The new rules package has been the talk of town this season. Even when the teams were in the garage area at Daytona at the beginning of the season, where the rules package didn't yet apply, the changes were the main topic of conversation. The new softer tire and the reduced spoiler height were on everyone's mind from the get go.
This past weekend's debut of the new rules package didn't disappoint anyone, from the NASCAR insiders to the critiques who always have something to say. Most of the teams had a problem with getting their set-ups dialed in for the Las Vegas race. The track in the desert is one that is constantly changing, and teams have always had to scurry to keep up with the track changes during an event. Add the new rules package to this, and you had the disaster recipe for quite a few teams.
Of course, as most everyone knows by now, the Dale Earnhardt Inc. No. 8 team was in the forefront of the news because they missed the set-up completely. I assume one could say without any doubt that the new rules package took Dale Earnhardt Jr. from being number one in driver's points, down to number seven, 125 points down from new point's leader Matt Kenseth.
As an unfortunate afterthought, Dale Jr. surmised that maybe they should have tested at Las Vegas. Apparently they were too caught up in the media blitz to pay attention to business. They didn't test, and it certainly was evident that they were not ready for the event, new rules package or not. Even the teams that did test there were having problems, but they were in better shape than DEI.
The amusing aspect of all of this is that former champions and their championship caliber teams didn't seem to have a big problem with the new rules package or the Las Vegas track. That really leaves Dale Jr. out, because he's not a former champion, and he certainly doesn't have a championship caliber team, at least not at this point. Given the new "Chase for the Championship" format in NASCAR Cup racing this season, it's not unreasonable that Dale Jr. can win the championship, but his team has got to get it together and do it quickly.
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