Tony, a timeout, tires and other thoughts on the Bud Shootout

Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 | 8:45 p.m.

The Budweiser Shootout looked more like the Zamboni Shootout as the cars slid around on the worn and bumpy surface of Daytona International Speedway. The race on Sunday has the potential to be a wild wreck fest, especially toward the end of the race when the drivers throw caution to the wind.

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I hope we don’t see tire issues at the 500 this weekend. There was some rapid tire wear in the Shootout, but as long as these cars are set up to ride on the bump stops, with the front springs fully compressed, the only flexibility left in the suspension is in the tires. And that’s when tires start to fail.

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Is the 10-minute pit stop used in the Shootout an idea that could be incorporated into the points races? This may be a crazy thought, but it might be worth some consideration. It would provide an extended break in the action for teams to make adjustments that could make the final laps of the race more competitive. It would certainly be more effective at accomplishing this than a mysterious debris caution. And it could allow for a package of ads to be aired in between driver interviews that could reduce the number of ads played under the green flag.

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The blogs are already abuzz with comments about Tony Stewart’s third-place finish. Fans think his performance indicates that Tony will have a great season and that the commentators who questioned the immediate viability of Tony’s new team have already been proven wrong. Hey, if anyone can create a team from scratch and make it successful, it’s Tony. But one race isn’t an indication of anything.

In the same vein, it’s too early to say that Martin Truex’s pole position for the Daytona 500 is an indication of a resurgence at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

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Finally, the teams performed well even though there was no testing prior to the race. “I believe at the end of the day we’re going to determine that all this on-track testing is a colossal waste of money,” Michael Waltrip said on Sunday before qualifying. Maybe he’s right.

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