Updated June 18
Fuel-mileage strategy races, Michigan International Speedway attendance, manufacturer support and Danica Patrick's future topped the issues on our readers' minds in this week's edition of the mail bag:
From: krucky
If I wanted to watch cars run out of gas for enjoyment I'll pull a chair in front of my local service station. What is so exciting about a fuel-mileage race which boils down to the car with the best strategy for slowing down to conserve gas?
While I wouldn't want every race to be a fuel-strategy affair, I find them to be interesting and intriguing. How can you argue that last week's last laps were full of drama at Michigan from both a racing aspect and the side-by-side duel between Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle, as well as the strategy of who had enough fuel to go the distance? A few of those thrown into the mix every year is fine with me.
From: Rick Hampton
I thought last week's race at Michigan was a real bore -- until the end. Jimmie Johnson was the class of the field and it was a runaway, but I'm glad we didn't make an early exit to the gates. These races are 400 miles for a reason and strategy is part of the game as much as passing cars on the track.
It's a shame that I saw several hundred people leave early at Michigan last week and they all missed the last-lap theatrics. Sometimes a driver dominates like Johnson did and goes to Victory Lane way ahead of the field. Other times, it doesn't work out that way.
From: mundy
Every year the attendance at Michigan gets smaller. How long before NASCAR pulls a date and gives it to Kansas or a new track built somewhere else?
The way the economy has hit the Michigan area, I thought last Sunday's crowd was pretty impressive. The turnout for Friday's qualifying and Saturday's truck race wasn't bad either, all things considered. I don't think NASCAR has any immediate plans to pull a race from MIS; hopefully things turn around for the area and the great race fans who have had to stop going to the track and buying tickets will return.
From: Sandy Erdman
Will other manufacturers be able to come into NASCAR even if they'd like to? I remember Toyota spending a lot of upfront money to develop an engine for the Cup Series and I wonder how other manufacturers will be able to spend what it takes to go stock car racing.
It does take a lot of capital to make an investment in NASCAR and surely the manufacturers considering coming into the sport realize that as they make their plans. I wouldn't look for a Honda or a Volkswagen to come in just yet, but maybe two or three years down the line as those companies evaluate their racing involvement worldwide.
From: garbilw2
Is this all just a ploy by Danica Patrick to get more money or is she really considering a move to NASCAR?
The more I listen to her, the more I believe she has no intention of trying to switch careers and that the IRL will be her home for at least the next three years. Chip Ganassi Racing has reportedly talked to several sponsors willing to spend a large amount of money to back Patrick in a third car in his stable, and I'm hearing that a deal will be forthcoming, perhaps announced by late summer.
