Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Evernham trying to Dodge competition

Friday, Jan. 12, 2001 | 10:26 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Preparations for next month's Daytona 500 officially got under way this week with major test sessions for Dodge at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Ford and GM at Daytona International Speedway.

While every team was scrambling to find the right chassis setup and squeeze every ounce of horsepower out of their cars' engines, Ray Evernham arguably was the busiest team owner on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit.

Evernham, who will field Dodge Intrepids this season for drivers Bill Elliott and Casey Atwood, was in Las Vegas Sunday and Monday for a two-day private Dodge test that was cut short by Monday afternoon's rainstorm. Evernham, who also is heading Dodge's re-entry into NASCAR, had more on his plate than the average team owner.

"We're trying to accomplish a lot of things," Evernham said of his test at LVMS. "We've got two brand-new teams working together. The obvious things that we are working on are the car and the motor -- those are obvious.

"But my teams are brand-new teams and we're here trying to develop the car and the motor for competition but also getting the guys to know one another. I've got people who have not really worked together a lot. We've been testing everything from the travel department to the engine department, chassis, shocks ... everything."

Evernham, who helped Jeff Gordon to three Winston Cup championships (1995, '97, and '98) as his crew chief, left the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team late in the 1999 season to head the new Dodge program.

With less than a month before qualifying begins for the Daytona 500, Evernham said he is happy with the progress of the Dodge program, which has not competed in Winston Cup since 1985.

"I'm pleased with where we are but I'm certainly not content -- you're never going to be content," Evernham said. "I think everybody has put in a great effort and we have got an awful lot done in the time that we had. Are we where we want to be? No. But are we as far as we possibly could have been? Yes.

"I think we have the same concerns as everybody else; you're always looking for more downforce and more horsepower. If we were already racing (Dodges) for five years, we would still be looking for more horsepower."

Evernham said that Dodge has solved its problems with engine reliability and began gaining speed during its test at LVMS.

Busch, who will drive the No. 97 Ford for Roush Racing this season, posted his fast lap during the final hour of the test, when most teams were concentrating on drafting.

"We worked with some of the other Roush cars and some of the other Fords in the draft," Busch said. "We have a lot of work still ahead of us before February, but we came here with a basic car and if we can go back to the shop with our ideas and apply them to the car, we can put on a good show at Speed Weeks.

"We're going to work on the aero package, and I learned a few things to do in the draft and a few not to do. Of course, you're never going to outsmart these veterans; they've been doing it for a long while. I'll take a few of the pointers I picked up today to some of the other Roush drivers and see what they have to say.

"It's so early, I don't know how much respect I earned; it was more of staying out of their way. We've got another week of running before the (Daytona) 500 to gain more respect on this track and in the draft."

Qualifying for the Feb. 18 Daytona 500 will begin Saturday, Feb. 10.

Carpentier, who missed three races at the start of last season due to a broken wrist, recently had surgery to remove a metal plate that was inserted into the wrist to stabilize the fracture. The Team Player's driver reported no problems with the wrist following the test.

"There was no pain or soreness," Carpentier said. "I was a bit rusty on the first day of testing, but that was to be expected.

"We were scheduled for a second testing session on Saturday morning, but it rained and was pushed back to Sunday. That was probably a good thing because it gave us the chance to see how the wrist would react after a day's layoff, and everything was fine."

Lazier will join 1992 SCCA Trans Am national champion Jack Baldwin, former IMSA star Irv Hoerr and sports-car standout George Robinson on the Robinson Racing team. Robinson Racing is fielding the No. 74 Ranch Resort Riley & Scott/Judd in the SportsRacing Prototype class.

"I'm doing this for fun," Lazier said. "This is a fun event that allows me to compete without affecting my Indy Racing Northern Light Series program.

"It is a very exciting team for me to be a part of. I believe we have a fair chance for a victory. All of the ingredients are there for a successful run."

All 24-national events that encompass the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series will air on a same-day basis. In addition, the sanctioning body announced it has expanded its popular magazine show, NHRA Heat, from 24 to 41 episodes this year.

"Clearly this represents the best television package in the 50-year history of the sport," NHRA president Tom Compton said. "Now, fans across the nation will be able to find our exciting form of racing exclusively on ESPN and ESPN2 and on a same-day basis."

NHRA Heat will air each week on Thursday on ESPN2 as a lead-in to the popular RPM2Night. The show will debut on Thursday, Feb. 1 prior to the 41st AutoZone Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.

Both the spring and fall NHRA national events from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised on ESPN2.

McGrath piloted his Team Mazda Yamaha YZ 250cc past hole shot winner David Vuillemin of Team Yamaha three turns after the gate dropped. Though challenged early by French star Stephane Roncada of Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki, McGrath prevailed for his seventh 250cc win at Edison International Field.

Team Honda's Ezra Lusk, who took last year off due to injuries, finished second and Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki rider Ricky Carmichael was third.

The EA Sports Supercross series visits Las Vegas May 5 for its season finale at Sam Boyd Stadium.