NASCAR
Ricky Craven 7y

Some ideas, observations after All-Star weekend

NASCAR

Kyle Busch is to Joe Gibbs Racing what Mariano Rivera used to be to the New York Yankees. Give Kyle the lead in the ninth inning of a race and he is more than likely going to close the deal.

It's been a slow start to the 2017 Cup season for Joe Gibbs Racing. Few could have imagined the organization's first win coming in the third week of May.

Busch was not the fastest on Saturday night; that was actually the other Kyle, Kyle Larson.

But Busch, the 32-year-old former champ, capitalized on a solid final pit stop, then executed a perfect restart, moving underneath Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson and driving uncontested to a million-dollar payday.

The final 10 laps of the All-Star Race reflected an ongoing trend. Whoever gets to the lead benefits enormously from clean air, which translates to maximum downforce.

To be clear, I was an advocate of lower downforce, essentially forcing drivers to work harder during restarts and in traffic. But the low downforce offers a decided advantage for any driver clear of the dirty air. Keep in mind the leader will always have the advantage and you can't completely eradicate the benefits of being out front.

But there are things you could do to slow down the leader and potentially improve those cars behind. The most obvious for me is an idea I floated more than a year ago: Increase the opening of the grill and do not allow any tape during the race. This creates a parachute effect for the leader and a marginal benefit for those cars drafting behind.

It won't solve everything, but it's very inexpensive, and there seems no downside because teams are capable of controlling water temp in other ways.

We must improve the quality of competition among those battling for the lead, and the most compelling battles of a race must once again be demonstrated on the racetrack rather than the battle off of pit road.

On another subject, I'm concerned for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Not for his health -- though that's always in the back of my mind -- but I'm concerned he's not enjoying himself enough to contribute to his team's pursuit of improvement.

There is nothing more debilitating to a race car driver's frame of mind than losing.

The effects of performing poorly often leave drivers questioning, "Is it me, or is it the race car?" The answer 99 percent of the time is -- it's both.

What limits a race car driver from going faster is the inability of the car to react to the driver's inputs. A driver of Earnhardt's experience has a deep and vast database of how to drive each track.

Veteran drivers typically know by the first lap of the first practice how good or bad their car is, and if they're not happy with how it feels, then the work begins.

The only reasonable chance a team has in improving its car's speed lies in the information it receives from the pilot.

It's critical that the information and requests are concise and on target, otherwise things quickly head down the wrong path.

Where a driver's information becomes compromised is when the driver is frustrated or loses confidence in his car. I have lived this many times. It causes drivers to try too hard, clouds their ability to troubleshoot their cars and paralyzes their teams.

I sensed this from Earnhardt, and it was most evident after Saturday night's race.

It's critical that he has some fun behind the wheel, and soon -- otherwise it's going to be a long, aggravating, summer.

The solution?

Climb behind the wheel of one of his Xfinity Series cars, use the lower series to re-establish the fundamentals, to compete among the leaders again, but most importantly to rediscover how much fun driving can be.

I've watched Earnhardt closely this season, and I see nothing that concerns me or leads me to believe he doesn't have the capacity to win again in NASCAR's premier series.

It's what I hear that causes me to hedge that bet.

I hear frustration, and occasionally I hear an ounce of doubt. Neither contributes to long-term success, which leads to another issue.

Dale doesn't have a long term; he has the remainder of this season.

Knowing that can complicate the equation. Urgency can evolve itself into making mistakes, and send a driver's compass spinning.

Earnhardt will win a race this year or perhaps several races, provided he shows up each week with the enthusiasm and expectation of driving the hell out of his car and enjoying it while it's happening. That's the kind of driver he is competing against.

And I'm not just referring to Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch but also young drivers such as Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney, who have become a force to be reckoned with primarily because they're having the time of their lives.

I am in no way suggesting Earnhardt is the sole factor deciding between the No. 88 team failing or succeeding.

I am, however, suggesting that over the final 25 races of a very successful Cup career, his frame of mind, attitude and contributions will have the most significant effect.

And that will go a long way in determining how difficult or enjoyable this final season will be.

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