iNSIDE SCOOP: Can't Touch This...

Jimmie Johnson was so good at Pocono on Sunday that it was a foregone conclusion who would cross the finish line first.

In the early 1980s, it was known as “Hammer Time.”

MC Hammer, the jodhpur-wearing, gold-chain-flaunting master of a new discipline called “rap,” pioneered the movement with groups like RunDMC,  and the signature line of his signature song included those words, “Hammer Time.”

The question we have to ask is, is “Hammer Time” here to stay, or was it a one-off? Survey says…I don’t know.

It’s hard to predict NASCAR races. Different tracks are better for some drivers, worse for others. Johnson does seem to be good on most of them, however, and it’s a badness thing for the rest of the field if he gets a jump on them heading to Richmond.

His primary opponents this year seem to be his own teammate, Kasey Kahne, and the JGR duo of Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. 

The Toyota twins are dealing with a de-tuned engine right now, part of the effort to make it live longer and fix the annoying tendency to explosively shoot various interior parts through the aluminum engine block at inopportune moments…such as while leading or running in the top five.

Valve train, as is usually the case, is the culprit. When engine problems strike, it can usually be traced to the valve train, which is the weakest link in the engine. Of course, they are twisting these bullets way past good sense, so you can see the trouble.

These are pushrod V-8 engines, which are the flower of 1950s engine tech. In fact, GM’s now-defunct Oldsmobile brand introduced the Rocket V-8 in 1949…the year after NASCAR began. The legendary Chevy Small-Block was first debuted in 1955. The engines in use today are variations of that landmark piece.

These are not overhead-cam engines, which rev higher than an overhead-valve engine like the ones NASCAR uses. Typical rev limit for a racing OHV engine is around 10,000 RPM, and they are creeping up on that right now. By comparison, a double overhead-cam engine used in racing can almost double the rev limit.

The main thrust is, OHV engines have two valves per cylinder, intake and exhaust. DOHC engines can have as many as five, and while that adds to the complexity of the design, it also stresses the valves much less.

As engines go through evolutions, there are teething problems. Toyota, with much less experience in OHV engines than GM or Ford, has some ground to make up. 

Until then, it’s going to be “Hammer Time” unless the fickle finger of Fate causes Johnson to stumble. The next four races, with the exception of Sonoma, are tailor-made for a Five-Time roll.