What, Me Worry?

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Thursday was the final day of the Sprint Media Tour Presented by Lowe’s Motor Speedway, a four-day-and-night odyssey to visit a mess of NASCAR teams prior to Daytona.

Some last day highlights and lowlights:

• NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France delivered his annual state-of-the-sport speech. His central message: NASCAR isn’t broken and thus doesn’t need any fixing. Thus, no major rule or policy changes at the Sprint Cup level this year.

“The sport and the fans have been through a great deal of necessary change over the last 10 years,” France said. “Now we're in a period where we're letting those changes mature, and you know, the changes are working well. Things like the new car, realignment and the Chase (for the Sprint Cup) are proving to be good for the sport and good for competition.”

What say ye, race fans? Agree or disagree?

• Sprint Cup Director John Darby said 15 or so new team owners have brought cars to NASCAR’s R&D Center in Concord, N.C., for certification. Among them were Jeremy Mayfield and Joe Nemechek. Expect a lot of one-off runs at Daytona and quite a few start-and-park teams to attempt at least the first few races of the season.

NASCAR President Mike Helton, meanwhile, said he was OK with the notion that some Sprint Cup races might have fewer than 43 cars. “We’ve always said 43 is the maximum,” Helton said. “It’s become the benchmark.”

• Kevin Harvick hosted a meeting of NASCAR officials and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team owners last week at his race shop to discuss cost cuts that could include limiting crew sizes, changing pit stop procedures and even sealed engines. Expect an announcement next week on some new Truck Series policies.

• Ford will be phasing in a new Sprint Cup engine in 2009, its first since 1970. “The problem this engine has – the biggest problem it has – is it has to go head-to-head with the old engine,” said team owner Jack Roush. “The old engine has continued – particularly in Robert (Yates) and Doug’s time since we put our deal together – has continued to make more power than I’d ever imagine.”

• Yates Racing co-owner Max Jones said he hopes to keep Travis Kvapil’s car running for the full season in 2009 the same way he did last year, by piecing together a lot of one-off primary sponsors. “We’re in a lot better position than we were last year,” said Jones. “We have two cars (Bobby Labonte and Paul Menard) that are fully funded and we’re pretty well rooted and people know we’re for real.”

• The Wood Brothers will run 12 races in 2009, all with Bill Elliott behind the wheel and Motorcraft sponsorship in nine of the 12.

• Last but not least, Red Bull Racing proved once again that it is the one team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series that truly marches to the beat of its own drummer and driver Scott Speed, well, he must have his own entire percussion section in his head.

On Thursday night, the team hosted a marvelous combination media interview session and casino night to benefit Speedway Children’s Charities. Speed, as always, was a hoot. The former Formula 1 driver, you might recall, last year credited his first NASCAR Truck victory to getting his toenails manicured and painted blue.

Thursday night, he described the difference between F-1 fans and NASCAR fans by saying, “The difference is that American fans are obnoxious — they have absolutely no problem going up to you and being ridiculous to get your picture or autograph. Everywhere else in the world there is just more respect. As F-1 drivers we were more untouchable. We would get off the airplane in Tokyo and there would be people everywhere — the whole airport would be shut down, but not once would a fan go crazy or ask you for a picture. They are just kind of there.”

But Speed’s loudest comment was reserved for his teammate and came at the end of the media session, when he suddenly screamed, for no apparent reason: “BRIAN VICKERS IS A SEXY BITCH!”

Yes, indeed, it’s going to be an interesting year in NASCAR.