony Stewart, and former champion Bobby Labonte should be more competitive beginning this weekend. Michigan is the next race on the circuit and with its superspeedway qualities, the draft and the spoiler changes are bound to make an immediate impact on the Ponticac teams. Now it will be interesting to hear the Chevy, Ford and Dodge teams begin their lobbying for the same or similar changes. Chevy already is thinking proactively, and rumor has it Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt Enterprises (DEI) are assisting with the formulation of a new body design to be premiered at Daytona next February. Childress won a bevy of Championships with the old Monte Carlo and Lumina styles when driver Dale Earnhardt was at the wheel. Now he will try to repeat the same success with a group of drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. with the new body style if it meets NASCAR approval, which we know is not always an easy task.
The ability to change the rules in NASCAR allows the powers that be to create and keep a level field of competition, but at times has been accused of favoring certain body styles or drivers considered to be in the “good graces” or NASCAR’s governing body.

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