THE SIMPLE FORMULA THAT WILL SAVE RACING.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. After the near-calamitous debacle at Daytona Beach two weeks ago (read last week's "Fumes" here -WG), NASCAR made somewhat of a recovery at Kentucky Speedway last weekend. I say "somewhat" because though the racing was demonstrably better, it is clear that NASCAR's propensity to move slowly and let decisions fester has hurt the racing organization in the past, and it's likely to still hinder it going forward. Nate Ryan posted an excellent piece in NASCAR Talk on the NBC Sports website this week, and in it he delineates why the racing was better. It's well worth the read.

For me the most revealing comments in Ryan's piece were from the drivers themselves, who reveled in the lower-downforce aero package that NASCAR tried in Kentucky. Carl Edwards, who finished fourth last weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing, had this to say: “I cannot say enough positive things about this direction NASCAR is going with less downforce. If you give Goodyear a little bit of time to work on a tire, take away another 700 (to) 1,000 pounds of downforce, we’re going to be racing. I felt like a race car driver. I could actually drive the car, I was steering and sliding. I about wrecked a few times. I felt like I was doing something.”

Or how about this from Denny Hamlin, another JGR driver who fell two laps down after an unscheduled green-flag stop for a flat tire and a pit speeding penalty, but who still finished third: “I passed a ton of cars. I blew a right front from abusing it, but that’s what this package is supposed to do.  You overdrive the car, you pay the price. So, this is what race car driving’s all about. I feel like now it’s back in the driver and crew chief’s hands to get their car handling like it’s supposed to.  Not just an arms race of who builds the fastest cars in the shop.”

As Ryan pointed out, there were 2,665 green-flag passes, a 132 percent increase over last year’s 1,147. There were a Kentucky-record 22 green-flag passes for the lead - although just ten green-flag lead changes at the start-finish line - which gives you an idea of how often the lead was being hotly contested during the course of a lap.

Is this some sort of revelatory formula - less downforce = better racing - that we're discovering here? No, but it seems to be a growing movement being recommended for all of racing, especially from accomplished former superstar drivers like Rick Mears, who has been suggesting this for years. Read the driver comments above in this column and what they're talking about is the very essence of racing. Driver skill, decisions on the fly to deal with changing track conditions, calls from the crew chiefs - good or bad - that's what racing is supposed to be all about.

It shouldn't be about drivers putting their feet flat to the floor and riding around hoping for the best, or making their passes in the pit lane.

Listen, is there a place for advanced technology in motor racing? Yes, of course. Jim Hall's Chaparrals are my most favorite cars in the history of the sport, but that was a different time and a different era. With the onslaught of advanced technologies, however, it's clear that we have let the development of aerodynamics swallow the sport whole, and the movement has gone too far. It has crippled racing, in fact, with the additional and unfortunate byproduct being flat-out ugly cars, especially in open-wheel racing.

NASCAR's decision to experiment is to be applauded, but they can't stop at Kentucky and they can't make the substantive changes needed sometime next year, after they've let it percolate for a while, as is their wont. They have to do it now and never look back. And the rest of major league racing should follow suit.

It's time for this simple formula - less downforce = better racing - to become the guiding mantra for all of racing.

Editor's Note: Many of you have seen Peter's references over the years to the Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation (HERF), which he launched in 2007. For those of you who weren't following AE at the time, you can read two of HERF's press releases here and here. And for even more details (including a link to Peter's announcement speech), check out the HERF entry on Wikipedia here. -WG

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

(Photo courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Mexican City, Mexico, October 23, 1966. Bruce McLaren (No. 17 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M2B/Ford 3.0 V8) at speed during the Grand Prix of Mexico that year. The idea to adapt Ford's Indy V8 to a F1 car turned out to be a disaster as McLaren struggled with the unwieldy car all weekend, qualifying well back in fourteenth position and suffering a DNF when the engine expired a little more than halfway through the race. The engine was never used again as Ford teamed with Cosworth to develop an all-new racing V8 engine for F1. John Surtees (No. 7 Cooper Car Company Cooper T81/Maserati 3.0 V12) qualified on the pole and won the race, Jack Brabham (No. 5 Brabham Racing Organization Brabham BT20/Repco 3.0 V8) finished second and his teammate, Denny Hulme (No. 6 Brabham Racing Organization Brabham BT20/Repco 3.0 V8) finished third. Two Americans, Richie Ginther (No. 12 Honda R&D Company Honda RA273/Honda 3.0 V12) and Dan Gurney (No. 15 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G/Climax 2.4 L4) finished fifth and sixth respectively.

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