Jun 30th, 2011 by T.C.
Deal making at the restrictor plate tracks is not a new phenomenon. The drivers are constantly working through spotters and crew chiefs to find that always important “dancing partner.” In this new era of the tandem draft however, finding the right guy to work with most likely will mean the difference between a chance at winning and running in the back. As important as these deals are however, believing that the drivers have already found their partner is ludicrous. Any deals made before the race aren’t worth the paper they weren’t written on.
Why am I calling BS on these deals? Because once the green flag drops, all that talk goes out the window. Especially from the beginning of the race, the drivers’ drafting partners will be limited by who they qualify near. If driver X qualifies on the pole, and his pre-planned drafting partner starts 35th, there’s no way that deal happens. That’s not to say that those two may not hook up later in the race, but it certainly won’t happen at the start. You can be sure that once the field is across the line, guys will start pairing up almost immediately, deal or no deal.
Now, where deal making will really matter is after qualifying. If teammates or other possible partners qualify near each other, than those initial deals can be worked out. And obviously guys will try and work together as much as possible through the race, but pit stops and cautions will play a role in who is able to actual stay working together.
Since we are talking about pit stops I also want to point out that drafting partners, while certainly vital at speed, will also be very important for pit stops. Since there are no big packs anymore, drivers can’t just pit with everyone else and expect to stay with the field. If they don’t make a deal and pit with their partner, they risk losing the draft and going laps down.
As the weekend progresses, you will no doubt hear plenty about all the deals made and broken. And you can be sure the drivers will be burning up those radios and their new found ability to talk to multiple drivers, both inside and outside their own teams.
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