Fennig has solid advice for NASCAR contenders !

 

Associated Press
November 17

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig has some advice for the contenders for this year`s NASCAR Nextel Cup title as they head into the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway over the weekend.

Fennig is in a unique position to offer such help, since he helped Kurt Busch win the inaugural Chase for the championship last year and qualify again for this year`s 10-race playoff.

With Busch suspended for the final two races of the season by Roush Racing after being charged by police in Phoenix with reckless driving, his hopes of repeating as champion are long gone. But Fennig, who will work with substitute driver Kenny Wallace, knows what it takes.

``You`d like to qualify up front and try to get those five bonus points for leading a lap early in the race if you can,`` Fennig said. ``Last year, Kurt sat on the pole and we were able to get off to a good start right off the bat. That does a lot for everyone`s confidence.``

As for the teams, they need to double and triple check everything on the car and all of their pit equipment before Sunday`s race.

``You want to make sure that you don`t overlook anything as far as equipment goes,`` he noted. ``We might not be able to control what happens on the racetrack, but we can make sure all the bolts are tight and nothing falls off from being careless.

``There`s a lot of pressure on the pit crews and the driver in that last race, so it`s important to remain calm and concentrate on your job. It can all come down to one pit stop and you have to be ready.``

Fennig said another important thing is to worry about your own team and not about anyone else.
``I think it`s important for the driver to concentrate on his car and not worry about the competition,`` he said. ``You can`t control how the other guys are running, so just concentrate on what adjustments you need to make in your car and then race them at the end.``

A year ago, Busch was able to overcome a lost tire and finish fifth, just enough to beat Jimmie Johnson, who finished second, for the championship by eight points - the closest finish in the history of NASCAR`s top series.

Tony Stewart goes into Sunday`s race holding a 52-point lead over Johnson and is 87 ahead of third-place Carl Edwards. A finish of ninth or better by 2002 champion Stewart and he wraps up the title, no matter what the other drivers do.