Businessman/racer Kyle Petty looks back from 800 starts. (LAT photo) MORE NASCAR PHOTOS ยป More Photos
BACK TO THE FRONT Dan Davis, who in his position as director of Ford Racing Technology oversees Ford's NASCAR Nextel Cup program, said he believes that although Chevrolet has dominated Cup competition this year, Ford will be back sooner rather than later. "It absolutely runs in cycles," Davis said when asked about Chevy's dominance. "If you go back two years ago with the Roush organization having five cars in the Chase (for the Nextel Cup), it was like everyone was chasing Fords. We had two championships in a row and everything was looking great, then the sport changes a little bit and you end up being a little bit behind. Now we're sort of in a catch-up mode with one of the other teams in particular, but I think that we've recognized that and we've attacked it. Certainly in the last few races we've got Fords right up front just pounding on the door for wins, so I think you go along, you're ahead, you maybe lose some of your edge, someone else gains something and you look and say, 'Oops, I'm behind.' You go work on it really hard and then we're gonna be right back on top. I don't think there's anything wrong with Ford or Ford teams. It is cyclical. People learn things. They get a little edge and they ride that edge for a little bit and then the next one comes. We'll be in the hunt."
DRIVE FOR FIVE Jeff Gordon is glad to be back in Indiana, where he spent most of his teen years. Gordon, who leads the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings by a whopping 303 points, is looking to win the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard for a fifth time, while only one other driver has won it more than once. Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, and on Friday said it was and likely will remain the biggest victory of his career.
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"The Daytona 500 is our biggest event. There is no doubt about that," Gordon said Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "But on a personal note, I like Indy. I like the Brickyard. My biggest win, and I don't think I'll ever top it, was the inaugural Brickyard 400. It's always going to be the biggest win to me, personally. And I don't know how other people rank it, but it's the one that stands out in my mind. I want to win the Daytona 500, but there is just a little something in the back of your mind when you come to Indy and you think, man, I really, really want this one. The other thing is, that's a restrictor plate. A restrictor plate race at Daytona takes a little bit away from your chances. It makes it sort of not that anybody can win it, but a lot more guys can win it. Where here, the driver plays a really big role. The team and the set up play a big role and so that's why I think there is a little bit more consistency with who wins this race. Maybe the driver makes it a little bit more prestigious."
CH, CH, CH, CHANGES Kyle Petty, who will make his 800th NASCAR Nextel Cup start on Sunday, said the biggest change he's noticed about racing over the years is how little racing has anything to do with it anymore. "I think what it says about the sport is, you're missing the point, it's not a sport anymore, it's a business. It's moving closer and closer and closer to becoming a total business," said Petty. "It's only a sport on Sunday. It's business six days a week. We go out there and we race on Sunday and all the political issues that go along with the business side of it, all the points, all the mergers, anything that goes on is on the back burner for those glorious four or five hours that you can go out there and truly do what you want to do."
