Autoweek - January 23_ 2017 magazine-pdf.org

2017 RACING PREVIEW
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SCHEDULE
WHAT’S UNDER
THE HOOD?
TECHNICAL ARMS RACE KEEPS
NASCAR TEAMS AND SERIES
INSPECTORS HOPPING
CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING CREW
chief Doug Richert spreads his arms wide.
“This was the box we used to work in,” he
says of the gray areas in the NASCAR rule
book. Then he brings his hands inches apart.
“And this is what we’re working in now,” he
says. “Things have really tightened up.”
That’s part of why teams flunked pre- and
post-race inspections more frequently last
season. It wasn’t unusual for crews to present
their cars for inspection several times before
passing. It didn’t happen to champ Jimmie
Johnson, but winning cars often failed postrace
inspection. (Per NASCAR policy, winners
lost points and/or money but kept the victory).
In simpler times, inspectors used tape
measures to ensure rules compliance. Now,
it’s the Laser Inspection Station.
With it, every chassis is meticulously
inspected on a surface plate at the NASCAR
R&D Center. Six ID chips are installed, creating
a baseline for when that chassis—as a raceready
car—enters the inspection station for an
event. The measurements taken during certification
must match those recorded during
weekend inspection. If not, discrepancies
must be addressed before the car races.
“It’s simple,” Dave Rogers, crew chief for
Carl Edwards, says. “It’s competition. Everybody’s
playing the game as hard as they can.
We want every bit of advantage we can get,
and NASCAR wants to keep the playing field
as level as it can. It’s all just part of what each
side does.”
-AP
For more Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
stories, along with race coverage during
the season, go to autoweek.com/racing
and follow us on Twitter @AutoweekUSA.
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC (2)
SATURDAY, FEB. 18 Clash at Daytona
FS1, 8 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 23 Duel at Daytona I
FS1, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 23 Duel at Daytona II
FS1, 8:30 p.m
SUNDAY, FEB. 26 Daytona Beach, FL
FOX, 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, MARCH 5
Atlanta
FOX, 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, MARCH 12 Las Vegas
FOX, 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, MARCH 19 Phoenix
FOX, 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, MARCH 26 Fontana, CA
FOX, 3:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 2 Martinsville, VA
FS1, 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9 Fort Worth, TX
FS1, 1:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 23 Bristol, TN
FOX, 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, APRIL 30 Richmond, VA
FOX, 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 7 Talladega, AL
FOX, 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 13 Kansas City, KS
FS1, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 19
Showdown
FS1, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 20 All-Star Race
FS1, 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 28 Charlotte, NC
FOX, 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, JUNE 4
Dover, DE
FS1, 1 p.m.
SUNDAY, JUNE 11 Pocono, PA
FS1, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, JUNE 18 Brooklyn, MI
FS1, 3 p.m.
BOLD PREDICTION
Veteran Clint
Bowyer replaces
retired Tony Stewart
in the No. 14 Ford
Fusion, enjoying a
career revival at SHR.
SUNDAY, JUNE 25 Sonoma, CA
FS1, 3 p.m.
SATURDAY, JULY 1 Daytona Beach, FL
NBC, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, JULY 8 Sparta, KY
NBCSN, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, JULY 16 Loudon, NH
NBCSN, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, JULY 23 Indianapolis
NBC, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, JULY 30 Pocono, PA
NBCSN, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 Watkins Glen, NY
NBCSN, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUG. 13 Brooklyn, MI
NBCSN, 3 p.m.
SATURDAY, AUG. 19 Bristol, TN
NBC, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 3 Darlington, SC
NBCSN, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 Richmond, VA
NBCSN, 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 17
Joliet, IL
NBCSN, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 24 Loudon, NH
NBCSN, 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 1
Dover, DE
NBCSN, 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCT. 7 Charlotte, NC
NBCSN, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 15 Talladega, AL
NBC, 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 22 Kansas City, KS
NBCSN, 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 29 Martinsville, VA
NBCSN, 1 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 5 Fort Worth, TX
NBC, 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 12
Phoenix
NBC, 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19 Homestead, FL
NBC, 2:30 p.m.
2017 CHAMPION:
Carl Edwards,
Joe Gibbs Racing
ON THE RISE:
Ty Dillon,
Germain Racing
NEXT BIG THING:
Erik Jones,
Furniture Row Racing
OUR PICKS
Edwards
18 AUTOWEEK JANUARY 23, 2017