NASCAR/Daytona team tactics question........

[einnod23]

How do the various teams in a race run their tactics? I know, dumb question, but it appears that some assistance from teammates could give Danica the checkered flag?

Are NASCAR Team tactics legal? I know that in the Olys, Kenyans, Ethiopians, Moroccans, etc, have been known to implement strategies, whether it be boxing runners in or sending rabbits out to set the pace!

And how many of Danica's teammates are in the field, besides Stewart?

Dumb questions, I know!

[cullman]

Yup, it's legal especially at Daytona. She will probably be drafting with teammates Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, David Reutimann or Dave Blaney but you never know. She's got a fast car so any number of racers could hitch their wagon to her.

They're running a new car design which is may turn the qualifying races into a crashfest.

[jazzcyclist]

Today was a first for me. I watched a NASCAR race from start to finish complete with all the prerace pageantry. Did anyone else watch it? I would think that anyone who is a fan of the sport of cycling (road and track), another sport where drafting plays such a huge factor in the strategy, would be able to appreciate restrictor-plate auto racing - crew chiefs cutting deals with other crew chiefs, riders from rival teams agreeing to work together, etc. At Daytona, it is virtually impossible to make any sort of move without the help of other riders. To do so, you risk losing 10 or 15 paces in the blink of an eye.

Pole sitter Danica Patrick led for five laps, ran in the top five for most of the race, and was third going into the final lap, but she didn't go for the win because she knew she couldn't do it alone. Or in her words, "I was afraid the guys would run a train on me if I tried to pass low". I'm thinking that comedians and a few smart aleck sports writers might have fun with her choice of words.

[lonewolf]

I am not a NASCAR follower but apparently the phrase has a different conotation in automobile racing.