This week's Motorsport.com NASCAR mailbag

1. With Stewart-Haas now officially in the Blue Oval Brigade how do you think they will work together? Also do you think Penske re-signs with Ford after this year? Assuming their deal is up of course. Thank you!

From - Nick

Lee Spencer: Tony Stewart said last week at the Ford Performance Center that SHR is making the most of the resources offered by the manufacturer. I think the company has spent the off-season just acclimating to the new cars — building chassis and re-skinning cars. SHR already works with Front Row Motorsports from a pit crew standpoint, but I don’t see a lot of information transfer early on. With Penske currently performing as the Ford flagship operation, I don’t see the company changing manufacturers any time soon.

2. I would like to know more about these called playoff points. Is it still win and you're in format? If yes, then is only the segment 3 winner is considered a race winner, regarding chase qualification? And only if a driver wins segment 3, is he automatically advanced to the next chase round (if he/she chase eligible)?

– Marcos

Jim Utter: Yes, win-and-you're-in is still part of the NASCAR playoffs. If there are not 16 different winners, then those drivers highest in points without wins are used to fill the 16 playoff spots. Winners of the race (stage 3) are the only ones who advance into the playoffs. The same is true in the different rounds of the playoffs - only the winners of the race (stage 3) automatically advance to the next round.

3. Suarez moving up to Cup is a big deal, but there still isn't a lot of minority/female representation in NASCAR top divisions. What can they do to build on the momentum of Suarez moving up?

– Todd

Lee Spencer: Daniel Suarez receives unmatched support from Arris and Toyota. Aric Almirola has backing from Smithfield — just not to the same degree. Suarez benefactors selected him at an early age and were very patient in bringing him through the racing ranks. Suarez was also willing to invest himself in the project. I think that’s made a difference in his meteoric rise in the sport. I believe if Bubba Wallace put the same effort into his career, he would have advanced to Cup by now. The talent is there. NASCAR has spent too much time on the Danica Patrick experiment. It’s simply not working. But keep an eye on Julia Landauer in the K&N Pro Series West. She’s hoping to run a few truck races this season and is the real deal.

4. What happens to playoff points accumulated throughout the season if you don't make the playoffs?

– Shane

Jim Utter: If you don't make the playoffs, the playoff points are of no use to a driver. There will likely be several drivers who accumulate playoff points throughout the regular season who end up not qualifying for the playoffs. In addition, drivers who did not qualify for the playoffs, that can still win races and stages in the playoffs, but will not collect playoff points (because they can't use them).

5. Do you think Charlotte Motor Speedway will run a road course race in the next two years and will one of them be the All-Star race?

– Johnny

Jim Utter: Yes, I do. By all accounts, CMS has been asking NASCAR for nearly two years about the use of its new road course, which prompted the recent test. The road course is far more likely to be used for the track's fall race weekend than the all-star race.

Do you have a question?

Fans remember to submit your questions each week to NASCARmailbag@motorsport.com. Responses will be reported generally once a week during the NASCAR season (Usually on Thursdays) Please submit your questions to the above email address.

You can also reach Jim Utter, Lee Spencer, Nick DeGroot and Tim Southers on Twitter at @jim_utter, @candicespencer, @ndegroot89 and @TimSouthers, respectively. Use the hashtags #AskJim, #AskLee, #AskNick or #AskTim when submitting a question through Twitter.