Turn 4: Daytona takeaways, behavioral policy and much more
— -- Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR:
Turn 1: What's your take on NASCAR's driver behavior policy announced last week?
Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Everything I read is consistent with the code in which most people live their lives. It's straight forward -- rules to live by.
Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: If a guy is really mad at another guy and really wants to punch him in the face or call him a cuss word on TV or even turn him around during a race, I don't think this will make him pause and go, "Wait, what does that Rule 12.1.8.e say?" It will merely make him understand why he was penalized after the fact.
John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: I don't think it changes anything. NASCAR has always handled controversial or inappropriate behavior on a case-by-case basis, and that's not going to change just because the rules have been ever-so-slightly more defined. If anything, this is just a "CYA" measure by NASCAR to insure that it continues to have total freedom to mete out any punishment it deems appropriate for any situation.
Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: It makes things a little clearer on what penalties could be in such situations, but there's enough "and/or" in that rule that NASCAR pretty much can do whatever it wants for anything it deems detrimental to the sport. What it does, though, is keep anyone from interpreting Brian France's "quintessential NASCAR" comment from the Logano-Kenseth situation at Kansas and thinking that intentional wrecking not for position will be tolerated. And it probably puts everyone on notice that no matter what France might say in an interview, these guidelines spell things out. The rules didn't really change. It's still pretty much don't call people names based on the color of their skin or who they sleep with; don't tell people that NASCAR is rigged; don't intentionally wreck someone out of the Chase and don't get arrested.
Turn 2: What's your biggest takeaway/surprise from Daytona Speedweeks?
Craven: Joe Gibbs racing and Toyota. JGR has never been better equipped to dominate a season. Its fleet of drivers is second to none. The inertia of the first Toyota title is intact, and the depth of the team's personnel is enviable. Also, Martin Truex Jr. will win at least three races this season, as a residual of the JGR alliance.
McGee: That it didn't rain! Like, at all! Seriously, though, I think was good to see we can all survive without Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart on the grid. Prior to the race that was probably the No. 1 question that I received from radio stations doing all the pre-500 media stuff. After the race I haven't been asked about them once.
Oreovicz: You can't really take anything away from Daytona in terms of how the results there will relate to 32 of the next 35 races. Surprises? Dale Earnhardt Jr. not contending in the No. 88 when it heated up on race day. Brad Keselowski mired in the midfield. And most of all, the lack of a major multi-car accident in both the Xfinity and Cup Series races. That was certainly a refreshing change.
Pockrass: There was something just odd about this Speedweeks. Maybe the fact that the charter system and Tony Stewart's injury dominated the news cycle in the weeks leading up to it -- and then throw in new overtime rules and a new behavioral policy -- that there didn't seem as much energy for what was going to happen on the track. It's hard to say if Daytona in July (the scary finish with Dillon in the fence) or Talladega in October (the green-white-checkered farce) had any impact on this restrictor-plate race as well as not having Jeff Gordon or Stewart in the field. The main storyline was how Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his car Amelia were going to be tough to beat. And then they weren't all that great. So my takeaway is that maybe the great finish and the Denny Hamlin storyline will generate more energy for what will happen going forward, although it really will depend on how the new reduced-downforce package performs.
Turn 3: The highest-finishing Roush driver in Daytona was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 22nd. Will the team's well-documented struggles continue in 2016?
Craven: I'm afraid so. Greg Biffle and Brian Patti will perform, perhaps win and make a run at making the Chase. I won't give up on Stenhouse, but the uphill climb for RFR will continue, not because it hasn't improved -- rather because its competitors have improved more.
McGee: I hope not, because I think NASCAR is like any other sport in that it is important that the classic franchises are relevant. You can hate the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys or Notre Dame football, but their sports are way more interesting when they are in the mix as title contenders. I feel that same way about Roush Fenway. Unfortunately, I don't think things have improved as much members want. Talking to the at-track members of the team, including some of the drivers, at Homestead last November there was a lot of internal frustration. I didn't sense any change talking to those same people last weekend at Daytona.
Oreovicz: Again, Daytona is a poor measuring stick for the upcoming season as a whole. But I can't imagine any of the Roush drivers contending for race wins this year in anything other than fluke circumstances. And the pressure to perform will only increase in 2017 when Stewart-Haas Racing switches over to the Ford camp.
Pockrass: Maybe, but there's no way to tell that after Daytona. Ask me again after Fontana. This is an organization certainly on notice to step up its game as Ford has signed Stewart-Haas Racing to a long-term deal starting in 2017.
Turn 4: The Toyotas were the class of the field at Daytona. Will they keep it up this week in Atlanta?
Craven: Yes, yes indeed.
McGee: Yes. They won there in 2012-13, finished second and third there in '14, and Matt Kenseth was fifth there one year ago at a time when they were struggling a bit. They aren't struggling a bit this year! Oh, and new de facto teammate Martin Truex Jr. is really good there, too.
Oreovicz: We won't know for sure until Sunday evening. In recent years, only Hendrick Motorsports has a better record than Joe Gibbs Racing at Atlanta, so there's a pretty good chance that the Toyota brigade will run well -- though I doubt we'll see them holding down positions 1-5 like they did late in the race at Daytona.
Pockrass: No. There won't be one manufacturer that dominates the field. There might be an organization if it lands on something with this new aero package that the others don't, but it won't be about manufacturer.
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