FLYING LESSONS --FUEL MILEAGE -- REBIRTH OF SPECIAL NUMBERS and more

This week has started off with a flash it seems,first the illustrious Pace car decides its hot box is in the trunk literately,the power pack for the overhead lights was the culprit there, then Clint Boyer does a award winning 360 degree loop and continued on to his pit stall all the while earning style points on Twitter.

Also the return of the "3" has sparked the return of another number with fame attached. Liz Allison said she was receptive of bringing Davies number back under the right conditions.

And the shake up in the lineup will surely create a little activity. And to top it all off the wave to his fans,that was who he was waving at wasnt it?,yeah the one J.J. did through the net just before demolition derby started around included him. I guess he was mad about finding the wall after Tec inspection said he was off just a wee little bit on his stagger

And Montoya was not present

And the stage is set for a great show -- or what you think??

They have got to slow the cars down. It looks like it is going to be a crash-filled 500. I bet the catch-fence will be tested again Sunday, maybe even Saturday.

At the very least they have to go to 283 cubic inches on the speedways. They've run smaller engines on the big tracks before. it would slow them down and improve the racing. I'd like to see them raise the ground clearance too but I don't know if that would make the new cars more likely to fly. The cars were going faster 45 years ago and we didn't have this problem, so it should be fixable. Actual bodies-in-white would probably help.

I didn't even know Davey's number was missing. It was around as recently as 2009. It's been more than twenty years, this sanctification of numbers has got to stop. That was Lorenzen's & Yarborough's number as much as it was Allison's. Buddy Baker too. It was Kenny Irwin's number after Davey, does his family get a say in this?

Implementing smaller speedway engines WAS, and still is, the solution. The entire plate saga could have been eliminated. DUH. Spec-car pack racing can not be solved, whatever changes they make to the cars, changes ALL the cars in exactly the same manner, and the pack remains. Plate racing a'int real raing, IMO, and the "Great American Race" would never have developed had this been the format.

smaller cubic inches and heavier cars might keep them on the ground

Two different engines wouldn't put a strain on smaller teams because nobody builds their own engines anymore. They're all supplied from four or five shops. The little guy doesn't have to invest hours of development in order to make his motor as good as the big teams.

I don't think heavier cars will help. It's a matter of aerodynmics. The older cars were higher off the ground, had shorter front spoilers and no right-side windows. When they got sideways, the air had a lot more escape routes and lift the car up as often.

I think stock body contours would slow the cars down and make them less likely to fly. I think higher ride height would make it easier to draft and also slow the cars. NASCAR has fifty years of data telling them how to make a good race, and they continue to ignore it in favor of increasingly ludicrous gimmicks. They know the path they followed to get here. Figure out where it started to go downhill and back up.

And speaking of the health of the sport, when you could buy a 427 Galaxie fastback or a Charger 500, it made the racing relevant and exciting. It also sold more cars which made the manufacturer's input worth it. Who cares if a Fusion wins the race if you can't buy a car that looks just the same and has the same motor? There is nothing that even slightly looks like a sporty Camry, no matter how many have rear wings on then. And I've yet to see a Chevy SS, even in dealer's lots. Americans are losing interest in cars. Detroit makes hot Camaros and Corvettes but those are impractical for most people. They need hot mid-size cars like their NASCAR counterparts. Germany understands this; there are many large and fast Mercedes & BMWs. Run V6s in NASCAR if that's what it takes to be relevant. Sure, fans will complain that they don't sound as good. Tough. NASCAR is already bleeding fans and wants to dump old ones for new ones. Here's their chance.