Heading to Talladega this weekend, we are getting ready to bear witness to a couple of newer phenomenon in NASCAR competition. The first of course is the new style restrictor-plate racing that dominated the day at Daytona in February. The tandem drafting will most likely be the name of the game again on both Saturday and Sunday at ‘Dega. And the second I’m referring to is the ability that drivers now have to talk to each other during the race. Racing Radios and Racing Electronics can now program systems in which the drivers can jump from their own radio frequency to that of another driver and actually communicate during the race. We saw it happen at Daytona because it allowed the drivers to better navigate the tandem drafting, but I’m not sure if it’s something that should be happening.
Some teams have had setups in the past where teammates could switch over their radios and talk to each other, but it didn’t happen often, and when it did it was usually under caution or at superspeedways. Now though, some drivers will have as many as 15-20 different drivers they will be able to talk directly with during the race.
I understand why some find it necessary, as with the tandem drafting and the “switch” that must take place periodically it can make things easier. But I question if discussing strategy and talking with competing drivers is really in tune with the spirit of competition. It can also create problems for spotters, crew chiefs, and crews.
Just as an example, when driver A jumps over to driver B’s channel, he can no longer hear radio traffic from his own channel. Any information that needs to be conveyed to the driver from the crew and crew chief must now be relayed through the spotters. It adds a level of complication to making adjustment and pit strategy calls that probably isn’t necessary. I’m wondering how long it will be before a driver needs to pit, or is calling out adjustments he needs to his crew, but isn’t on the right radio channel. Chaos will most certainly ensue.
For the spotters, when drivers are hooked together, we’ve seen that usually the lead car’s spotter will end up spotting both cars. This effectively eliminates the immediate need for half the spotters stand. The half that aren’t working however, must still continue spotting their race car, as their driver could return to his own radio channel at any moment. It’s a very odd situation to listen to.
Besides the communication issues, I also wonder if spending time and focus switching radio channels while at speed is the right thing for drivers to be doing. Racing at Daytona and Talladega is hard enough without having to worry about what radio channel you are on. This gives me a driving while talking/texting vision.
You won’t often read a blog post by us that doesn’t have a clear cut opinion, but I have to say that I’m really on the fence with this one. I certainly understand the reasons why the drivers are doing it, but I also have clear reservations.
Thoughts?
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There is no question that in order to have success in racing, a team needs to have both a great driver and a great crew chief. We are witnessing one such pair right now with Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. Apart, they are both good enough that they would probably still have success, but together they are seemingly unstoppable. There is no question that the really great drivers are able to do more with less, and there are instances of great crew chiefs making okay drivers look great. But for a team to be considered elite, they need to have both. So my question to you is, what is harder to find, a great driver or a great crew chief?
The success of NASCAR over the last few decades has ensured that there is no shortage of talent coming up on America’s race tracks. Kids are getting into racing at younger ages, and parents are leveraging their own assets to help fund their kids’ dreams. The days of drivers making it to the big leagues on talent alone are probably over, which makes finding the cream of the crop very difficult. Now, unless a driver is bringing funding to the table, most owners won’t even bother.
Finding really great crew chiefs is no simple task either. In today’s NASCAR, crew chiefs aren’t head mechanics anymore. They need to know everything there is about the race car, be able to effectively strategize for every possible outcome of a race, and be somebody who others will follow. Crew chiefs also need to serve as a cheerleader for their driver and make effective personnel decisions. In order to find the best guy for the job, owners will search high and low both inside and outside of their own organizations. He may come from the engineering department with a great resume, or he could be the young kid sweeping the floors. We’ve literally seen it all.
So knowing what we know about both drivers and crew chiefs, which is more difficult to find? That great steering wheel holder, or the guy he yells at on the radio?
By now, I’m sure most of you have heard the audio from Bristol earlier in the season where Lance McGrew keys his mic and tells Dale Jr. to not lay down on him. The team was facing some adversity with track position, and McGrew was afraid Dale Jr. had thrown in the towel for the race. In typical Earnhardt fashion, Jr. responds angrily with a few choice words for his crew chief, and tells him not to talk about this stuff on the radio. While it may have been a stupid thing to say, McGrew’s fears were not unfounded. There are plenty of drivers out there who, when faced with adversity, will just plain give up.
I’m not going to name any names in this post, but I’m sure if you pay attention to the drivers and get to listen to some scanner audio, you could probably figure it out for yourself. To me personally, there isn’t a bigger sin in any form of competition than to give up. If somebody is just going to give up when the going gets tough, then they shouldn’t be be competing.
I don’t know at what point a driver decides that this is okay behavior, but somewhere along the way some decide that unless the car is handling perfect and the race is playing out in their favor, they can lay down. It’s sort of a “well since the car sucks and we aren’t going to win anyway, I don’t need to try” attitude. For those who work long hours and bust their asses to build race cars, it’s pretty much a giant slap in the face.
What’s interesting to note about drivers and adversity, is that while some choose to give up, there are others who fight harder. That’s the guy I want to work with. It’s a horrible cliche, but “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” describes these guys. We’ve seen plenty of times over the years where a driver got flat, or had a bad pit stop, or was involved in a wreck, only to fight back and finish top ten, top five, or even win.
The fact that this happens at all really makes me ill. It makes me feel bad for the guys that work on the teams with these drivers. How do you possibly stay motivated to perform at your best when you know your driver is just out there riding around waiting for the race to end?
So to all the race drivers out there, remember that it’s not just about you. If you want max effort from your crew all the time, then you should give them nothing less than max effort behind the wheel. Anything less is unacceptable.
Nothing like a little drama to make things interesting. After a very interesting finish to the Pocono weekend, the Trucks and Cup cars head to Michigan this week, while the Nationwide cars take to Kentucky Speedway. This week’s 78th edition of ATIW is a full one, so we’ll get to it. 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:
With regards to Burton Smith’s $20M offer. I’m wondering if it would be possible, since the Indy winner would not have time to hang around to do interviews, photo shoots, etc. Would the sponsors just say, NO?
I think you could probably work it out to do all of that stuff the following day. That said, I just don’t think it would be feasible to do it. Tony Stewart was the last to do it and he was so dehydrated and exhausted, he was pretty worthless for the Coke 600. If IRL and Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart couldn’t pull it off, I’m not sure who could. – Journo
2. From Kyle:
Is it possible we will ever see tracks such as Rockingham or North Wilkesboro return to NASCAR in either the Nationwide or Truck series? It would help NASCAR with the hardcore fanbase and would provide more standalone dates for the Nationwide series (making it less likely a cup driver would run all the races, plus more races for a nationwide regular to realisticaly have a shot at winning). Is this even a possibility?
Never say never, but I don’t know if NASCAR would be too interested in re-entering those areas. I agree with you, it would be fantastic to see one of those tracks back on a national series schedule, but it’s hard to see what NASCAR would boot from the schedule. You can count out any SMI or ISC tracks. And Wilkesboro is still owned by SMI and in increasingly bad shape. It’s a good idea, I just don’t think it’s on NASCAR’s radar. – Journo
3. From Allen:
What are the 2 small strips on the left front bumper? They are on top of one another, but about 2-3 inches apart. Never noticed them until practice at Pocono on Carl Edwards CHEEZ-IT car.
Those are the part numbers of the nose pieces. The nose on a Cup car is actually two pieces, and NASCAR wants the teams to leave that part number exposed when they paint the car. You should be able to spot those two strips on most of the cars. I know a few paint over it, but if there is ever a question about the nose, the team would have to sand down the paint in that spot. - T.C.
4. From Lost In Texas:
The #7 has a long history in NASCAR, Alan and Geoff to name some of the recent owner/drivers. With the #7 slipping out of the top 35 last week and missing the race this week, do you think that spells the end for one of the last owner/drivers?
Well, after the penalties come down on the #38 team, I think Robby will have a second chance at life. That said, money is going to continue to be a problem for him going forward. Without sponsorship, I don’t know if I think Robby can or will continue for much longer. The points might not necessarily kill off Robby Gordon Motorsports, but lack of sponsorship very well could. – Journo
5. From Brad:
I’m a Huge Mark Martin fan. I just want to know what’s going on with his season this year. After being fairly dominate last season.
I think it’s a mixed bag over there. You can’t say it’s been a terrible season, he hasn’t had any wins, but he’s 11th in points. His average finish is 15.2 just a tick worse than it was last season, he just hasn’t had the consistency. There is still a lot of time left, and plenty of time for the #5 team to start winning races. Don’t count them out yet. – Journo
6. From Kevin:
Hey guys, just read the article about Phil Parsons, and to be honest I didn’t know before this week that he was going to be part of the TNT telecast. Watching the race today, with the included 2 hour delay, I was pleasantly surprised with his contributions. I thought he did an awesome job and was a breath of fresh air compared to the regular guys. I hope he gets to continue. I think people are letting their negative view of start and parkers infringe on him as a TV personality. I mean, the chance that he will ever need to interview one of his teams is slim and none. I don’t see any conflict of interest, its not as though Joe Gibbs is wanting to broadcast.
The problem is, Phil Parsons being part of the broadcast is exactly like Joe Gibbs being part of the broadcast. Phil Parsons is still a team owner in the Cup Series, whether his team start and parks or not. If an issue occurs with one of his teams he will not be able to talk about it impartially. The same issue could occur with team owners Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty. It may seem petty, but I believe the fans deserve an honest and fair broadcast and they’re just not going to get every time when one of the reporters has such a financial interest in the sport. Unfortunately, this is a very incestuous business, and ESPN and TNT are only more than happy to feed into it. In my opinion whether you work as a White House correspondent for the New York Times or as a pit reporter for ESPN (and yes TNT too), you need to adhere to professionally recognized ethics standards. In other words, I’m with Daly on this on. These guys need to decide whether they want to be broadcasters or team owners. – Journo
7. From Ella:
This weekend Harvick’s crew prevented Joey from reaching Harvick on pit road. Do crews have practiced responses to driver disputes on the track or do the crews just sort of take it on themselves to intervene in some way? Is the primary goal just to keep the two separated?
There aren’t practiced responses, but there is kind of an unspoken rule that crew guys protect the drivers. It’s fine if there is just talking going on, but when it escalates, you will often see crew guys step in. – T.C.
8. From Foster:
Hey guys. I am a huge fan of the site! I was wondering, could you explain if more rubber on the track means there is more or less grip for the cars?
In most cases, more rubber on the track means better grip for the cars. As the tires wear, the soft rubber will stick to the track and create more grip. -T.C.
9. From AJ:
After watching Denny hit the wall during his burn out got me thinking about NASCAR’s thoughts on it? Will that affect how the car fits the template and if a team has a borderline item on the car could this type of incident help hide it?
Don’t forget, the cars go through tech before the race, and must fit the templates then. It would be VERY difficult for a team to alter a body during the race that would give them an advantage without NASCAR seeing it. In post race inspection, the cars aren’t required to fit the templates again. Car heights, engines, gears, and other mechanical bits are under scrutiny in those inspections. – T.C.
10. From Matt:
Where does NASCAR get all the prize money for each race? I know that sounds completely stupid, but I don’t know how they could possibly make the millions they have to pay out every week just off ticket sales and what not. Also the start and park teams shouldn’t even get any money, or at least have theirs reduced. Seeing 7 cars pull off before Lap 20 is getting really old for us fans who pay to see 43 cars race, not 36.
No, not a stupid question at all. The money comes from the TV contracts (which is the biggest piece of the pie), and sponsorship dollars through contingency programs. Now in order to get money from these contingency programs you actually have to participate in them. It’s a little bit of a complicated process so I’m going to direct to a good article written by Lee Spencer on how the process works. As far as the start and park teams go, the problem is it gets complicated to prove they’re actually doing it. From the surface it’s easy to say who’s doing it, but not worth the process to tear cars down to prove it. NASCAR doesn’t like the teams doing this either, but they’ve created an environment that allows it to happen. – Journo
11. From Ron:
TNT had some excellent incar shots at Pocono . One thing I noticed is Denny Hamlin’s has very limited rollbar padding and doesen’t appear to have the netting or other equipment above the driver that some used in the past . is this part of the current rush to take weight of the cars? And where are they shifting weight to?
Remember that the COT has a lot more room inside the car then the previous car did, and in some cases, a ton of roll bar padding isn’t necessary. Also, the amount of weight saved by removing a little bit of roll bar padding would be minimal. Plus, you don’t sacrifice driver safety for a few ounces of saved weight. NASCAR mandates what the weight distribution is from left to right and front to rear. What teams are trying to do is get the weight as low as possible. – T.C.
12. From Ric:
Saw on TV at Pocono a crew member of the 48 team was putting a left side tire over the wall. As he was putting it out as far away from the wall he could, he over extended himself. To keep from falling over the wall he put his hand (or both) down in the pit stall. My question is when is a person considered over the wall towards counting for one of the 7? What is the penalty for having too many people over the wall?
The rulebook actually makes mention of feet and actually stepping in the stall. I’m sure if the official really wanted to, he could call a penalty on the team for the guys hands being down, but most won’t. In a case like that, it was just an accident that the guy ended up over the wall. No advantage was gained. – 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!
As the #48 Lowe’s Chevy was dragged back to the garage area on Saturday night behind the wrecker, a loud roar of approval could be heard all the way to Charlotte. After a “wrong place, wrong time” incident that involved AJ Allmendinger losing his brakes and crashing hard into Jimmie Johnson, a large part of the crowd in attendance at Darlington Raceway made it known that they were glad to the see the 48 retired from the event. The reaction got me thinking, is Jimmie Johnson the new driver the fans love to hate?
Think back over your own time as a NASCAR fan. Who have been the sport’s most hated drivers? Names come to mind like Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, and the Busch brothers. What’s interesting to note about all of these guys, is just how polarizing they were and are. They would beat the brakes off the competition, wreck people, or get wrecked, and then get out of the car and whine, talk smack, or antagonize. Their attitudes and styles appealed to many, but were hated by others. We had Ironhead, Jaws, and Rusty the Whiner.
Flash forward to today, and instead of focusing their hate towards extreme personalities, fans now hate vanilla. Johnson has flat dominated NASCAR competition over the last four years, and yet he hasn’t done so much as ruffle one feather of a competitor on the track. He kicks ass, thanks his sponsors and crew, and moves on to the next track. There is no media bashing, interview flake outs, whining, or trash talk.
Besides the domination and his very moderate style, Jimmie has also come to represent to NASCAR fans all that is wrong with the sport today. Instead of the Allison’s and Cale Yarborough fighting on the back stretch at Daytona, we have drivers (like Jimmie) who are very corporate and choose their words and actions carefully. Fighting and on track clashes are entertaining, endless sponsor shout outs and boring interviews are not.
So far this season, it appears that all the Jimmie/Chad voodoo dolls might finally be working. Through eleven races, the team has already tripled it’s number of DNFs from all of 2009. Two of those having come within the last three weeks. And after some heated exchanges on the radio during Saturday night’s race, the team may be showing there are cracks in the armor.
As the season progresses, expect the cheers to get louder if Jimmie has bad luck, and the boo birds to be even more vicious if their luck is good. JJ has officially become the most hated driver in NASCAR.
Since the Cup cars will be turning left AND right this week on the road course in Sonoma, I figured we’d take a strange turn of our own here to start out Ask The Insiders Wednesday. The much talked about “guyliner” question kicks off edition #28. 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 windowlicker & Ross:
So I was sitting in Whisky River on Sunday afternoon with my friend Ross. The bartender was wearing copious amounts of guyliner. I’ve been to several NASCAR themed bars up north & the bartenders don’t wear any guyliner (at least during the day). My friend Ross says guyliner on a bartender is appropriate during the day at Whisky River because WR is edgy (it’s got a mechanical bull). I disagree, the guyliner should be saved for Friday nights when the hipsters are out, not Sunday afternoons when the real Jr. faithful are there to watch the race. What’s your guys’ take on the state of NASCAR & guyliner?
Hmm. Guyliner. Well I believe as with most things ‘to each his own.’ In my life the only men I have ever known who have seriously gone to makeup counters at department stores have been on television. Even then they weren’t buying eyeliner. Does it look a little ridiculous, in my opinion yeah. But again to each his own. - Journo
2. From Jessica:
Hi guys- love the site! After watching the Stewart/Reutimann/”Billy Bad Butt” incident at the Coca-Cola 600, I was wondering how common it is for crew members to get involved in disputes between drivers. Also, do drivers and other crew members think this sort of involvement is a good thing or a bad thing? Thanks!
I don’t know if I would say it’s a common thing, but it definitely happens. When race cars get torn up, the crew guys are naturally going to be angry, as it was their blood, sweat and tears that put those cars together. Also, a lot of crew guys will look to protect their drivers in certain situations. Some team people even encourage this. As to whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, I guess it depends on how far the situation is taken. Watching crews duke it out on pit road is probably not a good thing. - T.C.
3. From Muggs:
Where do the guys/gals that drive the motor coaches to the track stay? Do they go to a local motel until they are needed to drive the motor coaches home again?
You are right on. They get hotels nearby. Most though do spend the weekend with the coach. A lot of these guys are almost personal assistants to the drivers and their families so they are expected to be at the track all weekend. - Journo
4. From yankeegranny
I am a JR fan and am having a hard time understanding how he is running an average of 2-4 miles slower than the other HMS and SHR cars. I don’t see much difference with the new crew chief and thought the HMS had an open book with information that is shared amoung the crews. Can the driver and his driving style make that much of a difference? If it is how does the team :fix: the problem: more driver time in the simulators, practice at other tracks, setting up the cars differently back at the shop.? There really seems to be a difference between the 88 and the other HMS teams. Love your column.
Once the decision was made to make McGrew Junior’s crew chief, I certainly didn’t think there was going to be a change overnight. It is going to take time for McGrew and Junior to learn each other and what works best for setups and communication. And it’s not as simple as putting Jimmie Johnson’s setup on Dale Jr.’s car. Each driver is different in what kind of feel they want from a race car, and they may not match up. I think another big part of this situation is Junior’s confidence. He’s been struggling for so long, his confidence in his own ability has to be low. McGrew and that team need to start showing him some gains and help him get back that confidence he needs to push his race car that extra little bit. Give them some time, they will figure it out. - T.C.
5. From Walt:
Did Carl Long have the engine (that was too big) built by the Elliotts or did his team put it together from block up? One other thing, any job that i have applyed for has always had drug testing. What i am trying to say is that nobody will tell you what you are being tested for and some employers will let different things slide.
The engine was originally built for Ganassi. And Ernie was Ganassi’s engine builder, so I’m guessing his guys built it. But it was not purposely built for Long, and it wasn’t built by Long’s guys. - T.C.
6. From Ric:
A follow up question to my question last week (Insider #27, Q #14). On the various job positions teams have at the track. What are some of the more unique jobs / titles that you have heard of?
I’m not really sure on this question. Most teams have basically the same jobs, as it takes a certain mix to run a team. They may have different titles, but most of the jobs are the same, team to team. - T.C.
7. From Brian:
In a Sprint Cup car (or any of the other NASCAR series) is clutch control performed electronically (like F1) or manually? Keep up the great work.
Clutches are manual in NASCAR. There are no computer systems in today’s Cup, Nationwide, or Truck Series vehicles. - T.C.
8. From Corey:
What is the rule about entering your pitstall? I am under the assumption that you are allowed to use the pitstall directly in front of you or the enterance to the garage such as in the incident that happened to Brendan Gaughan during the Nationwide race.
The rule says drivers can’t drive through more then three stalls entering or exiting their pit stall. - T.C.
9. From Justin:
I am going to Infineon for Father’s Day. First time and I got pit passes. Any advice?
Very lucky for your first time. First and foremost if you are going to be in the pits make sure you wear closed toed shoes and long pants. They won’t let you down there if you aren’t wearing the proper attire. Be prepared at Infineon to do a lot of walking and be prepared for traffic. You may also want to consider getting a scanner and/or one a Sprint FanView. The view from pit road there and anywhere for that matter is not going to be a good one. Also be sure to bring water and sun screen as it is going to be hot and sunny. Beyond that make sure you stay out of the way and have fun! - Journo
10. From Ric:
With all the various sponsors for NASCAR and individual teams, are there certain products (tools, pop, phones, clothing, food, etc.) that you have to use, or are not allowed to use.
Most definitely. If your team is sponsored by Snap-On Tools, don’t let them catch you using a Craftsman wrench. It looks pretty bad if you are sponsored by a company, yet you are using their competitors products. It comes off like you either don’t really endorse that company, or their products aren’t good enough to use. I’m aware of teams threatening termination for crew members breaking this rule. NASCAR’s product sponsors don’t necessarily affect the teams’ product sponsors though. - T.C.
11. From Savannah:
Hey guys, as insiders in the sport, do members of the media feel the same way about some of the NASCAR reporters as the fans? I recently read an article on nascar.com and couldn’t believe that the reporter was taking the angle she did. The article involved the “bromance” between Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart. One Internet forum was alive with criticism of the reporter. As a reader, I was disappointed that the reporter choose the angle she did to write about a strong friendship. Not too mention, some of the broadcasters are just as bad. Who, in your opinion, are the best broadcasters and the most objective reporters in the NASCAR affiliated media? Of course, we know that Journo is the best reporter!! Thanks for answering this question.
There are definitely those in the garage who have more respect than others. As far as broadcasters go I like Mike Joy, Jerry Punch and Bill Weber, and most of the pit reporters for all the networks are very good at what they do. As far as other non-broadcast reporters go, I think a lot of Jenna Fryer with the AP. Of course Monte Dutton (Gaston Gazette), Ed Hinton (ESPN) and Bill Fleischman (Philadelphia Daily News) are very well regarded. The guys over at NASCAR Scene all do a good job. Really most of them do a good job objectively reporting on the sport. I think the problem we are running into is the want and need to do opinion pieces and the necessity to do honest reporting. I have mixed feelings on the subject. I think it’s necessary in this day and age to do the opinion thing, but like you pointed out it can really open up legitimate journalists to criticism. A very fine line has to be walked. Talking about “bromances” in the sport is probably not the best topic choice. - Journo
12. From Bobby#7Fan:
Several years back Benny Parsons had a standing offer to pit crews that he would pay each member $100 for a below 12 second pit stop. As I recall it was collected a few times. My question is why have pit stops slowed down? You don’t see any 12 second 4 tire stops anymore. Is it just a product of the new car?
You aren’t seeing 12 second stops during races right now for a few different reasons. The first being this new longer stud rule. It takes extra time to get the lugnuts off, and put them back on. Another is the COT. It’s a little bigger then the old car, and moving around it will add just a tick of extra time. Also, the rule NASCAR put into effect last year regarding rolling tires back to the wall has slowed stops a bit. Carriers and jackmen now have to be more careful. Actually though, 11 and 12 second stops happen every day in pit practices. - T.C.
13. From Justin C.:
How can fans get excited about races like Mich. or pocono? The only exciting thing about these races was who would run out of gas. RCR is calling for less horsepower by using restrictor plates. Why not smaller engines that would allow a decent throttle response? Increase the tank size and get rid of races being decided by gas milage. We want to see racing that is decided by the best car and driver.
I don’t know if there is a good answer to your question. I think if they put restrictor plates on the cars, the races would like a lot like they do at Talladega and Daytona. A lot of close racing, which also means a lot of wrecks. As far as fuel mileage goes, I would argue that in those cases the best car and driver did win. They did what it took to win. I think we need to realize these tracks for better or worse are on the schedule and the racing just isn’t as good as it is other places. Unfortunately it is the nature of the beast. - Journo
14. From Mike:
First, who decides what souvenir trailers come to the track, the tracks, Nascar, the teams? I was looking for Truck series merchandise and couldn’t find any and also for the ARCA series too. Second, while watching prerace pit road activities for the Truck series I noticed one of the teams (#4 to be exact) using a bug/deck sprayer throughout the pit stall spraying back and forth and along the cracks of the concrete. Were they spraying some sort of stick’em to the concrete for grip during the pitstops for the crew and the truck? This was the only team I saw doing this up and down pit road. Thanks for taking the time to read these questions and comments keep up the great work on an awesome site!!
Really, if you want to break it down to it’s most basic level, you the consumer decides what souvenir trailers show up. If people aren’t buying t-shirts off a certain driver’s or series’ trailer, it won’t come back. Simple supply and demand. In regard to your other question, some teams have started using chemicals like VHT in their pit stalls. VHT is a very sticky liquid resin often used in drag racing to help tires adhere to the tracks better. See more about it here. - T.C.
15. From Steve:
I sometimes hear of a crew chief building ‘adjustability’ into their car. What is it and why wouldn’t every crew chief do so if the alternative was having to stick with a particular setup?
Most teams take steps to build adjustability into their cars so they can make changes during the race to improve the car’s handling. It usually means doing things like adding spring rubbers instead of just putting in a stiffer spring. That way, if the car is handling poorly, spring rubbers can be removed, instead of trying to change an entire spring during a race. Crew chiefs must balance many different factors of a car’s handling including springs, shocks, tires, sway bars, track bar, wedge, and caster & camber. They must find a way to have a car that handles well, but is also adjustable. - T.C.
16. From Neon:
In light of your recent post about “perception” and then there was the post on where Truex may end up next, I asked the question if bloggers considered Truex a “Tier 1″ driver. In that, I qualified a Tier 1 driver as “should” consistently make the Chase, have a legitimate shot at the CUP and can win a min 1-3 races a year and I dare say w/ relative ease. Basically, a top 10 runner in hypothetical “equal” equipment and zero pts for popularity. From an insiders perspective, my question to both of you is: can you list for us who you consider to be “the” current top 10 Tier 1 drivers? And maybe 3-4 that are on the bubble?
This is from both TC and myself in no particular order except for the top tier split decision.
Top-tier: 1. Jimmie Johnson 2. Tony Stewart 3. Jeff Gordon 4. Carl Edwards 5. Kyle Busch 6. Mark Martin 7. Matt Kenseth 8. Greg Biffle 9. Kurt Busch 10. Denny Hamlin/Ryan Newman (we put these two at the end because both are good and consistent, but neither has really wowed this season like those above them; that could change of course). On the bubble (again in no particular order): 1. Clint Bowyer 2. Kasey Kahne 3. Juan Pablo Montoya 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 5. Jeff Burton
People.
Just like any other sport on this planet, the basis of NASCAR is the people involved. The only real difference between NASCAR and other sports being the means in which the competition happens. In one, it’s guys chasing around a while ball trying to hit it the fewest times possible. In another it’s about putting a frozen piece of rubber into a net more times then the other team. And in NASCAR it’s guys duking it out for several hundred miles, behind the wheel of 3,400 lb stock cars, to see who is the fastest.
When you turn on your TV each week and tune in to watch a race, you are given a small glimpse into the lives of some of these people. You watch how they perform on the track, how they perform in the pits, and what they do and say when they have a camera and microphone in their face. And from watching these things, you form an opinion about what kind of person each individual is.
For example, you know that Jimmie Johnson is a great driver, but he’s “kinda vanilla.”
And, you know that Kyle Busch is also a great driver, but he is anything but vanilla.
But if you were being honest with yourself, do you really KNOW these things about these guys?
Unless you are best friends with them, of course you don’t.
This idea of reality vs. perception is not a new topic, but it is an underlying theme in a lot of the current hot button issues in our sport. Whether we are talking about Jeremy Mayfield, Carl Long, Dale Jr., or Kyle Busch.
There was a piece written by Matt McLaughlin that appeared on the website “The Frontstretch” on Tuesday this week about NASCAR’s new Citizen Journalist Corps. In it, McLaughlin offered up some advice that was given to him early in his journalistic career that caught my attention. Here is an excerpt:
[My boss] told me something that was going to stick with me for life. He told me that the more access I got to the garage area, the more I learned about the people who ran the sport and the people who made up the sport, the less I was going to like it. You look behind the curtain and you risk learning that the wizards are only mortal men. I was naive then, I never thought it could happen. It did.
I thought this was interesting because McLaughlin was being warned about his preconceived notions of the sport and the people involved. Like many others, he had this grandiose picture in his mind about the way things were, and he was about to find out that this picture was actually quite different. And apparently, he didn’t like that.
But where he was disappointed to find out that the “wizards” were actually “mortal men,” I personally was amazed.
Having been a long time race fan before I got involved in the sport, I had my own perception of the way people were. But the deeper I got, and the more I learned about the actual people involved, the more I loved NASCAR.
I found out that some drivers I didn’t really like on TV, I actually really liked in person; and vice versa. And discovering that the stars in the garage and on pit road were just regular people doing amazing things made me respect them even more.
Being active on Twitter has allowed us to have some great conversations with folks about a lot of topics. This week, I took the opportunity to find out what some people thought about the ongoing Jeremy Mayfield/positive drug test saga. I wanted to know why it seemed so many people were quickly jumping up to defend Mayfield. I didn’t understand why a positive drug test wasn’t enough evidence to believe Mayfield did wrong. The most common response I got was “he’s not that kind of guy.” Oh really? How do you know?
These folks have a certain view of Mayfield that they have built up over the years watching him race. They believe they know what kind of person he is because they’ve seen him compete and be interviewed on TV, or maybe they’ve met him briefly in public.
What they fail to realize is, the face these drivers put up and the responses given to reporters are often carefully crafted by the PR and marketing people behind the scenes. You are usually seeing the driver how they want you to see him.
So in the cases of both Jeremy Mayfield and Carl Long, the perception is that the big bully (NASCAR) is picking on the defenseless little guy (Mayfield & Long). And many people are eating it up.
The point I’m trying to make here is, don’t let outward appearances fool you into thinking these guys are anything more then regular people. Drivers, crew chiefs, tire changers, owners, whoever. They are all just normal guys who happen to do something special (and some get paid very well). They have problems and make mistakes just like everyone else.
But instead of letting that fact ruin your view of your favorite driver, or NASCAR as a whole, embrace it! Understanding that these people are real humans should make the sport more endearing. Instead of watching mythical beings at work, wouldn’t you much rather watch common men doing uncommon things? I know I would.