By JUSTIN TERRANOVA
May 19, 2007 -- NASCAR
The winner-take-all format of tonight's Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge (7 p.m., Speed) should play right into the hands of the drivers at Hendrick Motor Sports (HMS), who have done nothing but win lately.
There are no points on the line in tonight's 80-lap race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., run in four 20-lap segments, but there is $1 million waiting for the winner. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, HMS drivers, are favored to take the checkered flag.
HMS has been particularly dominant in the Car of Tomorrow (COT), but tonight's race is in the traditional car. HMS drivers have won all five of the COT races and eight of the nine races overall.
Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush-Fenway Racing, said HMS stepped out of bounds with the parameters NASCAR setup for testing the COT.
"NASCAR and Goodyear consorted to stop the teams from testing in the way we had previously," said Roush, whose Ford team the other win this season. "NASCAR thought they were going to introduce the car and everyone was going to have a level playing field and we were going to learn together.
"But Hendrick in particular and Chevy teams generally have tested their cars thousands of miles in difference to NASCAR's wishes.
"There was nothing illegal about it, but I chose not to go that way presuming all the teams were standing down. But now we will have to change our strategy."
To qualify for tonight's race, a driver could have won an All-Star Challenge in the past 10 years, could be a past Cup champion, or any winner of a race from 2006 and this year. A driver also can qualify from finishing in the top two of the Nextel Open, the race that will precede the Challenge. The fans will vote in an additional driver.
May 19, 2007 -- NASCAR
The winner-take-all format of tonight's Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge (7 p.m., Speed) should play right into the hands of the drivers at Hendrick Motor Sports (HMS), who have done nothing but win lately.
There are no points on the line in tonight's 80-lap race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., run in four 20-lap segments, but there is $1 million waiting for the winner. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, HMS drivers, are favored to take the checkered flag.
HMS has been particularly dominant in the Car of Tomorrow (COT), but tonight's race is in the traditional car. HMS drivers have won all five of the COT races and eight of the nine races overall.
Jack Roush, co-owner of Roush-Fenway Racing, said HMS stepped out of bounds with the parameters NASCAR setup for testing the COT.
"NASCAR and Goodyear consorted to stop the teams from testing in the way we had previously," said Roush, whose Ford team the other win this season. "NASCAR thought they were going to introduce the car and everyone was going to have a level playing field and we were going to learn together.
"But Hendrick in particular and Chevy teams generally have tested their cars thousands of miles in difference to NASCAR's wishes.
"There was nothing illegal about it, but I chose not to go that way presuming all the teams were standing down. But now we will have to change our strategy."
To qualify for tonight's race, a driver could have won an All-Star Challenge in the past 10 years, could be a past Cup champion, or any winner of a race from 2006 and this year. A driver also can qualify from finishing in the top two of the Nextel Open, the race that will precede the Challenge. The fans will vote in an additional driver.
