Q: I have been a NASCAR fan for 15 years, and I love the restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega because anything can happen at any time. That keeps my interest high.

But to me races at intermediate tracks like Chicagoland, Texas, and California aren't as interesting, so why does NASCAR continue to lean to building new tracks that would be modeled after these intermediate venues?
— Phil Bomhoff, Springhill, Fla.

A: Twenty years ago California Speedway wasn't yet built, but it' sister track, Michigan International Speedway was, and Michigan was the finest track on the Cup circuit for competitive racing.

But what's happened over the last two decades is the Cup cars have outclassed the tracks. NASCAR is talking about its car of tomorrow -- a new car it will unveil in 2007 at tracks one mile and under. And in the years to come NASCAR will slowly work this model into the car used at all the tracks on the circuit.

This new car will address the problems with today's car -- which is so aerodynamic that when running by itself it gets around the track perfectly, but when running in traffic it becomes very difficult to drive and that's why it is so hard to pass. So the racing isn't the same, but don't blame the tracks, blame the cars.  

Q: When is Ward Burton going to get another Cup ride? Next year when Toyota enters Cup racing looks like his best shot to me. What are your thoughts?
— Lee, Hickory, N.C.

A: I think Ward is being hurt by the trend in Cup racing for car owners to bring in younger drivers. The 44-year-old Burton is also impacted by the fact that some of the Cup teams are using the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series -- which would be a natural for Ward to compete in -- as a training ground for some of their younger drivers, whom they hope to eventually promote to the Cup series.

It sure doesn't seem that long ago -- 2002 to be exact -- when Ward won the Daytona 500 with Tommy Baldwin as his crew chief. I sure hope he gets another shot in the Cup series.

Q: Why does NASCAR start 43 cars in each Cup race?
— Jim Byrne, Medford, N.Y. 

A: It just slowly evolved to that number. It used be that 34 or 36 cars were in the field for Cup races, but as the times changed, more sponsors came into stock-car racing at the top level. And NASCAR is doing its best to ensure that those sponsors have cars in each race.

So as long as there are sponsors for 43 cars, there will be that number starting Cup races. But I will tell that at the short tracks, this large a field makes for crowded racing, and increases the possibility or wrecks.

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