Debate: NASCAR's burning questions
— -- Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR this week:
Turn 1: Kevin Harvick has six consecutive top-2 finishes -- including three wins -- stretching back to November 2014 at Texas. How impressive is Harvick's streak, considering how poorly his Stewart-Haas teammates are performing?
Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: It speaks to Kevin Harvick's ability as a driver. He has great cars and a great team, but they are to some degree a byproduct of his drive and determination behind the wheel. Kevin carried the car in Sunday's final dozen laps. I saw the struggle he was having, but there was no apprehension -- he made adjustments on the track and drove to perfection. That's why he is a champion.
Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: It's a little staggering. Anyone who does anything that hasn't been done since Jeff Gordon in 1996 deserves as much praise as we can muster, but particularly when it comes in relation to how awful the rest of that team is performing. And keep in mind this is also happening in the middle of sweeping rules changes. Give credit to the whole SHR organization, but in the end this comes down to the chemistry between Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers. It's almost effortless. You can't create that kind of relationship. It either happens or it doesn't, and no one knows that better than Harvick, who worked for Richard Childress, inventor of the full-on crew chief swap.
John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: It's impossible to compare eras, but the fact that this is the first time this feat has been achieved in nearly 20 years speaks volumes. So, too, does the fact that the only other drivers who ever reeled off six consecutive top-2s are Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty. Harvick is a few championships away from being considered an all-time great like those guys, but he is unquestionably the best driver in the Sprint Cup Series right now and has the potential to join them. It's often said that the only true yardstick for a driver is his teammate(s), and Harvick is destroying his.
Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: His streak would be impressive no matter how his teammates performed. Not only has he won three races, two of those could be considered nearly must-win moments, as winning Phoenix and Homestead were the only way to guarantee him the championship. Those six top-2 finishes not only came at a variety of tracks -- four 1.5-mile tracks, a 1-mile track and a superspeedway -- but they also came with different rule packages for the 1.5-mile tracks. The fact that none of his teammates has run as strong is just a testament to Harvick's driving ability and crew chief Rodney Childers' ability to not only put great cars under Harvick but also to avoid tuning themselves out when things are going good by trying to do too much.
Marty Smith, ESPN Insider: It's impressive regardless -- and in my opinion the struggles of the others don't impact that or make it any more impressive. Tony Stewart is settling back into who Tony Stewart is. He admits the new aero package is a tough transition. Danica Patrick is still learning, and if a completely new aero package is hard for Stewart to manage, it's that much more difficult for Patrick, who, folks forget, is still only in her fifth year of stock cars. As for Harvick, the streak is more impressive to me because of how strong Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano and others are running, yet Harvick is still that much better. Some numbers: This type of streak hasn't happened in Cup in almost 20 years. The last time a driver had a consecutive win/runner-up streak like Harvick's was Jeff Gordon in 1996. Just 13 times in NASCAR history has a driver finished first or second in six consecutive races, and only six drivers have ever done it. It stands to continue this weekend. Harvick's six Cup wins at Phoenix are the most in the field. Given the parity of today's NASCAR, it's almost beyond belief.
Turn 2: Speaking of poorly performing SHR drivers, what is wrong with Tony Stewart? How can he struggle so mightily (42nd at Daytona, 30th at Atlanta, 33rd at Las Vegas), especially when Harvick is running so well?
Craven: It's more difficult for drivers to bounce back from injuries late in their career, and Tony's focus toward recovering was disrupted with the events of 2015. NASCAR and the race cars are constantly evolving. With the track time he missed, Tony has gotten behind, and closing in on age 45 isn't helping. Lack of testing creates an even greater headwind. But with all that said, I'm not betting against him. In fact, I believe he wins the second half of 2015.
McGee: This isn't just a 2015 thing. It goes back to last year and even the year before. I said this headed into the season (and caught flak for it) but this is a watershed season for Stewart. He's at that fragile mental crossroads where every great athlete eventually arrives. At 40-plus years old and coming off brutal experiences in back-to-back seasons, can he still reach down and pull from the well of talent that was always there before? We're about to find out.
Oreovicz: Clearly, the answer is not as simple as bolting Harvick's settings onto Stewart's car. The only conclusion I can draw is that Stewart has not had a comfortable race car underneath him that he can trust and lean on. Former Indy car and stock car driver Max Papis recently told me that modern Sprint Cup cars are more like sports cars than stock cars, and an old-school shoe like Smoke may simply be struggling to adapt to this car and tire package. Stewart's lack of competitiveness definitely puts crew chief Chad Johnston on the hot seat.
Pockrass: This one is a little bit of a head-scratcher because Stewart seemed somewhat back to normal off the track when the season started. It is obvious that he can't just race the same setup as Harvick -- that would be an easy answer. The thing with Stewart is he appears to have a fast car for qualifying -- he was sixth in the first practice at Atlanta (and then didn't get to qualify because of the inspection woes) and then he started 12th at Vegas. The next day, he was 31st in final practice at Atlanta and 20th at Vegas -- then followed the next day struggling throughout the race. It is likely that the 2016 proposed aero package with much less downforce will fit into Stewart's style, but he can't just hope for next year. How do they get out of the slump? Jimmie Johnson got out of his slump last year by going back to basics and trying to figure out what the smallest adjustments do from the beginning.
Smith: See above. To elaborate just a bit, though: Stewart said himself the 14 is starting from scratch, given the new aero package. But in my opinion he's starting from scratch personally, too. He's starting over emotionally. He hates -- HATES -- it when I broach emotion or details. But I believe it.
Turn 3: Do you agree with NASCAR's decision to reinstate suspended driver Kurt Busch and let him be eligible for the 2015 Chase? Why or why not?
Craven: I'm not surprised. NASCAR had a basis for suspending Kurt Busch and a criteria for reinstating him. We have to believe or assume Kurt met that criteria. As far as the waiver allowing Kurt to compete for this year's Chase -- it creates some level of exoneration for Kurt professionally. A win and a top-30 spot in the point standings will secure him a playoff spot. In spite of missing the first three races, I put the odds of this happening above 50 percent.
McGee: Reinstatement was inevitable, it was just a question of how long the suspension would last. I thought it would be four races, so three feels odd. But the return comes with a large serving of thin ice. He's been told as much by NASCAR. The Chase waiver has rubbed some the wrong way, but it seems to be pretty fluid and not too hard to come by. The concern is that it might be too easy, but it's still too early in the history of this format to know. So what happens with Busch now? As I wrote in my Wednesday column, his track record when given second chances is pretty awful. Stay tuned.
Oreovicz: Yes, and the key to it happening was the lack of criminal charges filed by the state of Delaware. Clearly, every move NASCAR makes in handling the Busch case is being driven by legal counsel. When the detailed family court report granting Patricia Driscoll a protective order against Busch was released prior to the Delaware Attorney General's decision, NASCAR really had no choice other than to suspend Busch. Now that he has been vindicated -- by the legal system, at least -- and has adhered to the guidelines for reinstatement that NASCAR established, they again had no choice but to lift the suspension. I would not be surprised if NASCAR amends the rulebook in the future to add some kind of a "three strikes and you're out" clause for repeat offenders because the powers that be in Daytona Beach are surely growing weary of the way Busch's off-track behavior has repeatedly put stock car racing in the news for the wrong reasons.
Pockrass: I am fine with NASCAR's decision. I would have been fine if Busch had a four-week suspension based on the decision of the family court commissioner, someone who is trained to weigh evidence and determine credibility. But a three-race suspension is adequate based on the commissioner's opinion that the facts weighed more in favor of Patricia Driscoll. The key here is that NASCAR needed the results of any mental health evaluation and recommendations from its experts. That NASCAR's domestic violence expert recommended Busch's reinstatement is important because NASCAR has a responsibility to competitors and fans that the drivers on the track are in a good enough mental state to race. The decision to grant a waiver is the right call in light of no criminal charges. In reality, the punishment isn't terribly harsh. Busch misses three races but still has a chance to achieve virtually all of his 2015 goals with the exception of winning the Daytona 500 and whatever financial losses come in his contract with missing three races.
Turn 4: Three races into the Sprint Cup season, who has been the most pleasant surprise and the biggest disappointment?
Craven: Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 team have been an inspiring story to open the new season. This group represents a lot of what's really good about NASCAR in 2015. On the flip side, it pains me to see Roush Fenway continue to struggle. Jack Roush is one of my favorite people in the sport. He is synonymous with hard work, dedication and performance. It's been difficult to see his teams struggle the last two seasons. I'm pulling for him!
McGee: What AJ Allmendinger is doing is amazing, but the feel-great story of the season is Martin Truex Jr., and it's not even close. Furniture Row Racing is off to its best start ever, and so is Truex. They have already almost matched last year's stats ... and we're three races in! Considering that Truex is a genuinely good guy and the cancer battle that girlfriend Sherry Pollex has been fighting, it's really tremendous stuff. On the flip side, what was supposed to be a feel-good story -- the Jeff Gordon Retirement Tour -- has been a mess. I have no doubt he'll win soon and all will be well. He's had fast cars. But man, it's been brutal thus far.
Oreovicz: Martin Truex Jr. and Furniture Row Racing have been the best surprise, especially in light of everything he has been through personally and professionally over the last 18 months. Honorable mention to AJ Allmendinger and JTG Daugherty Racing, who appear to have really picked up their game on intermediate tracks this year. Disappointment? Stewart, obviously. But you have to mention Jeff Gordon as well -- though with Gordon, it appears to be a short-term run of bad luck rather than the fundamental problems Stewart seems to be experiencing.
Pockrass: The most pleasant surprise is Martin Truex Jr. just because of everything he has been through off the track. It's great to see him performing well while his longtime girlfriend battles ovarian cancer. It's a nice story also because it shows how a team can improve from one year to the next if it sticks with its driver. The biggest disappointment is someone we've already talked about: Tony Stewart.
Smith: Surprise: SAFER walls. I hate that Kyle Busch was injured in that Daytona Xfinity wreck and look forward to his return. His misfortune fostered change. The immediate reaction from NASCAR and its tracks to spend the money to protect the sport's greatest asset -- the drivers -- is long overdue. Surprise 1A: ECR Engines. Smaller teams that use these engines -- Martin Truex, Jr., AJ Allmendinger, Casey Mears -- have all gotten off to very impressive starts.
