Feb 26th, 2010 by T.C.
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.
