FUMES

January 18, 2012

Editor's Note: Peter will return next week with a new Fumes column. - WG

NASCAR 2013.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. When Ford took the wraps off of its stunning new Fusion at the Detroit Auto Show this week, it signaled more than a new era for the normally moribund mid-sized segment on the streets and byways of America. It also signaled what's coming in NASCAR for 2013.

After years of dealing with the disastrous fallout from the ill-fated "Car of Tomorrow" - a car loaded up with a smorgasbord of safety items and technology but completely devoid of any personality whatsoever, not to mention a total lack of manufacturer brand awareness except for the car names plastered on the front ends - NASCAR has seen the light, and beginning with the 2013 season there will not only be instant brand recognition among the various manufacturers, the cars will actually look racy and dare I say, in Ford's case, sexy.

Reminiscent of the immortal words of Joe Biden, this is a big f---ing deal, folks. NASCAR honchos will never admit this but the dreaded "CoT" did as much to drive their traditional fan base away as anything, if not more. It may seem quaint in this day and age of automobile industry globalization, but NASCAR's rabid fans loved wearing their manufacturer loyalty on their sleeves, and NASCAR destroyed that in one fell swoop with its cookie-cutter-shaped CoT. Add to that the deletion and/or rearranging of traditional dates on the schedule and NASCAR didn't just shoot themselves in the foot with this series of missteps, they shot themselves in the head.

Yes, the TV numbers stabilized at least somewhat this past season but make no mistake, if NASCAR is ever going to really regain its mojo and at least a modicum of momentum, the cars are going to have to play a much larger role. No, NASCAR's emphasis on its star drivers won't ever change, but there will be a noticeable shift in attention to the actual racing machines. Thus the major transformation coming for NASCAR beginning at Daytona in 2013, a little more than a year away.

All of the competing manufacturers - Chrysler, Ford, GM, Toyota and most likely another import manufacturer to be named later - will have cars designed to take advantage of NASCAR's new "Big Picture" thinking. (I'd say forward thinking but the impetus for this change didn't come from within NASCAR, it came from the competing manufacturers strongly urging - okay, hammering - NASCAR to welcome their new designs and embrace visual distinctiveness among the manufacturers, or else. As in, they might not bother to compete at all. Funny how thinly-veiled threats eventually work, even with NASCAR.)

Expect to see and read all about the 2013 Ford Fusion in full NASCAR regalia when it is formally unveiled toward the end of this month during the NASCAR media days. The new Fusion is stunning in street trim, and even more so in its racing livery. I don't think there will be a racing enthusiast out there - NASCAR or otherwise - who won't be absolutely geeked when they get a glimpse of this new racing machine.

As for the upcoming 2012 season, I expect the following to happen in NASCAR Land:

The death march of a schedule will be heavily discussed but any moves to shorten it will fall on deaf ears. I do believe some shuffling to the schedule will ensue, and I fully expect a road race to be added to The Chase, without adding to the total number of races. That means one of the double-visit venues (Michigan, Pocono) will be cut back to one.

The usual suspects will dominate, including Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Childress Racing. That's not even a prediction, that's just a fact of life in NASCAR. In the battle of the "haves" vs. the "have-nots" the "haves" always win big.

That said, don't be surprised if Kurt Busch wins a race with his little team.

And don't be surprised that if Kyle Busch doesn't keep his cool he gets jettisoned to Siberia. This is a "put up or shut up" year for the mercurial Busch. If he isn't in the top five right through to the end of the Chase he might just be looking for a new team in 2013.

I expect Kasey Kahne to have a breakout year at Hendrick, with several big-time wins. Dale Jr. is going to have to crank it up or the New Kid at Hendrick might just overshadow him.

Danica will struggle mightily. Duh.

I'll have more on NASCAR 2012 in the coming weeks, but in the meantime stay tuned for the debut of the 2013 Ford NASCAR Fusion.

It's what a racing "stock" car should look like, and it's long overdue.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)

Daytona Beach, Florida, 1956. Driver and mechanic Vern Houle (left), and Bill Stroppe (right) Owner and Team Manager of Bill Stroppe Racing, looking at the engine of one of the factory-backed 1956 Mercurys prepared for the Daytona Beach Speed Weeks. According to Hot Rod magazine, Stroppe prepared a monster Mercury with a Lincoln V-8 bored and stroked to 391 cu. in. and sporting Hilborn injection for the speed trials on the sand at Daytona Beach.  Known as "Thumper," the monster Merc ran 152 mph in the Factory Experimental class with Houle at the wheel.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

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