Question: With the Brickyard in town this weekend, the “NASCAR Insider” has been AWOL since July 12. (John from Zionsville, Ind.)

Answer: Not AWOL. Just busy. Pick up the paper the next four days and you’ll what I’ve been working on.

Question: You’ve mentioned many times how unlikely it is that Tony Stewart will ever run in the Indianapolis 500 again, much less win it. But as a Hoosier native, do you think he realizes which race at the Speedway has brick on the trophy and which one has the winners face sculptured in perpetuity with other giants of the sport? (Dave from Cincinnati)

Answer:Absolutely. There’s no doubt in my mind that Tony wouldn’t hesitate to trade one of his Brickyard 400 wins or one of his Cup titles to get his likeness on the BorgWarner Trophy. It’s precisely because he puts such high value on the winning the Indy 500 that he isn’t interested in just driving in the race again. He has said many times that winning it is the only reason to go back, and to do that, he would need to run the races in advance of the 500 to prepare. His current situation, especially now that he’s taking on team ownership, simply doesn’t allow that.

Question: How concerned are the Chevrolet teams about GM’s announcement that motorsports will be included in its cost-cutting? Any guesses as to what the cutbacks will do to the Chevy teams? Less support per team or fewer teams? Any effect on the giants (i.e. Hendrick, Childress)? (Chris from Greenfield, Ind.)

Answer: Concerned is the right word. No one is in a panic yet, but everyone in the sport is concerned about the continuing bad news coming out of Detroit. So far, the General Motors cutbacks are only in event sponsorships. Even with the COT eliminating brand identification, the automakers still see value in marketing through NASCAR. The only way for them to climb out of the deep hole they’ve dug for themselves is to sell more cars and NASCAR helps them do that. But stay tuned. It’s a fluid situation.

Question: Back in 1996, Dan Gurney formed a team to bring Toyota to CART. The team, and others along the way, struggled for years trying to make the engine competitive. Then in 2000, Ganassi switched to Toyota and they started winning… and Gurney’s team folded. This looks like the same pattern with Michael Waltrip’s team doing all the suffering for Toyota, while JGR reaps all the rewards now. What’s your take on Waltrip’s team these days? Do you believe they can buck the Toyota trend and shine just a bit, maybe for one race at least? It burns me how Toyota simply discards the teams that stick with them in the hard early days. (Mike from Speedway, Ind.)

Answer: I’ll agree with you if Toyota unceremoniously dumps one or more of its original teams and throws all its resources behind Joe Gibbs Racing. But I have no reason at this point to think that is going to happen. If you believe in the axiom that rising water floats all boats, then the addition of Gibbs is a positive for all the teams in the Toyota stable. Toyota can’t be faulted for wanting to add a championship-caliber team. And while the Red Bull and Waltrip teams still lag far behind JGR, those two are a whole lot better than they were last year and at least part of that is due to JGR lifting the entire Toyota program.

Question: Steve, what did Jeremy Mayfield do to make people so angry at him? He does not have a ride despite having made the Chase twice and actually winning races, which half of the starters cannot say. He must have angered a lot of people in ways we do not know for his name not to be floated as a replacement for any team. (Michael from Plymouth, Mich.)

Answer: Jeremy’s mouth has gotten him in trouble with just about every team he has driven for. He says what he thinks, which is fine. But too often he talks before he thinks, which isn’t so good. I agree that he’s more talented than many drivers out there who do have jobs, but the baggage that comes with that talent has team owners wary of taking a chance on him.

Question: Who do you think will drive the No. 12 Dodge for Roger Penske in 2009? (Chris from Latham, N.Y.)

Answer: David Stremme has the inside track. He has been working as a test driver for Penske Racing this season and most indications are that ultimately he’ll get the job. Casey Mears remains a possibility because of his family ties to Penske, and Martin Truex Jr. would be a candidate should he become available.

Question: When Dario calls me for advice (yeah, right), I am gonna tell him his best bet, if he is serious about NASCAR, is to run the rest of the Nationwide schedule, get the seat time, prove his bona fides and let the rest take care of itself. His chances of getting a Sprint Cup ride next year have to be better if he runs Nationwide than if he sits out the rest of the year. Any argument with my logic? (Kurt from Carmel, Ind.)

Answer: No argument from me, provided the opportunity is there. I’m not convinced Chip Ganassi is eager to put Dario Franchitti in a Nationwide Series car for the rest of the season. But if the offer is on the table, and Dario is serious about wanting to stay in NASCAR, then by all means he should snap it up.

Question: Just a comment. I think Tony Stewart will make it as an owner-driver. Not because he’s a favorite of mine but because he’s the first one to try it while still in the prime of his career since Alan Kulwicki. Others were on the downside of their careers when they undertook this kind of challenge. (John from London, Ky.)

Answer: I agree completely. I have yet to see Tony fail at anything in his racing career and I don’t expect him to start now.

http://blogs.indystar.com/nascarinsider/2008/07/on-tony-stewart-gm-and-toyota.html