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As pit crew members, we always have to be ready for anything.  We’ve got to keep our eyes open for other cars (and our own) on pit road so as to not get hit during a stop.  We have to be prepared to fix crash damage at a moment’s notice.  We have to make spring rubber, track bar, wedge, and a myriad of other adjustments.  And we have to be be ready to change up the play at any time.

On Saturday at Gateway, we saw just one of these instances.  Towards the end of the Nationwide Series race, a caution brought most of the teams to pit road.  With it being late in the race, teams were going to try different strategies to try and win the race.  Justin Allgaier, who’d had a dominate car all day, was one of the cars on pit road. 

As the car entered the stall, the crew was prepared to do a two tire pit stop.  While the team worked on the right side however, crew chief Chad Walter changed his mind and decided they needed to get four tires.  The crew made the adjustment on the fly, and sent Allgaier back onto the track with fresh rubber all the way around.

If you watched the race and this specific pit stop, you may have noticed the stop was a bit slower then usual.  This is a symptom of the crew chief’s audible.  When you step off the wall prepared to do one job, and end up having to do another, it will take a split second to make the change in your head.  In this case though, the crew did the best they could with the situation they were presented with.  Their left side tires were close (a sign of a well prepared team) and they completed the stop.

Allgaier went on to finish third in the race, and while it may appear that Walter screwed up, remember that it’s easy to be a Monday morning quarterback.  He made a quick assessment of what the other teams were doing during their pit stops (Allgaier was the #1 pit stall, so Walter had time to see the other strategies) and tried to make the best call to help Allgaier win.  He took a shot, and in this case it didn’t work out.

This situation was a perfect example of why crews have to be ready for anything.  Sometimes we may not know what work we have to do until the car is a stall or two away.  And sometimes changes are made mid-stop.  But these are the types of stops that always separate the good from the bad.

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If a certain home improvement store sponsored Chevrolet hadn’t spoiled the show at Bristol, we might have seen a Penske clean sweep of the weekend.  But even without the win on Sunday, Bristol showed that the Penske cars have come to play in 2010.

On Saturday at Thunder Valley, Penske’s newly expanded Nationwide Series program stole the show.  Sophomore driver Justin Allgaier picked up his first ever NNS win, while teammate Brad Keselowski took the pole, led 72 laps, and finished second.  Keselowski looked to be the one to beat, but Allgaier got by him on a late restart and never looked back.  Following the race, Keselowski and Allgaier sit second and third in the NNS points, and both trail point leader Carl Edwards by less then 40 points.

After winning the last race at Atlanta, Kurt Busch dominated on Sunday at Bristol, leading 278 laps.  A third place finish behind winner Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart was disappointing for the veteran driver, but it appears as though the transition period for Busch and new crew chief Steve Addington is all but over.  The blue deuce currently sits sixth in the standings, and this team will certainly be a factor this season.

Besides his strong Nationwide Series runs this season, Keselowski has certainly elevated the performance of the #12 cup car at Penske.  Brad K. finished 13th at Bristol after leading a few laps, and was poised for a top five run at Atlanta before the infamous “flip” took him out of the race.  The team sits 30th in the standings, but has run better then the results show.

Roger Penske, Tim Cindric, and the management at Penske Racing have made some great moves lately to build a solid foundation with drivers like Keselowski and Allgaier along with Busch and Sam Hornish (if he ever figures stock car racing out).  And adding veteran leadership in the likes of guys like Steve Addington, Jay Guy, Chad Walter, and Paul Wolfe have really helped the performance of all the Penske teams.

As the only company-backed team left for Dodge in NASCAR, Penske has done a great job so far this season of carrying the banner.  The future certainly looks bright for this bunch, and a pair of championship trophies to add to Mr. Penske’s trophy case is a definite possibility in 2010.