It’s been a big week for change in the NASCAR world. In the span of a few days we’ve had Kelly Bires get replaced at Jr. Motorsports and Kasey Kahne announce his defection from RPM to join Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. And it’s funny, because I heard somebody say early in the week that it was a slow news week because the John Wes Townley story was getting some decent run. Besides the big changes you’ve been hearing about all over the place, this time of year means other changes for teams too.
The changes I’m referring to are those that happen within the teams. When the season starts, many teams have new faces. Sometimes that might mean one or two new guys, and in other cases it means the whole team. But as we get through the first few races of the season, team management expects those new faces, and the old ones, to start having some chemistry.
Let me give you an example. Every pit crew guy knows that he is only as good as his last race. An established guy can go from being comfy in his job, to on the street real quick. It only takes a few missteps on pit road to get the ax. Through the first few races of the season, coaches and crew chiefs understand that there is going to be a bit of a transition period going from the off season to running races every weekend. It will take the pit crews a few races to work out the small kinks and to get really comfortable together. But once we start getting into the fourth, fifth, and sixth races, the important people expect those kinks to get worked out. If they don’t get fixed, heads will roll. We’ve seen a few of these changes across all three series already this year, and its only April.
Pit crew guys aren’t the only ones at risk either. One story this week that didn’t get a ton of attention was Roush Fenway Racing making a crew chief change for young Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Crew chief Ben Leslie was replaced by Mike Kelley, who himself had been replaced by Drew Blickensderfer earlier in the season atop Carl Edwards’ NNS pit box. Leslie will now move into the role of Nationwide Series Competition Director for RFR, the position most recently held by Kelley. If a driver/crew chief combination isn’t working, team owners like Jack Roush are not going to wait long to make a change. There is too much at stake. Especially with a young driver, Roush wants to know if these kids have what it takes to get it done. Pairing Stenhouse with a veteran guy like Kelley should make that picture a little clearer.
As the saying says, the only constant is change. And change is certainly on. Teams are trying to get better every week, and Kahne’s move signals the start of yet another Silly Season.
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With the first off weekend of the season in the rear view, we head to Thunder Valley this week. The Cup cars are getting some spoiler testing in before they leave for Bristol, and while they do we have more questions and answers for you. 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 Ric:
TC, when you are (un)tightening lugs, what is it you look for, feel for, listen for, etc. before you move on to the next?
It’s really all about feel. When you go to your local tire shop, you can hear what an impact sounds like when the lugnuts are really tight. That noise is the gun ratcheting over. For the good changers, you will never hear the gun ratchet over like that. We just want to stay on the nuts long enough that they are just tight. Don’t stay on long enough, and they will be loose, stay on too long, and you won’t be able to get them off on the next stop. After you’ve been doing pitstops for several years, your brain and your hands just know when to move to the next. – T.C.
2. From Lee:
I know that the drivers get to fly in private jets to and from races. What about the crew? Do they fly commercial or ride in the hauler? Do they usually travel together, or are they on their own to make it to the racetrack?
It depends on the team. Some teams have their guys fly commercial, others have private jets they fly their teams on. TC has actually written a couple of posts on the subject here and here (this one includes links to pictures of team planes). Teams like Roush, Hendrick, RCR, etc all have planes (Roush actually has 2 Boeing 727s); teams like Front Row fly commercial. For smaller teams, when the track is within driving distance, they’ll often make their guys drive – this is especially the case in lower series. They don’t ride in the truck though, they take vans. – Journo
3. From djones:
My question is regarding templates. In LV Robby Gordon’s car didn’t fit the template. If he has same at shop, why didn’t it? Same thing happened to JJ Cobb in ATL. Template didn’t fit. BTW, I don’t know which ones they were. Can templates get warped somehow? Does hot/cold affect them? Are any tolerances allowed? Thanks TC & Journo.
Templates are made of aluminum, and while I don’t know the chemical properties of aluminum, I don’t believe they really distort. Whenever cars are run through templates though, they are always in the shade. There are certain areas that NASCAR will let teams slide on if the template doesn’t quite fit. They may pass you, but tell you to fix it for next week. On top of that, NASCAR does allow for some tolerances on templates. If you ever make it to a track like Daytona, where the inspection areas are visible, you will see the officials use a small gauge that measures the tolerance between the template and the body. – T.C.
4. From Rick:
I’m a huge fan of Bill Elliott. Is he very respected in the garage and If given a good car, do you think he could win again?
My answer is yes and probably not. It’s hard not to have a lot of respect for Bill Elliott. He’s a good guy and great race car driver. While he is still pretty good with Wood Brothers (which doesn’t have bad equipment), I have a hard time seeing him make a Mark Martin like return to full-time competition. Remember Mark, even during his part-time seasons, remained very competitive. Bill has been OK, but just hasn’t had that spark since he retired from full-time competition. – Journo
5. From yankeegranny:
I am surprised that crew chiefs don’t do more to see that their drivers lead a lap during the pit stop sequences. A case in point, if JR had lead laps in the second and third races, he would be in the top 12 instead of sitting in 13th, In the first 26 races leading a lap in every race(not likely, but possible,) a driver could accumulate an additional 130 points, Now that is not chump change in anyone’s book. I want to throw something at the tv, everytime JR gets up to 3rd or 4th during pit stops and Lance tells him pit this lap, instead of telling him to lead a lap and then pit.
All of this sounds good, but it doesn’t always work out that a team can lead a lap during pit stops. It really depends on how far the car can go on fuel, and how much time a car is giving up on old tires to a car on new tires. Lance McGrew isn’t going to leave Dale Jr. on track to lead a lap if there is a chance he may run out of fuel. Five bonus points in that situation isn’t worth screwing up the whole race. The reasoning is the same for tires. If Dale Jr. is out front on old tires, and tires fall off a ton, somebody on new tires will be able to make up a ton of track position. When this is the case, when Jr. does finally pit, he will be further behind then he was before the sequence of pit stops. – T.C.
6. From Richard:
Why doesn’t Nascar make the wing or spoiler hinge against a stop so when the car goes backwards it just flips over and has no lift when going backwards.
I’m no engineer, but this sounds like something that wouldn’t be too reliable. I question whether or not it would work every time, or whether it would work like it should. Likewise a fixed wing and spoiler allow NASCAR to ensure equality among the teams; a revolving spoiler or wing would probably leave some room for fudging. It seems to me, having a fixed wing or spoiler is just a whole lot easier. – Journo
7. From Joe:
Can you give us an idea of exactly where the restrictor plate is located, perhaps using a quick diagram of the car? Also, how has the restrictor plate changed this year? What are the restrictor plate tracks? Can you also give us a rough estimate of the speed difference of a car with the restrictor plate and without?
The restrictor plate is located on top of the engine, in between the carburetor and the intake manifold. I found an image that illustrates the location here. NASCAR made the holes in the restrictor plate a little bigger this season, so the engines will have more horsepower. Restrictor plates are only used at Daytona and Talladega. In May of 1987, Bill Elliott sat on the pole at Talladega with an average speed around the 2.66 mile track of 212.809 mph without any restrictions. A year later at Talladega, with a restrictor plate with 1″ holes, Davey Allison sat on the pole with a speed of 198.696 mph. This season at Daytona, Mark Martin sat on the pole with a speed of 191.188 mph. So the restrictor plate does definitely slow the cars down quite a bit. – 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!
Just less than a month after NASCAR veteran Larry Carter joined Robby Gordon Motorsports as a “consultant” we are hearing he has been named crew chief of the #7 team. Carter would take over the spot from Iain Watt who has been in the position since January.
Gordon and his team have struggled this season, averaging just a 34th place finish. On top of that they are in a precarious owner points situation. With one race to go before this season’s points take effect, Gordon sits 38th. Given his average qualifying position (38.8), without the guaranteed starting spot he runs the risk of not making races.
That struggle with performance coupled with RGM’s history of crew chief longevity (or lack thereof) make this move less than surprising.
Over the last few seasons Robby Gordon has had a staggering number of guys on top of the box. Since 2005 Doug Richert, Peter Sospenzo, Kirk Almquist, Frank Kerr, Gene Nead, Walter Giles, Bob Temple and Greg Erwin (in no particular order) have all come and gone.
Many throughout the sport have their opinions about the organization and the reasons for the high turnover. Gordon’s demeanor has been blamed, as has his unrelenting control over the team. Beyond second hand information though I unfortunately can’t give a comprehensive explanation.
Obviously Gordon has a drive and passion for racing that few others around the world of motorsports have. That said, his Cup operation has problems. There is absolutely no reason why any team should go through the number of crew chiefs his has gone through. All of the guys who have held the position are competent team managers (most have wins, one has a championship) so you’d think one of them would have clicked.
At this point the team would be well served to do some self reflection. Without some changes in the very near future I would be willing to bet Larry Carter and Iain Watt won’t be the last guys to hold the title of crew chief at Robby Gordon Motorsports.
In order to be successful on race day, crew members must all be on the same page. Knowing what to expect for the upcoming 500 miles (or laps… or kilometers) can mean the difference between winning or finishing second. Teams have gotten so big now, and have so many moving parts, that it’s vital for everyone to be as prepared as possible. And the last chance to get everyone together before the race starts, is the closed-to-the-public pre-race meeting.
It happens every weekend. About an hour before the green flag drops, crew members will disappear into team haulers for this all important meeting. In it, crew chiefs will go over a variety of important information for the day, and many will give pep talks.
The information shared during these meetings often includes things like when the first pit stop will be and how far the car can go on gas, what adjustments the pit crew can maybe expect to make during the race, an update of the weekend’s happenings and how the car is running, a minute-by-minute schedule of pre-race activities (generators pushed off pit road, National Anthem, start your engines, etc), any post race tasks that need to be completed, and a variety of other topics.
Just like every good leader (especially in sports) many crew chiefs will also take this time to pump their guys up for the day’s activities. Pit crews will be reminded to be smooth and accurate, and watch each other’s backs. If they were good the week before, the boss will tell you to keep it up. If you weren’t so good the week before, he’ll encourage you to stick to your fundamentals. And behind-the-wall guys will be reminded to be prepared at all times for any situation.
Once the information has been relayed, and nobody has any questions, the team will break and crew members will go about getting changed into firesuits and completing any remaining pre-race jobs. Then, it’s go time.
Farewell Suitcase Jake We were all saddened today to hear that the sport had lost one of it’s legends. “Suitcase” Jake Elder, who led some of the best drivers in NASCAR’s history, died at the age of 73. He had been in declining health ever since suffering a stroke a few years ago. During his long career, Elder sat atop the pit box for legends like David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Benny Parsons, and Fred Lorenzen. He also helped Dale Earnhardt win the 1979 Rookie of the Year. For more on Elder, check out this piece by SPEEDTV.com’s Mike Hembree.
It was announced Wednesday that effective immediately, Todd Parrott would be replacing Drew Blickensderfer as crew chief for Matt Kenseth. The Crown Royal team finished eighth at Daytona, and I think the move has surprised some fans and maybe even some media folks. But with what happened last season, and what it took the 17 team to finish eighth at Daytona, the move might not be so shocking.
It’s been well documented that Kenseth and Blickensderfer got off to one hell of a start in 2009. In their first two races together, the duo scored two wins; Daytona and California. After those first two though, the team struggled for most of the rest of the season and failed to make the Chase. It was the first time in the Chase era that Kenseth wasn’t a part of NASCAR’s playoffs.
Fast forward to the 2010 season and this weekend’s Daytona 500. In the race he’d won just one year earlier, Kenseth struggled mightily with the handling of his car. He did however manage to bring home a top ten finish with the aid of a few green-white-checkered restarts and some good pit crew work. But, as they say, it was no picnic.
Over the course of the race, the 17 team made a number of changes to the car to help the handling including wedge adjustments, air pressure, track bar, a shim change, spring rubbers, and finally, a shock change! Not exactly how you hope one of these races goes.
In the Cup Series, especially for a team that expects to contend for the Championship every year, the setup of the car has got to be pretty close when the green flag drops. To make that many changes during the race, including two new front shocks is not good. By the time Sunday rolls around, the setup should only require small tweaks to keep up with the changing conditions during the race. Wholesale changes, like those that it took to get the Crown Royal Ford competitive, make Blickensderfer look incompetent.
I believe last year’s performances, together with how the Daytona 500 played out for Kenseth & Co. spelled the end for Blickensderfer. It was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.” Something tells me the meeting with Mr. Roush this week was not so pleasant. And crew chief changes after a situation like this are not necessarily something new for “The Cat in the Hat.”
The whole thing really is a shame too, because as bad as it looks for Blickensderfer, he is not an incompetent crew chief. You don’t win in the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series for Jack Roush if you don’t know what you’re doing. But obviously something just wasn’t clicking between driver and crew chief and it was time to make a change.
This weekend at California Speedway While this weekend’s stop in Fontana, CA is usually not an anticipated one for fans and the teams (see California Doesn’t Deserve A Cup Date), I think this Sunday’s Cup race will be an intriguing one to watch.
The Daytona 500 is always a bit of a crap shoot, and often, teams that might not be contenders can find a way to run well. You can thank the restrictor plates for that.
But this race should be a fairly good litmus test for who might really be strong this year. Plenty of teams think they’ve made the necessary changes to compete again (see RCR, RFR) and this weekend will be their first opportunity show it.
California will be the first of many speedway races that will be run this season, and it’s tracks like this that will make or break a driver’s season. If you can’t run well at places like this, you can’t expect to finish well in the points.
Is Dale Jr. actually on the rise? Will the down teams from last year come back? Will Jimmie run away with a fifth straight Cup? Sunday’s Auto Club 500 will be our first opportunity to start piecing together the puzzle that is the 2010 season.
It seems that everywhere you go in Mooresville, or really the entire Charlotte area for that matter, you always seem to run into somebody who works in racing. Those of you who read this blog that live in and around Charlotte will know what I’m talking about. And maybe it is something that shouldn’t surprise me with as big of a community as NASCAR is and how concentrated the area is with racing people, but it always does.
I was out with my significant other recently, and as we walked into the restaurant for a nice dinner, I spotted a very well known Cup Series crew chief. He was out with his family and blending in quite nicely. Shockingly enough , he wasn’t decked out head to toe in his race gear (we do have normal clothes too), so I doubt anybody even recognized who he was. I wonder though, if certain folks were out and about in other cities if they would be recognized.
After thinking about this, and wondering about these guys being recognized, I’ve come to believe there are probably two types of people in Charlotte. There are those who are into racing, recognize people, but leave them alone and let them be normal people. And the rest aren’t into racing and are clueless to those around them. I guess maybe there is a third group who do approach these guys, but I’m guessing it’s small.
In Mooresville specifically, it seems that you run into or see somebody all the time. From seeing NASCAR officials in the Target store, to filling up at the gas station next to a driver, or running into another crew buddy at a bar. Even when we are away from the track, we can’t stay away from one another!
I would imagine that being in certain places in Los Angeles would warrant similar sightings for actors, as would hanging out in Nashville for country singers. If you want to be in or around NASCAR, Charlotte is the center of the Universe.
So if you don’t live here, and happen to make it once to attend a race or visit some shops, here is some advice. When you are out and about, keep your eyes peeled, because you never know who you might see or run into! Just remember to be respectful.
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.
You may not realize it, but while the 2009 season still isn’t officially over yet, preparations for 2010 have already begun. One area that teams will spend the last few races working on, is changes to their pit crews.
To the untrained eye, it may appear to be business as usual for your favorite driver on pit road. The car comes in, four tires go on, the car leaves. But many teams take the opportunity to use these last couple of races to plug some new crew guys into their teams and see how they fare. Do they gel with the existing crew guys? Are they rattled by the pressure? Could they make it next year? These are all questions teams are trying to answer.
You won’t usually see this from the Chasers, but many teams outside the Chase will tinker. It is inevitable that some guys will stay with their current teams, while others are looking to move on. And some will be looking for a new spot involuntarily. Either way, the teams need to find new guys to fill those holes. These races can give them that chance to see what a guy, or guys, has.
Besides lateral movement within a series, these races also give teams a chance to see some younger guys in action. Maybe a guy is brought up from the Truck Series to the Nationwide Series, or from the Nationwide Series to the Cup Series. Crew chiefs and pit crew coaches can see first hand if a younger, inexperienced guy might be ready to move up the ranks. Some will thrive, while others will need more time to mature.
When you watch any of the races this weekend, the Cup race in particular, be on the lookout for helmets on pit crew guys that don’t match the rest of the crew. Often times, a gray helmet on a team means a new guy is involved. And if you really know your favorite driver’s team well, take a look at each crew member. Do you recognize every face? In many cases, I’ll bet you will be able to spot some fresh faces. It’s just another example of how teams are always working to be better for the future.
I’m going to go on a rant here, so I apologize in advance, but this is something that has bothered me since I started as a tire changer. When young guys finally get their first opportunities to jack, carry, and change they usually end up on Truck Series and some of the smaller Nationwide Series teams. But many are over-matched and under-experienced for the situations they are put into. And often times they will make mistakes that will cost their teams positions on pit road. But instead of letting them make a mistake and learn from it, often times crew chiefs and managers are quick on the trigger and will fire a guy for one mistake. That sucks.
The biggest element to success for a young crew guy is confidence. He has to not only have the skills to do his job, but he has to KNOW he has the skills to do his job when he steps off the wall. If he is hesitant or worries about making mistakes, odds are that is exactly what will happen. Firing kids for making one mistake isn’t exactly confidence inspiring.
What I don’t think some of these crew chiefs and boss people understand, is that no pit crew guy is ever going to be perfect. No changer is going to hit exactly 20 lugs on every pit stop. No carrier is going to stud every wheel. And no jackman is going to hit every post. It’s just not possible. But what sets the really good guys apart from everyone else is the ability to not only minimize those mistakes, but also recover from them.
A tire changer who hangs a lug nut on the right side needs to realize that the mistake cost him time, but that he can’t make it back up. Finish the stop the right way, and then forget it ever happened. If the changer dwells on the mistake and beats himself up over it, he’s not going to be prepared for the next stop. When he goes to start hitting lug nuts again, he’s going to be worrying about hanging a lug. And often times, he’ll end up hanging another one, or worse.
The turnover that some of these teams experience with their pit crews is because of this exact reason. They end up going through a ton of guys over the course of the season and they can never figure out why their pit stops are slow. They are slow because your guys never work together long enough to build that chemistry that is necessary to be really good.
On top of that, I wonder how many guys have given up because of these experiences. They maybe screw up a couple of times, get fired off deals, and then decide this isn’t for them. When in reality, if somebody would have just given them a chance to get a little experience and learn how to deal with adversity, maybe they could have had a solid career.
Before I end this, keep in mind that in many cases, guys do deserve to get fired. Multiple mistakes, especially if it’s the same mistake, warrant a change. And having a crappy attitude and lame excuses won’t get guys anywhere. I just wish that in those cases where it’s not necessarily warranted, teams would give these kids a chance. You never know, they just might surprise the hell out of you.
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.