For Tony Stewart, Saturday night’s Cup race at Bristol was one to forget. After qualifying a dismal 42nd, Stewart rode around in the back all night and finished 28th. He was never higher than 28th on the leaderboard, and of the drivers that ran the entire race, Stewart had the seventh worst driver rating. It was his second finish outside the top 25 in his last three races. Smoke’s performance was almost surreal to witness, as watching the Office Depot Chevy fall three laps down in a race simply because it was too slow is not something we are used to seeing. Remarkably, Stewart is still clinging to the last spot into the Chase, but 2011 could go down in history as the worst of his career.
Through 24 races this season, Stewart has only two top five and nine top ten finishes. His average finish to this point (15.0) is the worst of his Cup career, and he remains winless. Keep in mind that Stewart has never had a winless Cup season in his career. He’s won as few as one and as many as six races every year going back to his rookie year in 1999.
With twelve races remaining, Stewart certainly has plenty of time to turn his year around. Smoke is known for being a much stronger competitor during the second half of the season and he’s got three career wins each at Atlanta and Richmond (our next two races). But as frustration mounts, especially with teammate Ryan Newman getting hot (five top tens in the last seven races), don’t expect Stewart to remain patient. This season’s dismissal of competition director Bobby Hutchens showed SHR isn’t afraid to make changes, and more are not out of the question.
Plenty of other notable drivers have struggled this season (see Jeff Burton), and I’m sure all would gladly trade places with Tony Stewart and his current hold on tenth place. But when expectations are as high as their are for Stewart, tenth place just isn’t good enough.
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During Sunday’s Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol, there was a sequence of pit stops in which it was shown on TV that Jimmie Johnson was actually passing cars on pit road. There was some question and discussion about how it could be possible that he would be able to pass cars and not get caught for speeding. In accordance to NASCAR’s rules though, what Johnson and a ton of other drivers do is totally legal. They’ve found a loophole in the system that allows them to legally speed on pit road.
I’m going to attempt to explain how this works, so try and follow along. If you get lost at any point, leave your question in the comment section below and I’ll answer. Here goes…
NASCAR measures the speed of the cars on pit road by segment times. Each pit road is broken into several timing segments. The car’s transponder along with timing & scoring sensors at the beginning and ending of each segment determine segment times. At legal speeds, it takes a certain amount of time (X) to complete a segment. If a car completes a segment in less time than it should legally take to do so, then that car is guilty of speeding. Follow so far?
Okay, now that we’ve established how it works, here’s how they can legally speed. The smart drivers and crew chiefs have figured out at each track where the segments are. They then pick a pit stall in between two timing lines. This means a driver must maintain legal speed until he crosses the timing line before his pit stall. Once over that line, he can hit the throttle and drive into his pit stall over the legal speed limit. Once the pit stop is complete, he can then race out of his stall at a speed over the legal limit, until he reaches the next timing mark, where he then must be at legal speed. What allows for the speeding? The pit stop.
Because a four tire pit stop takes 13ish seconds, it screws up the time for that specific segment. When you take the time it takes for the driver to complete that segment, and add to it the time it takes to complete a pit stop, you’ve got an amount of time that will be way over the legal segment time. Still follow?
I’ll give you an example with some ridiculously hypothetical numbers. Let’s say we are at California, where pit road is 2200 feet. And for our example, let’s say there are ten timing segments (I don’t know how many there are exactly). That means each segment is 220 feet. If pit road speed is 45mph, that means a car can travel 66 feet a second. At 45mph, a car will complete a legal segment in about 3.3 seconds. Now add to that a pit stop that takes 13 seconds. That means a car will be in that specific segment for over 16 seconds. There is no way to illegally “speed” in that segment now. A driver could technically do 200mph into and out of his pit stall and not be guilty of speeding. Crazy right?
So, because pit road speeds are based on these timing segments, and not what a car’s actual speed is at any point on pit road, one can actually legally speed. That’s why Jimmie Johnson was not busted for speeding at Bristol, and why any number of other drivers who do it regularly don’t get busted either. It’s actually quite an art form, although it can be a little unnerving as a pit crew guy to see the car accelerate right before it enters the pit stall.
There are a ton of really smart people who work in this sport, and no matter the rule, somebody will always find a way around it. Welcome to NASCAR.
Since the track’s reconfiguration a few years ago, it seems that every time we get close to Bristol, the comments about how the track and the racing just aren’t the same come back. When the track’s concrete was redone in 2007, the banking in the corners went from a straight 26 degrees to 24-30 degrees. And in making the change, the racing at Bristol was forever altered. The question is, when tracks are getting resurfaced or reconfigured, is variable banking the answer to all that ails them?
The biggest complaint about the new Bristol is that the action just isn’t the same as it was. Before the new concrete, Bristol was known for it’s close racing and the need for “bump-and-run” passes. There was one fast way around the half mile track, and that was right on the bottom. And often, the only way to pass a guy was to move him. That always led to a lot of wrecks and a lot of angry drivers. The variable banking all but eliminated this type of racing, and to some, killed Bristol.
The most recent example of a track getting variably banked corners is Phoenix International Raceway. As part of the track’s reconfiguration that includes new pavement, and a change in the backstretch dogleg, variable (or progressive) banking will be added in turns 1-2 and turn 4. We wrote back in November about our thoughts on the changes, but I will reiterate that we aren’t fans of them. I’m all for new pavement, but as to the other changes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Besides Phoenix and Bristol, the other two tracks on the NASCAR schedule that employ this style of banking are Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. While you can probably make the argument that both of these tracks were helped by the reconfigurations, neither are known for particularly close racing.
As the Cup and Nationwide cars get ready to take to the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” this weekend, I’m curious what your thoughts are on variable banking. Personally, I think in certain situations it can be good, but it should not be something every track adopts. It can create more side by side racing, but not every track needs 43 cars running two by two every lap. Bristol is a perfect example.
The Cup teams get their final off weekend of the season, but there won’t be a shortage of racing action this week. The Truck Series is off to Chicagoland Speedway, and the Nationwide teams head north of the border to tackle the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Justin:
Thanks for a great site. Have you heard anything about why Scott Wimmer cannot get a decent ride in the Nationwide series? He has a lot of success in the past. What is the knock against him if any?
Thanks Justin! I think Wimmer’s problem is not so unsimilar to a large number of racecar drivers. He’s getting older, his performance was never spectacular and he doesn’t have funding. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not bad, you certainly know what you’re getting with Wimmer, but he’s not necessarily the kind of driver big teams are going to be willing to take a risk on at this point. – Journo
2. From Dave:
Does the first start and park team still face the rigorous “just because” tear down process that some cars went through at the start of the season?
Yes, NASCAR continues to tear down start and park teams like they were doing earlier in the year. This week, the #55 of Michael McDowell was the first car out of the race and NASCAR took their engine back to the R&D center. – T.C.
3. From Jamie:
You guys tweeted free beer at RCR. So do one or both of you work for RCR?
You caught us… Just kidding. I’m not sure where you saw that tweet, but it wasn’t on our twitter feed. Because of the nature of the site we’ll never disclose where we work, and we certainly wouldn’t be that obvious. – Journo
4. From Dan:
Hey Guys, According to the results of the Saturday night Bristol race the #48 car was listed as running at the end of the race with 415 laps completed. Why would Johnson stay on track after he couldn’t gain any more points? Hamlin who finished one position ahead had 58 more laps completed. Johnson was well ahead of Conway, who finished behind him, with only 212 laps completed and no threat to Johnson losing a position. Seemed odd considering it was Bristol, since a lot of chaos can go on there nearing the end of the race.
Well first, you never retire from a race if you can help it, because you never know what may happen. Johnson was involved in the wreck around lap 260 or 265, which means there was still half the race in which something could go wrong for somebody else and he could gain more points. Second, even once you mathematically cannot gain any more spots, you keep running for pride (for lack of a better word). You don’t want that dreaded DNF on your record and you never give up, even when you know it’s over. And finally, sponsors are paying your team to get exposure for them, and that can’t be done with a car loaded on the hauler. I personally commend them for running until the finish. – T.C.
5. From brotherflounder:
What do you think of Kyle Busch winning the triple?
I thought it was a cool moment, certainly something historic. Is Kyle winning in the Nationwide and Truck Series much of a feat? Not really. But still, to be able to do all that in one weekend is nothing to sneeze at – which is why no one has done it before. – Journo
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
A Monday race means it’s a short week! Only a few more days before the weekend is here. The Cup Series gets another off weekend, while the Nationwide and Truck Series head to the Music City. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Eddie:
With the wing being replaced by the spoiler starting at Martinsville, what will NASCAR do with the now useless wings?
Throw them in the trash? I honestly don’t know. What do you do with a bunch of useless pieces of carbon fiber? I haven’t heard any specific plans to do anything with them. Sorry I can’t be of more help. – Journo
2. From Cat:
Living in North Carolina, I see a lot of advertisements for NTI of UTI, based out of Mooresville. I also know there is a similar school in Texas, but I can’t recall it’s name. What are you guys’ opinions of these types of schools? Are they the best or only way into working on racing teams? Thank you very much for your time!
The NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville is basically just a renamed Universal Technical Institute. These schools are meant to train students to be auto mechanics. NTI in Mooresville does offer some “racing” specific courses, but the majority of the curriculum is centered around working at a dealership or repair shop. They give students a solid foundation, and are good at teaching the basics. But in terms of getting into racing, we’ve heard the hire rate for students right out of the school is in the low single digits. There are definitely NTI graduates working in the sport, but they aren’t overly common. Once they graduate, students must do like everyone else and network like crazy. Opportunities with teams in lower series are probably their best bet early on. It’s definitely not the only way to get hired, and it isn’t necessarily the best either. – T.C.
3. From Christopher:
When I see a list of drivers- like on nascar.com’s race lineup page, some drivers have three-digit numbers. 135 (Johnny Sauter), and 190 (Casey Mears) are examples. I’ve heard this has something to do with there being two 35’s and 90’s (in my example). However, from what I can tell, there is no 35 or 90 in NASCAR right now? What’s the deal with this?
In their records for owners, somebody is already attached to those two numbers. I couldn’t tell you who though. For points and payouts, NASCAR must assign unique numbers to all the teams, so that’s why you see those listed as three digit numbers. Those teams are allowed to use the numbers, but if the owner who actually has the #90 or #35 shows up, those two cars must use another number. – T.C.
4. From Ric:
I have heard there is a pedestrian tunnel under the track at Bristol, but I have never seen it. Where are the two ends located?
There is definitely a pedestrian tunnel at Bristol. It is located at the end of the backstretch, heading into turn three. It is just below the gate where the haulers enter and leave the track. If you’ve ever seen the ramp that leads up to victory lane, the tunnel is right below it. – T.C.
5. From Loren:
I don’t see ‘championship’ patches on NW or Truck drivers’ firesuits. Why not? I think they should.
There is nothing stopping them from doing it (at least that I’m aware of). I just think it’s a design preference. Some teams and drivers do it, others don’t. – Journo
The teams have a short trip this weekend, as the Truck and Cup Series head to Martinsville, VA. The teams are also spending the week getting some spoiler testing done at Charlotte Motor Speedway. And while they work, we’ve got another round of questions and answers. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Lee:
It is my understanding that Goodyear brings the tires that will be used for that race to the track. Do the teams get the tires from Goodyear at the track, then take them and mount and balance them on their own? Or do they bring their rims to Goodyear, and they mount and balance the tires for the team?
A company called Champion Tire & Wheel hauls all the wheels to the track. Once there, Goodyear takes them and mounts and balances all the tires for the teams. After the race, all the tires are returned to Goodyear. They are then broken down and loaded back up. Champion checks the wheels for damage, cleans them, and hauls them to the next race. – T.C.
2. From Ric:
Do crew members and drivers travel together or separate? I know it various from team to team, race to race. Just looking for in general.
Generally crew members travel together. Of course most teams have A team and B team guys that come into the race track different times during the weekend, but those groups do travel together. Drivers generally come in to the race track by themselves, but that’s not always the case; especially for the ones who don’t have private planes, or access to a private plane. – Journo
3. From Eddie:
With the 12 Hrs at Sebring this weekend, is it possible in the future for a NASCAR driver to race that event and still race the Sprint Cup event on Sunday? Also have any NASCAR drivers raced in the ALMS series before?
Probably not. The reason I say that is because the weekends don’t really work well together. Running in the 12 hours would screw up practice and qualifying on the Cup side, which would require teams to find someone to fill in. This is something a team owner wouldn’t be too keen to do. The 24 Hours of Daytona works because it’s out of season and Indy and the 600 were able to work because of how spread out things were. I don’t see this working though. To your second question the answer is yes. IMSA (the current sanctioning body of the ALMS which was formed in 1999) ran the 24 Hours of Daytona for many years until the creation of Grand Am. I can’t think of anybody driving in it recently, but Roger Penske had an ALMS team until 2008 (they ran Grand-Am in 2009). – Journo
4. From Ray in NJ:
Hey TC, I have a question regarding the spoiler change for Martinsville etc. If I remember correctly when the COT was first created the drivers were complaining about not enough downforce on the car and handling extremely poor…remember Kyle Busch complaining each time he won…..as a result NASCAR decided to add the wing and then during testing the drivers commented it was much better…..now people are saying the wing is causing or enticing the car to go airborne when turned around…so it makes me think we are going to keep the car on the track…but handling and downforce could be a problem again…what do you think?
During some of the initial COT testing, the car had a spoiler. But the COT was never actually raced in competition with a spoiler. It always had the wing. So saying the car is going to revert back to how it handled in the beginning isn’t necessarily accurate. The teams are definitely going to have to relearn how to set these cars up, but I don’t foresee huge problems with handling and downforce. – T.C.
5. From Michele:
Hi T.C. and Journo! Hearing lots about the Legend race @ Bristol running “faster more dangerous” cars than current Sprint & N’wide drivers. Is there anything to that or just ‘Hot Air’? Thanks for a great column!
I believe that the Legends race at Bristol had the drivers just running crate motor late models. The cars don’t have as much horsepower and are lighter then a Cup or Nationwide car, but their setup makes them easier to drive. I believe that is why we saw lap times that were as fast or faster then the other series. On a short track they are fast, but I don’t know if we can call them more dangerous. The incident with Pearson and Glotzbach was just an unfortunate accident I believe. - T.C.
Remember too this race wasn’t sanctioned by NASCAR. The race was put on by BMS. – Journo
6. From Mike:
How does the payout system work? I see at Bristol that Truex finished 12th with 500 laps earning $89,475 whereas Kahne finished 34th with 432 laps earning $123,390. Neither driver led a lap.
The reason some drivers make more then others depends on what contingency programs a team is involved in, and in what payout plan a team is in. I believe NASCAR has four different plans setup, and each team fits into one of those plans. I don’t know specific details, but the plans award prize money based on not only where you finish, but also past performance and longevity. – T.C.
7. From djones:
Hi TC & Journo, Two questions if OK. Regarding tire tests. If Goodyear brings tire ABC to test , why do they bring tire XYZ to run the race at the track they tested at? I am referring to comments made by Regan Smith at Bristol. Also, why use an Indy tire (flat track) at Bristol (high banked)? Why don’t the tire changers where some kind of dust mask? Doesn’t that brake dust cause health problems? Thanks guys. Read you every week.
Goodyear uses tire tests to try different compounds and combinations. Their data from the test will tell them what they need to know to select a tire. They may bring ABC to the test, but realize later that XYZ will be better for the race. And just because a tire is used at Indy doesn’t mean it won’t work for Bristol. Goodyear decided that the conditions the Indy tire was built for would also work at Bristol. There are a ton of factors that go into selecting a tire. And I don’t really know why changers don’t wear dust masks. You will see some front changers wearing full face helmets because of the brake dust. I’m sure inhaling the dust isn’t good for you, but I’ve never heard of specific health problems caused by it. – T.C.
nyfalcon1 posted a photo: