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Qualifying Tweaked To Minimize Luck

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By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 22, 2008

CONCORD, N.C. - The biggest news coming out of the annual preseason "state of NASCAR" news conference Monday was a change in qualifying that should give teams needing to qualify on speed an equal chance.

The "go-or-go-homers" - drivers without guaranteed starting berths because they are outside the top 35 in owners points - will go at the end of qualifying. Previously, they went in whatever position they drew, and those who made their attempts much later than others often had an advantage because of cooler temperatures.

"I think the change helps even out the playing field," rookie Patrick Carpentier said.

Zephyrhills' David Reutimann, who had to qualify on speed all of last year, often complained about the role luck played in qualifying.

AGE GAMES: NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton confirmed the sanctioning body is looking at changing the minimum age for the Sprint Cup series from 18 to 21.

That would affect rising star Joey Logano, who is scheduled to make his Nationwide Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing after he turns 18 on May 24 and already has been penciled in by some observers for some Sprint Cup races as early as 2009.

"We're continuing to look at the new drivers that are coming along, and we're also looking at how they mature; how they can handle the pressures of racing in our top division," Pemberton said. "It's not something that's been decided."

Skeptics say NASCAR is less interested in whether drivers are moving up too quickly than in boosting the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series by making top prospects stay longer.

PAVEMENT 101: Valrico's Michael Cherry, officially named to NASCAR's Drive for Diversity team, said he probably will work in new team owner Frank Deiny's shop in Ashland, Va.

Although working in the shop is not required, Cherry said he wants to learn as much as he can about the late model cars he will be racing at Motor Mile Speedway near Radford, Va.

"These cars are way different than what I've been doing," Cherry said. "We've always raced dirt. I could tell them what a dirt car does from the ground up, and they could tell me what an asphalt car does. It's just a learning process."

Cherry has raced only once on pavement: He says he started 27th and finished sixth in a modified race at Auburndale Speedway.

HOT LAPS: Tampa attorney Casey Ebsary, who was instrumental in helping Cherry get accepted into the diversity program, is working with a 17-year-old female sprint car driver from Washington state. Samantha "Fast Sami" Taylor, 18, spent a week in Florida testing a winged sprint car at East Bay Raceway Park in November and will compete in the track's upcoming Winternationals. ... In a couple of other changes, NASCAR teams will be given 50 sets of tires from Goodyear each year for testing at non-sanctioned tracks, and all fines collected will go to NASCAR's charity foundation.

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