KANNAPOLIS, N.C. -- Painted high on the walls of the sprawling setup room at the Stewart-Haas Racing team shop here are inspirational quotes from Winston Churchill, Thomas Paine, Lyndon B. Johnson and Vince Lombardi, among others, as well as Satchel Paige, the legendary African-American baseball player who made his name as a pitcher rather than a great politician or statesman.Yet it is Paige's quote -- "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you" -- that seems to best typify the dead-of-winter mood in the race shops scattered around the greater Charlotte area.
Nearly all the teams and drivers are once again filled with hope and enthusiasm, but everyone has to be wondering nonetheless how their season will play out. Will they be competitive right out of the box? Have other teams gained some kind of a little advantage?
"It's just who made the bigger gains" during the off-season and preparing for 2011, said Tony Stewart as the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour, with some 200 media members in attendance, made a stop at his Kannapolis shop Monday afternoon for a visit with him and teammate Ryan Newman.
Chip Ganassi, co-owner of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, echoed the thought earlier Monday during a luncheon with the team. Although both of his drivers, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya, won races in 2010, "there are lots of places we can improve," he said. "You're looking at that all the time. It's a constant process of looking at yourself and looking at the team."
"You never want to believe you're there," Ganassi said. "Because if you believe you're there, you're gonna get smacked over the head by something that you didn't think of."
The sagging economy was one of the hot topics Monday, and Stewart said his success in bringing Mobil One on as a sponsor, along with added help from team co-owner Gene Haas, has allowed his team to devote time to some special projects that he believes may help give Stewart-Haas that elusive edge.
"Being able to add to some programs -- that's something that's got us really excited," said Stewart. "Gene Haas has been really crucial in that."
Stewart said the battle for sponsorship among teams "has probably been more competitive than I ever thought it would be. It's probably harder now than anytime in the last 20 years. I don't think we've turned the corner on the economic side."
For his part, Ganassi said Earnhardt Ganassi Racing "went through a dip (with the economy) a little earlier maybe than most teams, and we seem to be coming out of it."
Ganassi's key sponsor, Target Stores, this year marks its 22nd year with him. Another key sponsor, Eveready Energizer batteries, starts its 16th year with him.
"It's very special to enjoy this in this economy," Ganassi said.
Stewart appeared slimmer and more fit than last year and said he's adopted a new regime of eating less but more frequently -- five times a day.
"I just wanted to feel better," he said. It's changing your lifestyle. I would eat twice a day, but now I'm eating more frequently and I'm eating breakfast." Stewart said he hasn't really lost a lot of weight, but has lost body fat. "I'm not one to read the box and see what's in it, but I'm doing a lot of that now," he added.
In light of the stellar 2010 season that McMurray had, which included victories in the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, he spent more time than anyone else Monday answering questions about last year. But when asked to describe a favorite moment, the one he cited was the level of acceptance he felt when he appeared in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway after winning his third race of the year there in the fall.
"When I walked into the media center at Charlotte, it was different," he said. "That was the coolest feeling ever -- that you guys weren't shocked when I walked in there."
There was also a good bit of talk about what to expect in the upcoming Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 now that the 2.5-mile speedway has been repaved. Everyone agreed that cars will stay together more and handling won't be anywhere near as much of an issue as it has been at Daytona.
Stewart had one of the most interesting points when he said that with the new surface, driver skill could actually become much more crucial because the two-car draft may become king at Daytona as it was last year at Talladega,
"It's something we haven't seen a lot of in the past.," Stewart said. "But guys are really thinking that's how the Daytona 500 is going to be won."
Because one car cannot stay behind the other one too long lest it overheat, the drivers in two-car drafts will have to switch positions from time to time. "It's going to be a matter of how quick you can make that change," Stewart said. "It's going to be critical on how this plays out."
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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2011/01/24/a-new-nascar-season-spawns-hope-optimism-and-nervousness/
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