March 21, 1999
- No New Monte Carlo in 1999? …the Monte Carlo is now suddenly dead for any 1999 introduction on the Winston Cup tour. See the story at PitNow – Monte Carlo’s debut in doubt this season and Yesterday, several Chevrolet owners in the garage said the as-yet unapproved 2000 Monte Carlo will not make its debut until the 2000 season instead of in the Brickyard 400(Times-Dispatch)(3-21-1999)
- Wind Tunnel Results? UPDATE According to men familiar with the tests, Jeff Gordon’s Monte Carlo came out with numbers clearly better than the other five cars, 30 drag-horsepower better than the Fords according to one source, and 20 drag-horsepower better than the rival Chevrolet of Mike Skinner. According to one man close to the situation, Gordon’s car not only showed better drag-horsepower numbers (meaning a more efficient shape) but also had more downforce. NASCAR officials declined to release any specific figures themselves, and GM and Ford officials say they are not supposed to provide any figures to the media either. The second best car in the Lockheed wind tunnel was Bobby Labonte’s #18 Grand Prix, by some 17 drag-horsepower over the best Ford, according to sources. The car with the most drag was Ward Burton’s #22 Pontiac(PitNow) and Although teams are reluctant to discuss test numbers, owners say that Gordon’s car had 27 less drag-horsepower than Martin’s, 20 less than Skinner and 17 less than Labonte. That means that it takes Gordon less horsepower to go the same speed as the other drivers. Combined with the increased downforce, the numbers mean Gordon’s team has found significantly more speed in the corners and more speed on the straightaway than anyone else without violating any rules. Burton’s car fared the worst, but crew chief Tom Baldwin disputed the numbers(Times-Dispatch) UPDATE: As Speedwords reported here earlier this week the wind tunnel testing done by NASCAR following the Atlanta race revealed nothing unusual. A source at Ford was glad to see a “good” #24 car go to the tunnel but admits there was nothing extraordinary found in the testing(Speedwords)(3-21-1999)
- Marcis Upset: Dave Marcis went home in a huff after missing Sunday’s race, angered mainly at the rule that allows teams that don’t qualify on the first day to stand on their speeds. See the rest of the That’s Racin’ article at Marcis says qualifying deck stacked against him(3-21-1999)
- Another Labonte: Justin Labonte, Terry Labonte’s 18-year-old son, hopes to makes his BGN debut at Nashville on April 3 and has a test scheduled there on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week(NOL)(3-21-1999)
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997