The Answer Man

The Answer Man

I’ve sometimes wondered what it would be like to be one of the band of regular writers who cover the NASCAR circuit. After talking with one of the best of them, I’m not sure I have the tools to do the job. I had the chance to have lunch with Tom Jensen of FoxSports/Speedtv.com in mid-March. Jensen, for those of you who don’t know, is the "Answer Man" on Speedtv.com and a twenty-year veteran of racing journalism. He’s also the author of "Cheating," one of the best books on the culture of NASCAR you can find. A Villanova grad, he's also an engaging and informative storyteller. And what he told me about what it takes to cover NASCAR these days was an eye-opener.

First, of course, there’s travel. Take this year's race at Las Vegas, for instance. After a 15-hour day at the track, culminating in Jeff Gordon’s horrible crash, Jensen was scheduled to fly from Vegas to Dallas and then home to Charlotte. But the stories that developed late in the race, coupled with the horrible traffic at the track, made him late to the airport. Fortunately, his plane had been delayed. But to complicate matters, bad weather in the Dallas/Fort Worth area meant that the plane needed more fuel, so 13 passengers would have to "volunteer" to take other flights. After a series of negotiations taking over two hours, 12 people left the flight, and the exasperated pilot decided to take off even though the plane was still overweight. They made it to DFW safely, but too late to catch the connecting Dallas to Charlotte flight. Jensen finally made it onto a plane that was leaving at 11 pm Dallas time (four hours later than his scheduled departure) but it was snowing so hard that the plane had to be de-iced, repeatedly. Finally, somewhere around 1 am Dallas time, the plane was finally ready for takeoff, and then one of the passengers had a heart attack. Fortunately, he successfully received quick medical attention, and the plane finally made it back in to Charlotte around 4 am Charlotte time, thus allowing Jensen just enough time to get home and file his Monday stories. He says that travel, especially flying, has become the worst part of covering NASCAR for him.

Being on the road is difficult for the father of two young children, and Jensen credits his wife, a Duke graduate, with making it possible, though he grinningly calls his schedule "a work in progress." He's able to work from home, so he can take his children to school and be part of their days, and spoke enthusiastically about taking his son to his first Busch race at Lowe’s last year. This year, his son is hoping to go to more races, and Jensen and several family members are planning to rent a camper and experiment with the infield at Talladega in the fall, to share the fan experience.

One of the things Jensen stressed was that he's able to do what he does because of the fans, and he was very complimentary of the conversation on the Jeff Gordon Online fan forum, which he’d obviously checked out pretty thoroughly. He said that we seemed better educated about racing than many fans, and that he was very impressed with our questions. His answers to some of them appear below. He commented that in his opinion, NASCAR's biggest mistake in the past few years has been to try to have everything at once instead of letting the sport grow at its natural pace, and that he doesn't think it can cure the disaffection of longtime fans simply by playing country music again. He sympathized with fan concern about the directions the sport has taken and emphasized that NASCAR needs to show its appreciation for our support. One thing I came away with for sure—Jensen is a writer who cares passionately about the sport and its fans. He told me that he hopes you'll send in your questions to the Answer Man column and that if there’s anything he can find out for us, he’ll do his best to try. It was a real pleasure to meet him in person, and I ended up the day even more impressed with one of NASCAR’s best writers.

Questions and Answers with Tom Jensen

Jenn: I'd like to know when the Sprint Cup Series is coming to Canada?
Tom Jensen: Great question, Jenn. Each time I've asked this question of NASCAR, I always get the same answer: While NASCAR loves having the Nationwide Series race in Canada and Mexico, there are no plans to run the Sprint Cup Series outside the United States. So the short answer is: Not anytime soon. The longer answer is that things change all the time in this sport, often with little or not notice, so it could happen in the future.

Courtney: My question is fairly simple: who is the best driver you've ever seen from each decade of NASCAR and why is that driver the best?
Tom Jensen: You call that simple? Sheesh! How do you define best? Most victories? Fastest for a single lap? Most championships? And to narrow it down to a single driver per decade? I'm going to take a pass on the 1940s and 50s, because I'm not old enough to have seen anyone actually race in those decades.
1960s: Richard Petty. There are many people who will tell you that David Pearson was the best pure racer ever, better even than Petty was. But the fact is, Petty won 200 races and Pearson 105, which is still second-best ever, but itąs second-best. Petty did the things necessary to build a great team around him and win seven championships.
1970s: Cale Yarborough. Yarborough is the last driver to win three consecutive championships (1976-78) and was runner up twice in the 70s as well. He was the toughest racer Iąve ever seen and had to be in that era. Bobby Allison certainly needs to be in the discussion here as well.
1980s: Dale Earnhardt. This to me is the toughest decade to decide: Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt each won three championships in the 1980s and Bill Elliott had an amazing second half of the decade. Had he lived, though, I think the best racer to come out of this decade would have been Tim Richmond, who truly was a remarkable talent. But, sadly, he didnąt, so you have to give the nod to Earnhardt. And I donąt think I need to explain why.
1990s: Jeff Gordon. Not only did Gordon win three championships and a bazillion races in the 90s, he totally changed the sport. Before Gordon, drivers ran at the back of the pack in inferior equipment for years before they ever got the chance to race for a good team. But once Gordon hit it big, team owners started looking for youngsters with talent. Gordon also was and still is a sponsorąs dream, someone who is highly marketable. Too bad the Chase format has cost him two championships, but thatąs a discussion for another time.
2000s: Jimmie Johnson. I rank Gordon, Johnson and Tony Stewart as the three best drivers in the sport, but since I only get to pick one, Iąm taking Johnson. In six full seasons in Sprint Cup, Johnson has two championships, two runner-up and two fifth-place finishes. He also has tremendous technical ability and can communicate that with his crew chief. But as noted, I put Johnson, Gordon and Stewart on par with each other.

Erica24sgirl: Where do you see the sport in five years?
Tom Jensen: Unfortunately, in five years, I see 11 owners with four teams each. And few of those owners will be true racers. Most will be rich men from other sports or businesses, guys like John Henry or George Gillett. Iąm not saying thatąs bad, but thatąs the reality. Sprint Cup racing is insanely expensive and the real competition starts with raising money: Who can get the most cash from sponsors to build a mega team?

Bama24: How does today's NASCAR decide which "modifications" earn penalties and which earn only scoldings ("don't do that again, because we'll be watching for it?"), and do you think they're perhaps reluctant to label a minor change an infraction because they have so little wiggle room on the COT penalty (i.e., it must be 100 points/ 6 weeks crew suspension)?
Tom Jensen: NASCAR has given teams more clarity than theyąve ever had before as far as penalties are actionable with points and/or monetary fines. Theyąve been consistent in enforcing them, too, IMHO. And donąt kid yourself, NASCAR has all the wiggle room in the world. It can change anything at any time for any reason.

Callie: Do you feel that NASCAR plays favorites at all? If so, why? Also, what organization and manufacturer has been the most dominate in the sport?
Tom Jensen: No, I truly do not believe NASCAR plays favorites. If they did, it would drive away sponsors in droves, which is the last thing NASCAR wants. As far as organizations and manufacturers, that one is a little easier. Since 1995, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing have combined to win all but one championship. They are the three elite teams in NASCAR. There are lots of other good teams, but no other great ones. As far as manufacturers, GM has dominated in recent years. Chevys won 26 of 36 points races last year alone.

Becca Rulez: Do you think NASCAR will do something about the vast number of Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide series?
Tom Jensen: No. If NASCAR knew how to fix the Nationwide Series, they already would have. The track operators want the Sprint Cup stars in the Nationwide races because they sell tickets. The TV networks, sponsors and advertisers want Cup drivers in because they help raise ratings and sell products. Clearly, a lot of fans want them, too. So I donąt expect this one to change soon.

"Unleaded"

Jeff Gordon Online