It’s always nice for the teams when we get to this part of the schedule, because with all three series racing in Charlotte, it means most get to sleep in their own beds. But a crowded weekend schedule, along with a trip to Iowa for the Nationwide cars, means some will have a very busy couple of days.
As we’ve talked about here many times before, there are some individuals and some full crews that pit race cars across multiple series. A few do it within their own companies, and others pit cars for many different race teams. You’d think Charlotte races would make for an easier weekend, but that isn’t necessarily the case.
Consider this example. The five guys that pit Trevor Bayne’s Cup car are also the same guys that pit Carl Edwards’ NNS ride. With their commitments between both cars, they will be pitting race cars four straight days. The Daytona 500 win made Bayne eligible for the All Star race, and his crew eligible for the Pit Crew Challenge. So his guys will spend Thursday at Time Warner Cable Arena for the Challenge. Then, they will head out to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday because qualifying for the All Star race includes that all important pit stop. On Saturday, the team will be busy working the All Star race. And they will close out their weekend with a nice short trip out to Iowa to pit Edwards’ Mustang on Sunday. Whew, I’m tired for them.
Besides this group, there are other guys and crews who will work Friday night’s Truck race, Saturday’s All Star race or Showdown, and then fly out to Iowa for the NNS race. The backup teams for the likes of Red Bull Racing and Hendrick Motorsports will have weekends similar to this. And many of these guys will be right back to their shop or other jobs on Monday morning.
Thanks to weekends like this, it isn’t uncommon for some guys to pit race cars in 70+ races a year. It can be extremely grueling and tough on the body over the course of a 10 month season. But for those that are willing to hustle, there is experience to be had and some nice money to be made.
TheNASCARInsiders.com Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
If you were watching the race on TV Saturday night, it looked like Texas Motor Speedway had a really great crowd. In fact, the Speedway reported a crowd of 168,400. That’s nearly one and a half times the capacity of Cowboys Stadium. A heck of crowd – if it stood up to scrutiny.
The grandstands at Texas can hold 122,377. Total infield capacity is 53,000. So if the grandstands were completely full (which they weren’t) that means there would have had to have been 46,023 in the infield (which there wasn’t).
I think we all can agree that 168,400 is a little unbelievable and that Eddie Gossage and to be fair, most tracks, have a knack for fiction when it comes to attendance figures. Still I have to hand it to the track, to SMI, and even to ISC because they have been doing a fantastic job this season distributing crowds throughout the grandstands – whether on purpose or accidental.
Take this weekend – on TV the main and backstretch grandstands looked nearly full from end to end. The reality is, on the frontstretch there were holes here and there, especially down low, at the ends and up high under the suites. And the backstretch was spotty. The same was true at California and to a lesser extent at Martinsville.
A recent innovation for the tracks has been finding unutilized grandstands and covering them with sponsor signage – a new addition at California this year. Charlotte Motor Speedway used to have seating that extended up under the suites in the turn two grandstand – no more.
The truth is, I don’t think any of this is bad (other than the exaggeration of attendance numbers). Most of the tracks on the Cup circuit were ridiculously overbuilt – and tracks throughout have been tearing down grandstands in recent years. Even with smaller than capacity crowds, these tracks have attendance that far exceed their nearest sporting competitor on any given week.
The crowds have been better this season, and these moves lesson the story and issue of attendance. I think anything that gets people more focused on the racing and less focused on the periphery issues is an OK thing.
Charlotte Motor Speedway kicked off its season on Wednesday with a press/advertising event for the Sprint All Star race at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Whiskey River bar in Uptown Charlotte.
Speedway President Marcus Smith said during the event no changes would be made to the format (selection or otherwise) before the race in May.
I for one was thrilled. Seeing the constant rules changes with the All Star race (and Bud Shootout) has been maddening. Who can keep them straight?
Do you realize since 1985 (the first year of The Winston) there have been 10 different formats? Six of those have been in the last 10 years. That’s completely insane.
We finally have a couple of seasons of consistency with this race.
The bad news for some of you is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has lost his eligibility. That 10 year exemption he had as a winner of the event came and went last year. Never fear though, NASCAR’s most popular driver has an ace in his pocket. Remember the fan vote? He’s all but a lock to win it.
Though I’m happy to see the status quo maintained momentarily, I can’t help but think there’s something to the whole fan voting thing. Dale Jr. fan or not, at least you have some say in who gets that last slot into the show.
NASCAR runs the All-Star race as an exhibition for the fans, but the fans don’t have much of a voice. I think there’s a strong case to be made for changing that.
Consider the fan involvement of some other major sporting bodies’ All Star games. Major League Baseball allows fans to select 17 of 66 players for its All Star game rosters and the National Basketball Association lets fans choose the starting players for both teams in its All Star game. Now isn’t that the way it should be?
I don’t think fans should a say over the entire field for the All-Star race, but I think it’s important for them to have a greater voice. Readjusting the selection format to more closely mirror that of other sporting bodies would also eliminate the constant need to adjust the process so there’s a decent field – or, so your most popular drivers are in the field.
So I’m happy things are staying the same for the moment, but realize there needs to be a better, more permanent solution for selecting our All-Stars. I’m not holding my breath though. What do you think?
Filed under: NASCAR Tracks, Sprint Cup, NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
We’re hearing Josh Wise will be driving the #43 Dodge Challenger under the Baker Curb Racing banner in the Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway next week. The deal is supposedly being backed by veteran tire changer D.J. Copp, his company OTWCrew.com, and Ingersoll Rand. Besides backing the deal, Copp will also serve as crew chief for the all volunteer crew during the weekend.
Copp is a familiar name around the sport. In addition to working as a tire changer for some of NASCAR’s biggest teams over the last decade, he also does segments for ESPN’s NASCAR Now.
For Wise, if he’s able to qualify, this will mark his 24th NNS start of the year. He’s made previous starts this season for Specialty Racing, JR Motorsports, Baker Curb Racing, and Braun Racing. His best finish of eighth came at Gateway driving the #7 for JRM.
Word is that Copp is attempting to put together enough support to run future races. Expect an official announcement toward the end of the week.
Concord (verb) – when a race track/auto dealership magnate threatens a municipality with the removal of a race event, or entire racetrack, in order to get what he wants – refers to what happened to the city of Concord, N.C.
Last week Bruton Smith took his fight with the police chief of Loudon, N.H. public. The ever vocal leader of Speedway Motorsports and Sonic Automotive said he is considering moving a date from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway after struggling to negotiate what he felt was an acceptable bill for police protection. The fight between the two has even reached New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch.
After hearing this I couldn’t help but think I’d seen this play out before with Bruton Smith. Turns out I have.
Let me take you back two and half years. The place: Concord, N.C. Bruton Smith wanted to build a dragstrip on the Charlotte Motor Speedway property. After protests from nearby homeowners, the Concord City Council voted against the dragstrip. Smith’s reaction? He threatened to bulldoze the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and move it somewhere else.
After almost two months of posturing and negotiation, Concord gave in and let Smith build his dragstrip. In addition, they gave him $80 million in incentives, and even renamed the road leading up to the speedway Bruton Smith Blvd.
How’s that for the having the upper hand? After Concording Concord, it looks like he’s Concording Loudon – though this time he may actually come through on his threat.
Since Smith bought NHMS three years ago there has been speculation that eventually the track would lose a date. While the track continues to be a favorite among fans, SMI would like to add dates to Las Vegas and Kentucky. And since Smith doesn’t have the emotional attachment to NHMS that he has to Charlotte, this could be a very convenient excuse (it also allows him to not have make the tough choice somewhere else within his organization).
We’ll see what happens in the weeks and months to come, but the police chief and town of Loudon are playing with fire. I know it’s a bad idea to give into a screaming child, but not doing so here could cost the city and state hundreds of millions of dollars – all over what amounts to about $100,000.
Unfortunately, the people that could stand to suffer most are the small business owners in and around Loudon who depend on the events, and the fans who love NHMS and the different racing it produces.
Here’s hoping this Concording has a happy ending.
Remembering Raymond Parks
NASCAR pioneer, and team owner Raymond Parks passed away Sunday morning. Parks, who was the last living person on hand at the meeting founding NASCAR in late 1947, won the first two championships in the sport – one with Fonty Flock and the other with Red Byron. Though he was not well known to the world, his impact on this sport was immense. Thank you for everything Mr. Parks.
Be sure to check out Ed Hinton’s eloquent eulogy of Raymond Parks.
After two weeks at home in Charlotte, teams once again hit the road this week. The Truck Series is in the Lone Star State to take on Texas Motor Speedway, the Nationwide cars make their second trip to Nashville Superspeedway, and the Cup cars are in Pennsylvania to take on the Tricky Triangle of Pocono. Before the weekend arrives, we’ve got the 77th 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 Bob:
With last weeks question about shops, cars and tracks it got me thinking. Furniture Row is based in Denver, Colorado. Do they do all their work there or do they have a facility close to Charlotte? I know they have an alliance with Childress for engines. It seems like they would be at a significant disadvantage with distances between Colorado and most tracks. I do love the fact that they are the only Western based team!
Furniture Row actually gets just chassis from Childress. Their engines come from Hendrick Motorsports. I know in the past they used a little bit of space at an existing race shop to help with logistics, but I don’t believe they do that anymore. Between their own trucks, and the trucks used for the furniture stores, they are able to get everything they need out to Denver. – T.C.
2. From Steve:
On double file restarts, given how much drivers complain about being stuck in the bad line, any chance that NASCAR would adopt a policy of letting the cars pick where they wanted to line up? For example, the leader would pick his lane, the second driver would have the choice of lining up next to the leader or behind the leader, the next driver would have the choice of lining up behind the 2nd place driver or in the open spot next to the leader and so on. It would introduce another element of strategy – how far back do you start in the good line v starting further up in the so-called bad line? it would also allow crews to better adjust their car if they knew they were going to start inside or outside. Dreaming on my part?
I’m sorry to say I think you’re dreaming. It would certainly set up more opportunities for strategy (in regards to where you start), but it wouldn’t allow for a change in adjustments – teams make adjustments to make the car run as fast as possible, not to run the high or low side. I think ultimately it would make things a little too complicated on restarts. – Journo
3. From Christopher:
I’ve noticed some strange things at the bottom of the qualifiers in the final lineup. Take the Coca Cola 600. Greg Biffle did terrible and had to get in on owners points. JJ Yeley was the last person to qualify on time and did better than Biffle. Yet, Yeley’s 46 car was placed behind Biffle. Actually, Yeley was placed behind a few people he qualified better than. (I don’t mean dropping to the back because of a car change, etc. I mean it was listed this way right after qualifying and is the official starting order) What gives?
NASCAR determines the starting field through the 42nd starting position. It’s a combination of the top-35, where they qualify, and the top seven go-or-go-home drivers. The 43rd starting spot is reserved for the past champion, and if there is no need for the past champion to use it then it goes to the eighth fastest go-or-go-home driver, which in this case was JJ Yeley. – Journo
4. From Michael:
Just wondering why Charlotte Motor Speedway didn’t have any racing action (practice / qualifying) this past Friday. Seemed a little strange, but I’m sure there’s a reason. Thanks.
I’m not sure if this is the exact reason for it, but the Speedway hosts the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars at the Dirt Track across the street that night. I would imagine they are trying to minimize the amount of traffic, but have the maximum number of events. It could also be a case of that’s what they’ve always done. Sorry I don’t have a better answer. – Journo
5. From Steve T:
Is there any particular reason the fuel pickup can’t be moved to the left side of the tank ? Seems like it could make life a bit easier on restarts when everyone is low on fuel.
The pickup in the fuel cell is on the right side because of the centripetal force on the fuel while the car is on track. High speed and constant turning forces the fuel to the right side of the cell. If the pickup were on the left side, when the car went into the corner, the engine would stall because of lack of fuel. That’s why when a car is low on fuel under caution on a high banked track, the driver will bring the car to the apron of the track. That helps to keep the fuel from running to the left side, away from the pickup. – T.C.
6. From Kyle:
Do you guys have any inside info on Prism Motorsports? We all know its owned (partially) by Phil Parson (who formerly owned MSRP in Nationwide which now appears to be Humphrey-D’Hondt) and we also know they have ties to Michael Waltrip Racing, but what is their goal in NASCAR? It doesn’t appear as if they are trying to find sponsorship. They dont have even have a website, and they do absolutely no press at the track. What exactly does Michael Waltrip get out of this relationship (besides occasionally driving the 55)? Is there something we dont know about? They do occasionally steal a top 5 in qualifying. But supposedly their cars couldn’t possibly run the whole race based on how they are set up. How does NASCAR feel about one of their broadcasters starting and parking 2 cars in their premier series? Do people in the garage have a problem with this?
It’s very well known and understood through the garage that Phil Parsons and Randy Humphrey are at the track to make money. They’re there to win prize money. They aren’t actively looking for sponsors, because they neither want nor need them. I can’t say beyond sketchy rumors what Michael Waltrip gets out of the relationship, but I can say what you’ve probably read online is what I’ve heard. As far as NASCAR goes, it certainly sets up an uncomfortable situation for them, but they’ve maintained an atmosphere that allows this practice to continue. They don’t like it, but they don’t seem willing to make any serious offensive against it. – Journo
7. From Allen:
How is Biffle’s crew member doing after being whacked by Stewart’s car? Only heard he was taken to a hospital, no updates on injuries if any.
Heard today that Kevin McDowell does not have any broken bones, but has quite a bit of swelling. His availability for this weekend at Pocono is a big question mark for the team. We’ve also heard that Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle’s crew chief Greg Erwin may have had a bit of a confrontation after the race about McDowell getting hit. – T.C.
8. From Steve:
In the post-race comments, Kurt Busch and Addington made references to taking tires from the 77 because they ‘matched’. Please elaborate on what they are talking about. Aren’t tires from Goodyear tires from Goodyear?
They were probably referring to the tires’ stagger. Stagger refers to the difference in circumference between the right side and left side tires. Even though tires are all manufactured the same, there will be differences. Teams will measure all of their tires and then place them in sets based on the staggers. If the #2 team was getting tires from the #77 team, I’m guessing it’s because the #77 had tires that would give their sets the stagger numbers they were looking for. – T.C.
9. From bb:
In you recent post about Red Bull, you refer to the teams’ “extravagance”. Could you please elaborate? It would seem that things in a team that is essentially its own sponsor could be a fair bit different than the others. Thanks, and please continue your very interesting and informative posts!
Certainly. Red Bull is one of the better paying employers in the sport – in some cases by quite a bit. They employ several full-time pit crew members, something that is unheard of at any other team, and they pay them well. They have PR people who don’t really do any writing (there are people back in Mooresville who do that), and they have a motorhome that travels to races just for PR people and team executives. They also have a very fashionable crew, all of which are required to be decked out in Red Bull logos (down to their shoes and belts) while at the track. Now I’m sure they get a good bit of the apparel for free, but I’d bet not all of it is. Those are some things off the top of my head. – Journo
10. From Dan:
How many gas cans are allowed by NASCAR in the pit stalls at one time? Are there always 2 full ones ready and waiting at all times?
I can’t find a specific rule in the rulebook pertaining to a limit on gas cans, but most teams have 3-4 cans in their stall during the race. That allows for two cans to be available while the others are being refilled after a stop. – 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!
We’ve got a good batch of questions for you this week, and many from some new names which is great to see! Remember, there are no stupid questions here, and even if we’ve answered a question in the past, we will answer it again. If you don’t know what this post is, until further notice, we will be answering 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 Scott:
How are the rims handled in NASCAR? Does Goodyear haul them from race to race? If Goodyear always has the rims do they check them for damage and how are old and new rims rotated in and out of the line up? Thanks, and I love your website!
A company called Champion Tire & Wheel hauls all of the wheels for the teams to the track, and they also store them and check them for damage before the races. Champion also transports the pit boxes and some other equipment for most Cup teams and many of the Nationwide teams. – T.C.
2. From Donald:
What happend to Scott Riggs. I haven’t heard his name anywhere for the last 2 months.
As far as I know he’s out there looking, like a lot of other guys. I don’t really know anything specific, sorry. – Journo
3. From Sue:
Does NASCAR prior to qualifying ever check the fuel in the cars to verify that additional additives such as more alcohol were not added by the teams?
If NASCAR wants a fuel sample, they usually do it after qualifying is over. – T.C.
4. From fanwanzabee:
Were there as many empty seats at Saturday’s race as it seemed to me watching on TV. This is bad news for all, When I go to a race, about half my money goes to other things than tickets.
Yes. I’m not good at estimating how many were in the crowd, but attendance was the worst I’ve ever seen at Lowes. Tom Sorenson at the Charlotte Observer wrote a little bit about it. This season has definitely been different. Charlotte in the last few years has been one of those tracks where you could get tickets up until race time, but the crowd has always been pretty good. It’ll be interesting to see how attendance does next season. – Journo
5. From Woogeroo:
With all the hullabaloo over consistent start times and things, I started wondering what exactly that meant. Talking heads start time? National Anthem singing? The fly over? Green flag waving? I miss the days when you turned on the race and they were on the parade lap. I’m glad NASCAR gets coverage and all, but jeez… I really only care about the race. -W
All that means is that the official start time will be standardized. That still means the race won’t start for 15-20 minutes after that “start time.” – Journo
6. From Anonymous:
What is it that is making the 48 team so good? I do not believe Jimmie is a better driver than Tony, Jeff or even Carl and Kyle. It’s hard to believe other teams haven’t figured it out yet. Are the resources and “under the hood talent” that much different between the A level teams??
Like I said in my post today, if I knew exactly what the answer to this question was, I’d be a rich man. My guess is that it’s not necessarily that one of the parts is better, it’s that the sum of the parts is just a bit better. Jimmie + Chad + Hendrick equipment + team 48 = success. I promise you though, teams are working overtime trying to figure out how to beat the 48. – T.C.
7. From Ella:
I don’t understand how there can be such a difference in performance in COT cars from the same stable. It is said that the crew chiefs share information among themselves but then you have Carl Edwards limping along while his teammates run much faster. Same with Earnhardt and his team mates. One would think there would be more parity. What things make a difference?
You’ve got to remember that every driver wants their car setup differently. What works for Jimmie Johnson might not necessarily work for the other three Hendrick drivers; and vice versa. So copying the 48’s setup exactly won’t make Jeff Gordon run as good. The teams share information, but drivers and crews need to know how to use and apply that information the best possible way to go fast. And you also need to keep in mind that we are still very earlier in the life cycle of the COT. Teams are still doing a ton of R&D to figure out what the car needs to be really good. - T.C.
8. From Big John:
Great site guys! If a team picks up a new sponsor during a race weekend, is there a grafix company that travels the circuit that can make decals for the cars?
I don’t believe any of the graphics companies have a mobile operation, but I do believe that they will overnight decals to a track if they have enough warning. If it’s too late for that, I’d imagine a team would have to track down somebody locally to get the printing done. Maybe if somebody from TDS or Motorsports Designs reads our blog they could give us more details. – T.C.
9. From Ron:
We tend to take for granted improved safety in NASCAR, thanks to advancements like the COT, SAFER barrier, etc. My question is, has any Cup driver missed seat time this season due to an injury received on the track? I can’t recall any.
Not any Cup drivers. We’ve seen some pretty gnarly wrecks, but thankfully, thanks in large part to these safer features, no one has been seriously injured. Off track is a different story. Turns out walking on your dock and playing Frisbee is more dangerous than driving a stock car. – Journo
10. From Roger:
Todays post about the #48 got me thinking a little about cautions that are called. Sometimes (especially late in a race), a caution will come out for debris which turns out to be a water bottle, obviously thrown out of one of the cars. A situation like this usually ends up with 3 to 5 laps under the yellow and everyone (who wants to) pitting. This changes the strategy and dynamics of the race and could be blamed on a driver (at least in my mind!) Why does NASCAR treat an obvious and possibly planned strategy as it does? In my opinion, they should check/clear the track as necessary and get back to racing with the pits closed all the time during that yellow.
Unless there is video of a driver doing something blatant, there really is no way to know where debris came from. It could have been a water bottle out of the stands. I know in the past drivers have tried to tear off pieces of roll bar padding and throw them out windows to cause a caution. Sometimes they got away with it, and sometimes they got caught. Wasn’t it Carl Edwards that got busted a few years ago for this? Either way, I don’t think NASCAR is going to start saying which caution periods you can and can’t pit during. If they did, people would probably start saying that NASCAR was only allowing teams to pit during a certain caution because it benefited a Dale Jr. or a Jimmie Johnson. -T.C.
11. From Ben:
Now that the #48 and #5 have passed NASCAR extended tech inspection 3 weeks in a row has Jack Roush backed off on his “Hendrick is cheating” rant. Reminds me his “Tiregate” accusations…
Jack Roush is a little like Felix Sabates. He likes to open his mouth from time to time and complain or just say generally outlandish things. He’s Jack Roush though and he can get away with it. – Journo
12. From Chris:
If JPM were to win the Championship would this give F1 fans bigger egos about being better drivers?
I don’t think so. I think it would be a testament to Juan’s talent though. – Journo