$100,000 Cheque Anybody?

Two races to go...

  

Points race close...

Team orders anybody??

Top five - 1st Alonso (Ferrari) 231 / 2nd Webber (Red Bull) 220 / 3rd Hamilton (McLaren) 210 / 4th Vettel (Red Bull) 206 / 5th Button (McLaren) 189...

Autosport headlines - "Horner: Both drivers still in title race"... "Ferrari plans 'very careful' approach"...

Team orders anybody??

Here is the question... Can the World Championship be won without team orders??

Put it this way, one Ferrari against two Red Bulls and two McLarens??

Team orders anybody??

Ferrari have always had a number 1 driver, and a number 2 driver. You could say that Ferrari don't have team orders; they just have one driver with the backing, the equipment, the strategy, the team around them. This is how they ran the team with Schumacher, and they still totally back one horse; pun intended. If any Ferrari is going to get the points it will be Alonso.

McLaren had Senna and Prost. Now they have Hamilton, and Button, not that I am directly comparing the drivers, merely the way in which McLaren run their team. McLaren let the drivers "race" which a good thing for fans of "racing" however they could be in danger of letting the drivers take points off of each other.

Red Bull also have two drivers; but not out of design, I would have thought. They have Vettel, probably signed as their primary driver, and nice guy Webber as the crowd pleasing second driver. However the plan has gone wrong, in a good way, with Vettels problems earlier in the year putting Webber in the lead of the Championship with Vettel currently in fourth. Red Bull has to decide whether to let the drivers race, or to back one driver over the other...

If the Red Bull drivers and the McLaren drivers all go racing there is a chance that the sole Ferrari driver could walk off with the title.

If, for the last race, McLaren and Red Bull decide to back one driver, they will have to be carefull about how they plan their races, and what tactics the "second" driver uses.

As we all know team orders are not allowed according to the regulations, unless you have a $100,000 cheque at hand...

Anyway, if it rains my money's on the safety car...

Is Consistency Still Key?

Champions are in the battle for the long haul.

Gathering race wins when they can; staying near the front when they can't; minimising bad days; getting the most from the good days...this is how Winston Cups were always been won... now in the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" era consistency gets you in the Chase, but out and out performance in the last 10 races gets you the Championship.

Kevin Harvick led the points standings at the end of the regular season by being consistent, and is now moving his way closer to the front again, by doing the same.

I have previously stated... "If Harvick or Hamlin want to beat the 48 at the end of the year, they need to start beating the 48 now" and of the last two races Martinsville was won by Hamlin, and Harvick very nearly won at Talladega, were it not for a badly timed (for Harvick) caution flag ending the race early and putting him in second.

While the point's race is now nice and close with only three races remaining, is consistency enough? I still think the 48 needs to have a really bad finish for anyone to claim the top spot at the end of the year, and the two challengers need to keep winning!

Regardless of the Championship points battle, the last two races were good' uns. Martinsville was full of bumping, bashing, two wide racing, and a winner who overcame a bad car in the middle and fought his way to the front. Talladega also had lots of side by side racing (as you would expect), lots of bump drafting, slingshot overtaking, wrecks, and a close finish. Let's hope Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead produce racing that's equally as good.

One thing NASCAR has got right is the aero / restrictor plate relationship for Talladega, not only for the Cup Series but for the Trucks as well. If you want drafting, a drag race, slingshots, and a close finish watch the end of the truck race...

NASCAR Truck Finish 

I am looking forward to the 2011 Daytona 500 with the current aero/ plate setup but with the new surface!

Go Harvick!!