Click Here To Find Cool Nascar Items!

We must be doing a very good job answering your racing related questions, because this week we have a very short edition of ATIW.  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 Joe:

What happened to cause Bill Weber to lose his job announcing?

Sorry, but outside of what was reported and talked about online, we can’t really add any other details.  Whatever it was though, it must have been pretty bad. – T.C.

2. From Allen:

2 short questions: How can someone get a NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, or even a Truck Series Rules Book?  And what’s the difference between a Crew Chief and a Car Chief?

 The only way to get a rule book is to obtain a NASCAR license.  All crew members and accredited members of the press are issued one.  And every once in a while you may see one go up for sale on eBay, but that’s really about it.  As for crew chiefs and car chiefs, think of the crew chief as the team’s manager and the car chief as the head mechanic.  The crew chief calls the race and works with the driver on the setup.  Car chiefs then take the info from the crew chief about the setup and make it happen. – T.C.

3. From Ric:

Heard a few years ago that some cars use vinyl wrap for the aero advantage, but don’t like the extra weight (couple hundred pounds pops to mind). About what percentage of cars use paint versus vinyl wrap? Does it vary more from track to track, or organization to organization? Who makes the decision on which method to use? Are there other methods?

Every car you see on track has at least some vinyl decals on it.  The norm is for the paint scheme to be a mix of paint and vinyl graphics.  Very few cars are actually completely wrapped, from nose to tail, on any given weekend.  In many cases, full wraps happen when a sponsor deal comes together late and there is no time to paint a car. – T.C.

4. From Ric:

Are teams allowed to have more than one spotter, or an assistant? Seems like the spotter keeps pretty busy keeping track of his driver, grooves other drivers are driving, listening to NASCAR Track Officials, talking to other spotters, keeping track of what the other 42 cars are doing in the pits, etc. Is there anything else they do?

No, I think you just about covered it.  Teams will have extra spotters at tracks that have limited visibility like the road courses and Indianapolis, but not usually anywhere else. – T.C.

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!

Click Here To Find Cool Nascar Items!

This post may end up sounding self serving, but hear me out first.  I think it’s time that NASCAR and the media partners start putting more of the spotlight on the faces behind the drivers.  If the fans knew some of the people that work in the garage, shop, and on pit road every week, I think it would make the sport more compelling.

I’m personally not much for attention, and tend to like working behind the scenes.  This blog may make you think differently about me, but one of my reasons for remaining anonymous is that I don’t necessarily want the attention.  I want to bring you into the sport, but I don’t want or need any credit for doing it.  Anyways, I digress.

Everyone knows who all the drivers are.  You know where they are from, how they came up, and what they are involved in.  The sport and the media coverage revolve around them.

Now, outside of the main players, how many crew chiefs can you name?  How about crew chiefs outside of the Cup Series?  What about pit crew guys?  Can you name the car chief for your favorite driver?  I’m betting you can’t.

Years ago, crew guys were given a little tiny piece of the spotlight.  For a brief time, pit crews were featured on trading cards, and at various times during the TV broadcasts.  But since then, the crews don’t get much air time.

With the recent advent of the pit crew helmet cam, a few names have started showing up during the broadcasts.  Guys like DJ Copp and Dennis Terry come to mind (if you don’t know, Dennis Terry is the front tire changer for Martin Truex Jr.  He has a blog over at That’s Racin that he updates regularly regarding his own experiences.  Check it out).  And while that is a good thing, I think it’s time to start featuring more people.

I believe it was NBC who used to intro pit crews at various points during the race.  That should be brought back (for all three NASCAR series).  Also, it would be cool if during the pre or post race shows each week, maybe a team or a few crew members were featured.  Maybe talk about where they are from, how they got into racing, and what they do.  The group of people that we are around from February to November is a very diverse bunch, and there are people from every part of this country and some other countries.  And they all have a story to tell.

Wouldn’t knowing that there is somebody from your town who works on Carl Edwards team make you more interested?  I know it would for me.

And this concept doesn’t have to just be the team members, as NASCAR officials could be included.

We currently have one of the best championship battles in the history of our sport brewing, and yet many headlines still continue to focus on the negatives like sponsorships and TV ratings.  Letting fans get to know the real face of our sport would only benefit it in the long run.

Let that roll around in your head, and let me know your own thoughts.