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NASCAR Mailbag: Silly season rumblings

Our NASCAR team answers your questions in the latest edition of the NASCAR Mailbag.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

Brad Keselowski, Team Penske Ford
Erik Jones, Furniture Row Racing Toyota
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Qualifying session
Mayhem in the pits before qualifying
Qualifying lineup
Pole sitter Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Detail of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in victory lane
Car detail of the Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet champion car of Kevin Harvick
Car detail, Kurt Busch, Penske Racing Dodge
New digital dash
Johnny Sauter, GMS Racing Chevrolet
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Spencer Gallagher, GMS Racing Chevrolet
Chase contenders Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion trophy
Paralympic athlete Amy Purdy
Darrell Wallace Jr., Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
Darrell Wallace Jr., Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
Green Checkered flag at the end of a segment

When is the initial Silly Season domino going to fall?

Hey Randy, I thought the first domino would be Brad Keselowski at Michigan — his home track and Roger Penske’s. The former champ says he wants to stay with Team Penske but the details still need to be worked out. Furniture Row Racing has yet to confirm whether there will be one car or two next year while rumors persist that Erik Jones will drive for Joe Gibbs Racing on the Toyota side. Kasey Kahne added fuel to the fire with his cryptic tweet last week. Will Hendrick Motorsports be replacing one driver or two? Teams and sponsors generally make announcements around the second Daytona race and the Brickyard, so hopefully we’ll have a better idea of the driver landscape in the next month. – Lee Spencer 

I've long been irritated at how Cup qualifying is conducted and how it fits into the typical weekend schedule. Doesn't it seem silly to not qualify the car you intend to race or not race the car you qualified?  This all seems contrived and counter-intuitive to the NASCAR purist fan, as if we're trying to create an event, qualifying, before the event, the race, which have minimal correlation to each other. Is it any wonder we're trying to compress the race weekends now from 3 days to 2, or even 1?

Hi Phil, The one thing that hasn't changed for the most part since I began covering NASCAR in 1998 is the weekend practice schedule. There has always been a practice session prior to qualifying and it is up to teams to decide how much time they spend during that session actually working on qualifying. Many actually spend very little time, instead focusing on race set-up. Saturday practices have always been strictly in preparation for the race and in fact, when I first started, the final practice was called "Happy Hour" because it usually was run after the companion race. I thought that was a good idea because late-afternoon practice usually was much more similar to what conditions would be during the race. – Jim Utter 

Now that we are entering silly season (and it looks to be a very active one this year!) there is always a lot of talk about sponsorship that drivers need to bring to perspective rides. What kind of money do the primary sponsors contribute to a team annually? Is it typically a flat amount for the season or is it relative to performance; i.e. is it scaled to how the driver performs or do they pay the same amount regardless?

Hey Rob, the sponsorship game has changed dramatically over the last few years. Gone are the days where the majority of the drivers have jobs based on talent alone. Top drivers can still command $500,000 and up per race from sponsors — and yes, with some sponsors add bonuses at season’s end. However, mid-range drivers/teams are only attracting $75,000-$200,000 per race.  And the days of drivers/teams demanding $1million per race are over.

This is why NASCAR is pushing the youth movement. Owners don’t have to pay the newcomers an eight-figure base. Unfortunately, the old economic model is broken. Driver’s salaries kept rising while sponsor revenue dropped. Although this won’t be a popular with the drivers, I would have every driver on a performance-based contract. If you don’t perform, you don’t get paid. – Lee Spencer 

Why don't the cars have a fuel gauge? – From Jill

Hey Jill, with the installation of the new digital dash, drivers have a low fuel pressure light. When the light comes on, drivers have the option of flipping a switch for a small reserve tank. In the Xfinity and truck series the drivers still have fuel gauges. – Lee Spencer

I heard a rumor that Kasey Kahne will be driving in the Cup series next year for GMS Racing, is there any truth to that? Also, When do you think NASCAR will remove cup drivers entirely from driving in Xfinity & the Truck series? – From Jamie

Hey Jamie, Kasey’s name has been mentioned as a possible driver for the new GMS Cup team should it come to fruition. I spoke to GMS owner Maury Gallagher at Michigan on Saturday. He’s heard the Kahne rumor as well but said he has not talked to the driver. If the company adds a Cup team to its championship Truck and NXS lineup, Spencer Gallagher will drive the car in a limited run later this season. – Lee Spencer 

Is NASCAR hurting themselves by abandoning so much of the motorsports philosophy? They've got the Chase or "playoffs". Stages, which are essentially quarters or periods. They had the caution clock for a while (and) then there's the overtime line. They've got a "regular season" now. All of these things are so anti-motorsports and I've yet to see any benefits come from them. The racing aspect is still enjoyable, but every other aspect of following the sport is ruined by this stuff. How can I take them seriously when they lack so much integrity? Motor racing is not a game. 

Kyle, Virtually every sports league - motorsports included - has made changes to enhance the competition and excitement in hopes of trying to keep up with an always-changing public. There are so many entertainment options for people and so many ways people can choose to spend their leisure time, it's become a difficult battle to attract and maintain interest. Just this week, Formula One decided to alter its qualifying schedule at Austin, ,Texas., to accommodate a Justin Timberlake concert. NASCAR often gets chided for using 'gimmicks' - but they are everywhere. IndyCar utilizes a "push-to-pass" button to increase the ability of cars to pass one another. Sports - especially those that are the benefit of large TV contracts - are in the business of entertainment. That will always be the bottom line because someone has to be willing to pick up the cost of running the sport. – Jim Utter

What happens to Bubba Wallace after Aric Almirola comes back from his injury? If Blaney moves to a third Penske car next year, could he be a fit at the 21 if Menard doesn't go there? 

Nick, at the moment, Bubba doesn't have any deal beyond his current one as Almirola's replacement. Unless something new develops, he will be without a ride when Almirola is cleared to return to racing. I believe Ford has great interest in keeping Wallace in its fold, so if an opening develops at the Wood Brothers, I certainly think he would be high on the list of replacement candidates. However, at the end of the day, Wallace will take the best available ride, wherever it is. – Jim Utter

How do you feel stage racing makes the racing better? 

James, stage racing was developed with the intent of making the middle part of races more interesting. For years, many fans said the races were either too long or boring because they felt most drivers just ‘made laps’ until the later stages of a race. Now with the drivers have something to race for – championship points for winning a stage – this will make the entire race more interesting. From that standpoint I feel this has made the races more enjoyable to watch the entire time. – Tim Southers

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