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When the dust finally settled on Sunday, there didn’t appear to be a single car without some damage.  Martinsville is known for beating and banging, but what we saw in the Cup race was seriously ramped up.  All race long it was every driver for themselves, and it didn’t seem to matter for some who got in the way.  If this intensity continues for the remaining races, we could be in for one hell of a finish to the season.

Some drivers have been complaining in recent months that there seems to be a lot less give and a lot more take on the race track.  Instead of riding around for the first part of the race and settling things in the last 50 or 100 laps, some drivers are racing hard from the drop of the green flag.  For race fans, it’s what we hope for.  It creates drama and conflict, and we want to see hard racing from start to finish.  But for drivers who are used to that give and take, it can be very frustrating.

Another phenomenon that seems to be waning is the way non-Chase drivers drive around Chase drivers.  For a while, it seemed that those on the outside would handle those on the inside with kid gloves.  A non-Chase driver didn’t want to be involved in an accident that ended a Chase driver’s chances.  That certainly didn’t happen on Sunday (see Brian Vickers vs. Matt Kenseth).  Drivers on the outside, while not racing for a championship, still have much to race for, and many are finally starting to learn this.

Over the next day or so, Brian Vickers is going to catch a lot of hell over the way he drove.  He certainly did a nice job of hitting everything but the pace car.  But he wasn’t the only offender on Sunday.  Plenty of drivers used the chrome horn to move a competitor out of the way, and many of the moved ended up wadded up.  This week, the high speeds of Texas will probably keep the contact and retaliation at bay.  But don’t forget Phoenix is right around the corner…

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As we get ready for Darlington this week, pit crew coaches across the sport are preparing their crews for what will be a busy night of work.  The Lady in Black is a unique track and it creates a lot of challenges for the teams.  From it’s abrasive surface and looming walls, to it’s uncommon shape, Darlington always demands a lot from the pit crews.

Since the track was repaved in 2008, the surface hasn’t been quite as hard on tires as it had been previously.  Fresh asphalt and a smoother surface are the reasons why.  But as the asphalt continues to age, it will start to return to it’s historically abrasive self.  This means lap times are sure to fall off quickly as the tires wear, which will place a large premium on fresh tires.  Drivers and crew chiefs will want to take advantage of every opportunity to come get four fresh skins, and that equates to a lot of pit stops.  With fuel mileage already dictating somewhere in the neighborhood of eight pit stops, you can be sure pit road is going to be a busy place all night.

Just like we saw last weekend at Richmond, this weekend’s race will start in the early evening, and end late under the lights.  As the race progresses, you’ll see the handling characteristics of the cars change based on the track’s conditions.  The teams build adjustability into the cars, especially on nights like this, so they can keep up with the changing race track.  And it will be on the pit crews to execute those changes.  Besides bolting on four fresh tires, crews will be making trackbar and wedge adjustments, pushing in and pulling out spring rubbers, possibly adding grill tape, and adding or removing front shims.  A stop without some sort of adjustment becomes the exception, not the norm, even for the fast cars.

If there is one thing everybody always remembers about this track, it’s that famous “Darlington Stripe.”  The fastest way around the track requires the cars to run right up against the wall through the corners, and that leads to plenty of chances for drivers to hit said wall.  Besides making adjustments and changing tires, many pit crews will be tasked with fixing and clearing bent sheet metal from these brushes with the red and white retaining wall.  Darlington is a fast race track, and aerodynamics are important here.  Damaged front fenders will make any race car handle poorly on a fast track.

The pit work I’ve talked about in this post is not really any different than what is expected out of teams on a weekly basis, but Darlington seems to amp up the importance.  Whoever comes home with the win on Saturday night (and Friday night) will most certainly have had a very good night on pit road.  Why? Because the Lady in Black always seems to penalize mistakes just a little bit more.

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One Chase race down, nine to go.  It’s Wednesday again, so if you’ve got questions, we try really hard to have answers.  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 Pat:

Simple question: what tool do the pit crews typically use to pry the fenders up off the tire after contact? Is it just a pry bar or something more specialized? Thanks!

Teams use everything from their hands, to hammers and baseball bats, to specialized tools.  Roush has a fender rolling tool they developed some years back that some teams use. – T.C.

2. From Ric:

I have heard that the Michael Waltrip we see on TV is not the real Michael Waltrip. That he just plays the country boy / hick  / hillbilly /  country bumpkin /  image. Any truth to that? Are other drivers out there that are totally different on TV / in front of the fans, then they are in real life / behind the scenes?

I think to some extent the TV side of Michael you see isn’t real.  He’s not quite as funny and goofy as he’d like you to think he is.  And I think because of how corporate NASCAR has become, drivers are more polished when they are on TV and in front of the fans.  They are going to be a little different when they are just around friends or their teams and can loosen the collar a bit. – T.C.

3. From Matt:

What plans does Hendrick have for Landon Cassill? I thought he would have been a perfect driver for the 88 car in NW.

I honestly don’t know of any plans. I believe he is still doing testing for Hendrick and he is running some dirt modified races, but as far as next year goes, I haven’t heard anything. I too think Landon would have been a good candidate for that ride, but with Bires you get someone with a bit more experience and a little bit more assurance. – Journo

4. From Steve:

Each team has their tires for the race laid out in rows behind the pit box. Is there anything to this, are the tires in any particular order?  Or is a tire a tire?  And while I saw pressures being checked before the race, are pressures double checked just before they’re used?

Before the race, all sets of tires will be numbered and then will be used in the race according to a specific order.  The tire specialists will match tires according to stagger, and strategy will dictate which order the sets are used (for example, when to use stickers and when to use scuffs). – T.C.

5. From Kenny:

What do you hear about the #9’s engine? I kinda wonder if someone who was upset about the lay-off notices at RPM might have just forgotten to tighten a bolt, or fasten a nut…

We actually heard it was a broken crankshaft that did Kahne in. Honestly I can see where all the conspiracy theories are coming from, but it’s just not true. Not only would the sabotage have had to have been the greatest the sabotage ever (he makes it 66 laps, qualifying and several practice sessions?), but despite many of these guys probably losing their jobs at the end of the season, they are still looking at bonuses if Kahne wins the championship. In the end they would only be hurting themselves. I honestly believe it was nothing more than a coincidence. – Journo

6. From Amy:

My question revolves around Tony Stewart’s loose (broken?)  axle cap at Louden. One of the announcers said during the broadcast that they probably didn’t even need to bother to fix it? If that is they case why did the team take the time (losing positions) to fix the issue?

The rear axles actually have two caps.  The first is a flat cap that actually holds the axle in the tube.  The second cap screws to the first cap and is a cone shape.  It aids the tire carriers in indexing the new tires during pit stops.  The cap that gave Stewart trouble was the outer, cone shaped cap.  It sounded like the screws were not tightened properly and came loose.  Not fixing the loose cap wouldn’t have led to any mechanical failures, but it would have made subsequent pit stops very difficult for the rear tire carrier, probably resulting in slow pit stops. – T.C.

7. From Amy:

Here is another question I just thought of- this one is directed more towards T.C.  In the last two races, two different crew members have sustained hits on pit road during stops.  In this article on NASCAR.COM (http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/features/09/22/five.things.dwayne.moore.dreutimann/index.html) Dwayne Moore (hit by Tony Stewart at Richmond) mentions  that drivers who hit crew members should get penalized (he specifically mentions tail end). Do you think this is a good idea? When you are over the wall how much trust do you put in the drivers around your pitstall? Is there a way to make it safer?

It might not be a bad thing to consider.  If drivers knew they would be penalized for hitting a guy, they might be more careful.  But the problem is, is none of these incidents happen on purpose.  Drivers aren’t trying to hit guys.  These end up being wrong place, wrong time type of situations and there just isn’t enough time for either party to react quickly enough.  When I’m over the wall, I just have to hope that my guys around me will watch my back and that the drivers are paying attention.  But part of doing what we do is knowing that there is a chance you could get hit.  That is why we now wear firesuits and helmets. – T.C.

8. From Doug:

I feel the new restart rule in the cup series has had an unexpected fall out. It seems now since the lap down cars don’t get any air time (by starting on the inside of the front runners), that sponsors are pulling out and will continue to do so. Since NNWS has gone to this rule you’ll start seeing this trend also.

I’m not really sure what evidence there is of this. I can promise the recent announcements by Jack and Jim had nothing to do with the restart rule. Other than them, I can’t think of any sponsors at any level pulling out. The TV the back markers get really wasn’t all that great before the restart rule, and still remains not great. TV exposure while important, is not the only reason a company sponsors a Cup car though. I don’t think the restart rule has/will have any effect on sponsorships. – Journo

9. From red8814:

Hey TC, when a car ends up backwards in the pit like Ragan did this past weekend, are there any changes in who does what on the stop?  Also, can you extend our “get well soon!” thoughts to Clint Pittman?  You guys in the pits don’t get enough credit for everything you do in the middle of that chaos!

Teams will usually keep their positions, but the problem lies in the tires.  With fronts now in the rear, the rears now in the front, and the sides swapped, guys have to be real careful about knowing which tires they are putting on.  They end up needing to swap tires front to rear, and left to right. – T.C.

10. From ronfrankl via Twitter:

Which teams are likely to have sponsorship issues in the closing weeks of the season? Any teams that might fold?

None that I’m aware of before the end of the season. As far as next season goes, look to those teams, even individually within bigger organizations, that have lost sponsors or are having trouble finding sponsorship. Most of those problems are ones that have been well publicized. – Journo

11. From 4wide via Twitter:

With 5 tracks in the Chase that have lights, why only one Saturday night race and the rest on Sunday against the NFL?

I think this is simple. ABC needs something to go against the NFL on Sundays and they have NASCAR. While in a lot of situations the NFL game is going to do better than the NASCAR race, it will still give ABC a formidable NFL opponent. – 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!