October 5, 2005

By Rebecca Gladden

"Junior hoping top-three will swing his momentum" - 07/05/05
"Strong run builds momentum for Wallace" - 07/25/05
"Mayfield gains Chase momentum with gamble" - 08/22/05
"Kenseth carries momentum into final two races" - 08/30/05
"Former Champions carry Chase momentum to California" - 09/01/05
"Stewart wants to carry momentum into Chase" - 09/02/05
"Johnson trying to regain momentum in Chase" - 09/17/05
"Top 10 are chasing momentum" - 09/18/05
"Win in New Hampshire gives Newman momentum" - 09/20/05
"Harvick has momentum, but too late for Chase" - 09/22/05

As the above headlines gleaned from the internet show, momentum is a word frequently used in association with the success - or failure - of NASCAR's star drivers.

There's no question that momentum is vital to doing well in NASCAR competition. But what is momentum? How is it achieved, maintained, lost, recaptured? And why is it considered one of the keys to winning a championship?

Momentum is a term borrowed from physics meaning "mass in motion." All objects have mass, so all moving objects have momentum. In physics, linear momentum is equal to an object's mass times the velocity at which it is traveling. The greater the mass and/or velocity of an object, the greater its momentum.

Adapted as a sports term, momentum can be conceptualized as a snowball rolling down hill. As it travels, it picks up both velocity and mass, contributing positively to momentum and making it harder to slow down or stop.

In racing, momentum is a factor more intangible than quantifiable. Chassis, engines, parts, tires and set-ups are all things that can be seen, felt and measured. Attitude, confidence and desire are more ambiguous, but are arguably just as critical to a team's success.

The primary way for a driver to gain momentum is to win a race - the effective equivalent of starting the snowball off at the top of the hill. The bigger challenge, however, is sustaining that momentum.

Jeff Gordon started off the 2005 season in the best possible way. Gordon won the Daytona 500 in February, as well as three of the first nine races. But there were signs amidst the early success - specifically, two DNF's - that Gordon's momentum might not be sustainable. Inconsistency plagued the 24 team in the mid portion of the season. From races 11 through 20, Gordon had an average finish of 26th, with 4 more DNF's and six finishes of 30th or worse. He plummeted from 2nd to 15th in the points and has been unable to recover, despite replacing long-time Crew Chief Robbie Loomis.

After failing to make the Chase, Gordon was asked how a season that had started with so much promise could devolve into one filled with frustration and disappointment. He explained that a few bad finishes had negatively impacted the team's burgeoning confidence and momentum: "I think it was a combination of some bad luck that turned into some bad runs that broke the confidence of all of us - as well as the momentum. I think we're trying to find something and experiment with things and we're not finding them. We're just not finding the ingredient that it takes to be fast and compete for wins and top-fives and go out there and be consistent."

As Gordon indicates, winning creates confidence, and confidence builds momentum. A few bad runs may be all it takes to intercept that rolling snowball like a thick stand of aspen trees popping up on an otherwise pristine hillside.

Matt Kenseth is one driver who has harnessed momentum to his advantage this season. In mid-June, Kenseth was 24th in the standings, 700 points behind 1st and seemingly out of contention for the championship. But the 17 team maintained focus and put together a string of nine top-10 finishes in the 12 races leading up to the Chase, landing Kenseth solidly in the top-10 after Richmond.

In early September, with two races to go before the Chase field would be set, Kenseth was one of the so-called bubble drivers, 11th in points and teetering on the brink of elimination. He identified momentum as his main focus for those two critical races: "No matter what, you don't want to go into the last few races without any momentum. So, more than thinking about making the top 10 these last two races, we're thinking about running good and trying to get to Victory Lane, and carry some momentum into the last 10." The 17 team converted top-10's at Fontana and Richmond into an 8th place berth among Chase contenders.

2004 Cup Champion Kurt Busch also acknowledged the importance of momentum in competing for the title; unfortunately, his came to a screeching halt on Lap 3 of the first Chase race in Loudon, New Hampshire. Busch hit the wall both literally and figuratively after contact from behind with Scott Riggs, and spent almost 70 laps in the garage. Before Loudon, Busch was 5th in the standings, just 20 points out of first; after, he fell to 10th, 142 points back. As Busch explained, trying to come from behind is a formidable challenge. "You just have to make sure you do things as close to normal as you can, and not get too excited, because it is 10 races. If you don't get off to a great start it's not the end of it, but you're working from behind the whole time, and it's much harder to do that." In the two races since Loudon, Busch has had finishes of 23rd and 8th, but remains mired in 10th and is now 180 points behind leader Tony Stewart.

Stewart, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson, all Chase contenders this year, have identified momentum as a crucial factor in their overall performance:

Tony Stewart, after winning at Indianapolis in August: "We're on a roll. We've got a lot of momentum. This has added a ton of momentum, obviously. We're going to a place next week where I won last year. After winning at Sonoma earlier in the year, we've got a lot of confidence going in there."

Greg Biffle, prior to the Michigan race in August: "We need a strong run to rebuild the momentum we have lost in the last few weeks. A win this week would be a great rebound from the points we lost last week."

Ryan Newman, after winning at Loudon, the first race in the Chase: "We can sit 3rd now and be 10th after next weekend, so we have to keep the momentum up, and we have to perform. Dover is definitely a good place for our team to do that."

Jimmie Johnson, after winning Dover, the second race in the Chase: "You never want to nose-over or lose momentum, but everybody knows that it happens at some point in time. For our team, it's usually around August or a little before that, and then we recover and get back where we need to be. Past history shows we'll work through it. I know my team believes that. I believe that. We knew we would round the corner eventually, and thankfully we've done it earlier in the Chase rather than as late in the Chase as we did last year."

Clearly, the importance of momentum in racing can not be underestimated. Once established, whether through a win or a series of strong runs, the resultant boost in confidence and attitude contributes positively to momentum, and vice versa. On the other hand, any number of factors can break the flow, and getting it back is a difficult - at times impossible - challenge.

Referring back to the laws of physics, Newton postulated that an object in motion tends to remain in motion unless acted upon by an external force. For NASCAR drivers, the mission is to continually move forward - both in the car and in the points standings - and to avoid those "external forces" that can bring one's momentum to a crashing halt. Doing so can be as tricky as catching a snowflake on one's tongue, but the rewards are many times sweeter.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.