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Only 16 more shopping days until Christmas! But before you head off to the mall, sit and enjoy the 52nd 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 Michael in SoCal:
Question on the Nationwide COT – what will the spoiler look like? Will it be smooth all the way across, or notched at the ends? I’ve seen pictures of both from the test sessions, and was curious what the advantage of one vs. the other would be. Thanks.
I’m not 100% certain on this, but usually the spoiler with the notches is used at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega (see the Truck Series). I’m sure NASCAR was probably testing both at different tracks to see how it affected handling, but usually that is how it goes. I would imagine that the regular spoiler will be used at all other races. But again, I’m not 100% certain on this. And I’m not an aerodynamics expert, but I believe the notched spoiler slows the cars a bit and makes them more stable at high speed. – T.C.
2. From Raymond:
This is a great deal… First time I got to read the Q & A… Here is my question… By the way I sent it to NASCAR and they didn’t answer. Ok here it is: what is the rule on pit lane stops during cautions, when are the cars penalized ? IE cars already in pit lane? Or those that enter before pit lane is open. Thanks for your help.
Once a caution flies, NASCAR will close pit road. Pit road doesn’t open until the field is under control of the pacecar and NASCAR has deemed it safe to open pit road. Any cars that pit before pit road is open must restart at the tail end of the longest line. Cars that enter pit road under green flag conditions, who are then caught there when a yellow comes out are not necessarily penalized. Often times, a team will lose a lap because they are stopped on pit road while their competitors are on track at speed. Some teams will pit before pit road is open on purpose, because they need extra time for damage repair or adjustments. – T.C.
3. From Christopher:
I noticed John Andretti missed the 35th spot by 100 points. I also noticed he did not race in the 11th and 12th races of 2009. It appears he didn’t even try to qualify, because he did not have any DNQ’s this year. In fact, he was in the top 35 at points in the season because he somehow got into races. Am I missing something? It seems like he should have done whatever it took to run all races, as it would have assured him a top 35 car next year.
John Andretti was 36th in driver points, but the #34 car was 35th in owner points. NASCAR uses owner points to decide guaranteed starting position. John missed those two races because he was qualifying for and then racing in the Indianapolis 500. During those two races, Darlington and Charlotte, Tony Raines was driving the #34 car. He maintained the position in the points. John though lost spots because he missed the races. – Journo
4. From Virginia:
I know tools have changed over the years. I would like to know what kind of tools were used by the teams when Nascar first started. Did any of the shops not have electricity? How have the change in tools affected the ease with which cars are built, set up and fixed?
I haven’t a clue. One would assume they all had electricity because NASCAR’s first sanctioned races were in 1948. I would imagine the tools weren’t all that different from the ones used today. Certainly the pneumatic tools weren’t available, but your basic tool chest would have been. Remember the cars in the early years of NASCAR were very stock cars. Working on them would be much like working on your own car in your own garage. As the years have progressed so has tool technology and the technology of the cars. – Journo
5. From Ric:
The winner of the race gets a checkered flag. But do they get THE checked flag, other than when Tony does his fence climb routine? I have noticed the checked flag they get to drive around with has a short handle, is there anything else special about it, or just some cheap flag that is thrown away after?
I believe the winner gets to keep the flag. There are also novelty flags given out to the crew guys in victory lane that have the race win printed on them. – Journo
6. From Ric:
I have seen a couple of videos clips over the year (maybe the same clip) where Chad Knaus is talking on the radio (walking away from the 48 car). He then puts his clip board up to his mouth to hide what he is saying (like you see NFL coaches do) while he is still talking. If anyone is that worried on what he is saying wouldn’t you just listen to his radio, which is public info, versus trying to read his lips!?! Any inside clue on why, or what am I missing?
I think what you are seeing is Chad shielding his microphone from the noise around him. Especially if cars are on track or engines are running around him, it will be very difficult to hear what he is saying. Spotters often have to do this when the cars come by them on the front stretch. They will shield their mics with their hands so the driver can hear what they are saying. Chad isn’t worried about spying lip readers, as if he wanted to keep something secret, he would just lean in the window and talk directly to Jimmie. – T.C.
7. From Mike:
Who all gets to go to the banquet? How much of the crew gets to go. I realize that this probably varies if you are in 1st or 10th and from team to team but I was just wondering.
It’s usually just crew guys from the championship winning teams that go to the banquet. And it’s the usual suspects; mechanics, pit crew guys, crew chief, etc. They put them up in the cheap seats and let them at least be in the building. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of any crew guys from the second place on back teams getting to attend a banquet. – T.C.
8. From Ric:
Do pit crews, crew chiefs, spotters etc. get chances to slip away for when nature calls? Or are you stuck there and hope it doesn’t happen. Are there facilities near, reserved for pit personal? I’m sure you don’t have to stand in long lines like the fans do.
Spotters don’t get the chance to take bathroom breaks. They are stuck where they are until their driver wrecks or the race ends. Guys on pit road are different. Most tracks have porta-johns on or near pit road, and crew guys can slip away for a second to relieve themselves. And yes, I do know of crew chiefs who have made race calls while using the facilities. – 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!
First off, I just want to thank everyone who stopped by and gave us feedback on our “The State of TNI post.” We aren’t looking at any major changes, but we wanted to get a gauge from you on what you thought we were doing right and wrong. Know that we always hear you loud and clear, and we will probably be implementing a few small changes here to go along with what you said. Thanks again!
On to the post…
Picture for me if you will a normal Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday at your house. You are posted up on the couch taking in that day’s racing action; be it the Truck Series, Nationwide Series, or Cup Series. The race has been under green for a while and driver X has a huge lead. All of a sudden there is a caution on the speedway, but you don’t see a wreck. Within a few seconds, the broadcast crew announces there is debris on the race track, only you are never shown said debris. Is it a warranted caution, or one called by those circling above in black helicopters?
It seems there has been more attention paid lately to the now infamous “debris” cautions from NASCAR. I’m not sure if it’s the comments from a few drivers or just overall fan frustration that has made this a public issue, but trust me, this isn’t a new problem. These debris cautions have been taking place for years, but until now haven’t really garnered any real press.
Since I’ve been involved in racing at this level, I’ve heard all the stories. One driver is pulling away from the field, and in order to tighten the field back up and create better racing action for the fans, some phantom debris is spotted and a caution is called. The story goes that these calls have come from as high up as those with the France surname.
Whether any of the stories are true, I couldn’t tell you. I’m not inside the heads of the series directors, and I don’t spend much (or any) time in race control. But what I can tell you is that this isn’t a new phenomenon.
What I do think though, is that these cautions aren’t meant to serve a specific driver. If it is indeed true that these cautions are thrown on purpose, it is to create more side by side racing, and not to benefit Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jr., or whatever other driver is mentioned in that day’s conspiracy theory.
I also think that instead of blaming NASCAR for a caution, why aren’t we blaming the TV networks for not showing the cause of the cautions? When a caution is called for debris, NASCAR will say over their radio frequency where the debris is. At least give the fans the opportunity to make the call for themselves. With what is currently happening, the TV networks are setting NASCAR up to look bad. The more information that TV can provide the fans, the better. If NASCAR is indeed calling bogus debris cautions, the fans should be shown the track and allowed to decide for themselves.
And while we are on the subject of cautions, what is with NASCAR letting the drivers keep digging (usually to the checkered) while a car sits wrecked on the track? A few weeks ago it was AJ Allmendinger, and on Sunday it was John Andretti. Andretti was turned coming to the white, and instead of throwing a yellow, NASCAR allowed the drivers to race back to the checkered while the #34 sat broadside to the field right at the start/finish line. Instead of putting the drivers in a very bad spot with these situations, why not just throw the caution and have another green/white/checkered? If they want the drivers to race to the finish, at least do it safely.
Filed under: David Gilliland, Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup
Saturday Practice Wild at Infineon originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.