Mixed reactions to qualifying switch

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

MARTINSVILLE, Va.

Sprint Cup drivers not also competing in the Camping World Truck Series have a light schedule today — two laps.

That’s right, two laps, which for most drivers will take a little more than 40 seconds to complete during qualifying for Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Talk about bankers’ hours.

Martinsville’s move from Friday to Saturday qualifying may give fans more reason to come to the .526-mile short track today, but it left several drivers questioning the practicality of the weekend schedule.

Five-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said it might be tough to find his rhythm with no practice time before qualifying today. Instead, the schedule called for Cup drivers to practice in two 90-minute sessions on Friday.

“Yeah, it’s wild to only run two laps [today],” Johnson said Friday. “I don’t know why we’re experimenting with this type of schedule, because the [crew] guys are still here. … I guess the fans are first and foremost. But the next ones in line I would say would be the mechanics and crews working on these cars.

“And they have a bear of a day on Fridays with this type of schedule and then an OK day [today], a pretty light day, for just two laps. So it’s just weird.”

Kurt Busch said he understands how the change might appeal to fans.

“I think it’s great to have the race atmosphere,” Busch said. “You come in to watch a truck race [today] and you get Cup qualifying as well.

“Whatever we can do to make it better for our fans, I think NASCAR has adjusted to it, as well as the racetracks.”

Hello, Newman

Ryan Newman nervously circumvented the subject of his contract situation earlier this year. He said he was not sure if he was in the final year of his deal and chuckled that team-owner Tony Stewart would take him to Burger King when it was time to talk contract.

Newman, 33, is off to his best start to a season since his rookie year of 2002 and, more important in terms of lunch with the boss, by far the best start in his two-plus seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing.

“It’s been a really great start for our season by our standards that we set in the past two years — which we weren’t proud of. But we always knew we were capable of more,” Newman said.