NASCAR
Bob Pockrass, NASCAR 6y

New Camaro, Daytona speeds will be hot topics at media sessions

NASCAR

The annual preseason NASCAR media days will feature 31 NASCAR Cup drivers talking to the media Tuesday and Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Having only 31 drivers when there are at least 36 full-time teams indicates that not all preseason questions will get answered. On top of that, no big announcements by NASCAR are expected. There will be plenty of drivers excited and optimistic about the new season, but this very well could be a year when fans will still have to wait to learn more about what 2018 has to offer.

Although NASCAR could always just issue a news release on any changes for 2018, it appears unlikely that NASCAR will have anything major to say.

That's a switch from a year ago, when NASCAR unveiled its new stage and points system. NASCAR appears to be willing to keep the status quo, and it likely doesn't want its new pit stop rules (five crew members over the wall instead of six) and new team roster concept to be the talk of the week. Any announcement on how that will be enforced is likely something for another day.

Not among the list of drivers to speak: Danica Patrick. With plans to run only Daytona, she isn't part of the preseason media days. That doesn't mean there won't be news as far as what team she will drive for at Daytona, but she has no in-person media announcement scheduled.

There also will be plenty of talk but few answers about one of the biggest preseason topics: the new Chevrolet Camaro.

Chase Elliott drove it at a Texas Motor Speedway tire test, but with only four cars there, no way did he learn much about the car and how it could handle in race conditions. He did wreck a car, so he might have an idea of one of the trouble spots (if it wasn't tire related).

Think about what Joe Gibbs Racing drivers would have said about the new Camry last year after three races and then again after 13. It takes a while to develop the car, so take everything a Chevrolet driver says about potential improved performance with a grain of salt.

As far as what also is new on the cars, there could be some talk about just how fast the drivers will go at Daytona. With no ride-height rules, Jimmie Johnson told fans a couple of weeks ago that the Hendrick Motorsports simulation predicts the possibility of going 20 to 25 mph faster in the draft (they went about 197 mph last year). NASCAR says it doesn't expect the cars to be much faster after analyzing data from the test in April at Daytona.

Whether teams were able to improve on their cars to make them go so much faster can't be learned in media interviews. Fans will know Feb. 10, when cars hit the track at Daytona. If the cars do go that fast, expect a change in the restrictor plate to curb horsepower and slow them down.

It will likely be early February before fans know the full NASCAR Cup lineup. With only 31 Cup drivers (there are also 14 drivers scheduled to talk from the Xfinity and Truck series), there are five charters unaccounted for as teams continue to firm up plans. Even though less than three weeks remains before Daytona 500 qualifying, there are still teams with unannounced plans.

Rick Ware Racing, Premium Motorsports, BK Racing, Front Row Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing each have one charter that isn't aligned with a driver set to speak at media days. TriStar Motorsports, The Motorsports Group and StarCom Racing -- teams that have indicated they want to run full time this year -- have not announced drivers or whether they have obtained charters.

RCR still has not said what it would do with the car Paul Menard drove last year. It doesn't have a crew chief, so the team appears likely to unload the charter, although Richard Childress would not confirm that Friday night, saying only that RCR would not field a car with a No. 27 on it this year.

BK Racing and Front Row Motorsports -- and teams possibly in line to get their charters -- could have to wait for the courts to determine their final plans. Union Bank & Trust has asked a federal court in Virginia to immediately appoint a receiver to take over control of all BK Racing assets, which includes the charter it used last year. The bank also claims rights to the charter BK Racing sold for $2 million to Front Row Motorsports before the 2017 season, a charter that was then leased to TriStar Motorsports.

The bank claims that BK Racing owes more than $7 million for loans and fees, alleging that the team defaulted on its payments. The bank, in its lawsuit, says that the North Carolina Department of Revenue seized $210,000 worth of assets. (A North Carolina auction house has set a March 10 date for auction for the three haulers and one passenger car if the bill is not paid.) BK Racing also owes its engine builder $1.59 million as part of a January 2017 arbitration ruling and owes more than $667,000 in taxes to the IRS, according to North Carolina court records.

BK Racing owner Ron Devine said in November that he had an agreement to get everything settled when the bank filed a lawsuit in state court in North Carolina.

No date for a hearing has been set on the bank's request, and how quickly the court moves could determine what happens with those charters (and BK Racing).

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