Ask Andy Houston, who had a chance to win Thursday. It seems like I would go one way and everybody else would go the other way. With the new aerodynamic package that has bunched the cars in tight packs and made drafting an art again, friends are as valuable as a lug gun to a tire man. Partners always have been important. Drivers who have the same car owner, who race for the same racing team, often help each other out.
Rookies team together sometimes, or guys running cars from the same manufacturer.
Earnhardt had hoped Jeff Gordon would help him out Thursday, especially on the last lap, but Gordon was too busy worrying about himself. Gordon ended up in sixth. Houston was looking for anyone. He finished fourth in the first race. In Sunday's Daytona 500, with 200 laps of jockeying going on, it will be even more critical for a driver to know who his friends are.