Two Chase races down, eight to go. While the Truck Series is off this weekend, the Cup and NNS cars head west to Kansas. While we work through another week, here is the 94th round of reader questions and answers. 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:
Was there any advantage to Tony coasting down the front stretch, versus turning into pit road?
Well, he still needed to cross the line to register on the scoring as having completed the last lap. And the turn in for the garage area is well before the start finish line at Loudon, so pulling down pit road wouldn’t have made sense. At the point he was at, there were definitely no advantages left to be had. – T.C.
2. From DMan:
At Loudon on the last lap, or rather I should say Stewart’s last lap, ESPN showed about a half second’s worth of Hamlin giving Stewart a little push. It was my understanding that it was against NASCAR rules to assist another car on the last lap. Why was there no penalty to Hamlin or Stewart? Or am I splitting hairs?
I think you are splitting hairs a bit. Hamlin had already crossed the line at that point, and Stewart wasn’t going to improve his position over another car by getting a little aid. So really, no harm, no foul. – T.C.
3. From Michael in SoCal:
How do spotters communicate with other spotters during the race? If they’re constantly watching out for and advising their driver, how do they find other spotters to talk to and get in a couple of words to pass along messages? Thanks! You’re a daily read.
The spotters stand isn’t exactly a large space, and you have to remember that for the most part, these guys spend weekend after weekend up there with the same 42 other guys. They get to know each other pretty well. So when there is a message to be conveyed, all they have to do is step over to the other spotter and make their point. Obviously if they are at Daytona or Talladega, or in a tight battle, the spotter probably won’t take the chance, but there are plenty of opportunities during a race to do so. – T.C.
4. From Joe:
I noticed one of the people on survivor called Chase is a jackman on a pro race team,do you know him? Since Bowyer’s car got caught why not check Harvick’s and Burton’s? I doubt there’s any difference between any of their cars. It may explain why Harvick is running way better this year than he was last year.
The guy on Survivor is Chase Rice. He was a linebacker for the University of North Carolina football team, and after he graduated, he joined Hendrick Motorsports. Before he went on the show, he was a developmental jackman who’d spent some time in ARCA and the Nationwide Series. And don’t worry, NASCAR is keeping a very watchful eye on all the RCR cars. Remember that RCR was warned following Richmond about some of the measurements, so NASCAR is well aware that they are trying to push the limits a bit. In any case though, it’s not fair to say that RCR’s performance gains have been made through cheating. I do believe they have made legitimate improvements to their program. – T.C.
5. From Lost in NASCAR:
Got to wonder about this penalty to the 33. i would like to know from NASCAR what the advantage was to the 33 car. I am not in favor of cheating, but there seems to be something wrong with this whole story. Do you think that someone “RATTED” out the 33 to NASCAR to start them looking in that direction? If not, how come they took the car to the research center? I have been around the sport as a fan long enough to have seen some real cheaters.
From what we know about the problem, it would appear that doing something like this would be to gain some sort of aerodynamic advantage. Don’t forget that NASCAR warned the #33 following the race at Richmond, that they were close on some of the measurements. This didn’t come out of nowhere. And Bowyer’s car wasn’t taken back to the R&D center out of the blue. NASCAR routinely takes the winning car back to Concord with them for a more in depth inspection. – T.C.
6. From BB:
Thanks for the great blog and frequent posts; still the best one for in depth information……..just wondering how things are going in terms of sponsors, stability, finances etc at MWR. They have come a long way in a couple of years, but still seem pretty low profile. Also, how likely is TRB to stick with Toyota?
Thanks BB! As far as I know things at MWR are pretty good. Raceworld USA (or I think they’re just calling it Michael Waltrip Racing these days) was an expensive venture that put the team in a bad position. With the involvement of Rob Kauffman and other business partners the financial stability of the team is much improved. They’ve got the sponsorship from NAPA (and they love Michael) and of course Aarons. They definitely have come a long way in the last several years – and lets be honest, look much better than their fellow inaugural Toyota team, Red Bull. I think TBR returning to Toyota next year is pretty good – I haven’t heard anything to the contrary. - Journo
7. From Christopher:
After hearing Bowyer’s “tow truck” excuse for being over the limit on size of part of his car by such a tiny amount, I got to thinking. After even minor bumping against other cars, which happens to everyone… I would imagine MOST cars are dented and banged up enough to technically be outside the rules, even though they started within the legal limits. I’d imagine, for example, after just a little bump drafting, you’d knock your car in or out 1/16 inch. How does NASCAR take this into account when testing cars post-race?
During the inspection process NASCAR takes into account on-track damage. Cars don’t have to fit templates in the post race inspection. They also have a ton of data that will help them in determining where things should be. In the situation of the tow-truck, NASCAR’s engineers actually looked at data from similar tow-truck damage incidents and determined it was unlikely the tow-truck could have caused this particular issue (this was actually addressed in the teleconference on Wednesday). - Journo
8. From Brent:
The 33 car did not pass the height stick measurement after the race. My question is, do the chassis adjustments made during the race affect this measurement, such as wedge (corner jacking), and tire pressure? Or do they somehow measure the body relative to the chassis instead of to the ground?
When did the #33 not pass height sticks? The penalty they were given was for a body measurement made at the R&D center, not for not passing height sticks. In any case, no, the teams must keep the height sticks in mind when making adjustments during the race. The measurement is taken from the ground to the car’s body. The car must pass both pre and post race. – T.C.
9. From old9fan
Hi guys, love your website! As a long time NASCAR fan, I noticed something recently. Most of the tracks have count down cones, 3-2-1, as a aid for drivers. Pocono has always had the number. But I haven’t recalled seeing them before this season. Is this a new practice for the tracks and are they adjusted for series that is currently running a race? If so, why? Thank you!
Thanks old9fan! You know I have noticed that too, but I’m not sure if it’s a new thing. The practice definitely helps drivers, and spotters – and it’s possible NASCAR has asked the tracks to start doing this. Sorry I can’t be of more help. – Journo
10. From Kev:
As a relative newcomer to studying NASCAR racing closely – I’ve had a casual interest for years – I need help understanding some of it. I thought the Lucky Dog and the run around were the same thing but in the Nationwide Dover 200 the commentators told who had the Lucky Dog and who had the run around. The difference is?
Okay, here we go. First, we will deal with the lucky dog. Instead of having cars race back to the yellow like in the old days, NASCAR instituted the lucky dog so that cars still had the chance to get laps back. When a caution comes out, the highest scored car that is a lap (or laps) down gets to pass the pace car and get a lap back, as long as they were not involved in the caution. They have to still pit with the lap down cars, and they must start at the tail end of the longest line. The wave around was brought in with the double file restarts. When a caution comes out, IF all the lead lap cars come to pit road, that leaves all the lap down cars behind the pace car, but in front of the lead lap cars after they exit pit road. If they choose, these lap down cars can not come to pit road, and with one lap to go under yellow, NASCAR will let them pass the pace car and get a lap back. So that is why you heard the TV guys talking about both the lucky dog and the wave around cars. – T.C.
11. From Michael:
“Now I won’t comment on the validity of Hamlin’s comments, but they got him into trouble.” Why won’t you? Failed communication is never good. By adding the “but they got him into trouble” would suggest that it was false. I see no reason you can not, or will not, comment on if the “everybody garage area knew what RCR was doing” remark. Maybe you are protecting RCR. I am not the “insider”. I want to know who was in the grassy knoll. When I read your newsletter, rarely am I left with more questions than answers. Monday’s issue left me scratching my head.
I knew this was going to bite me. Does it suggest that what Denny said was false? More than anything I didn’t want the discussion on the post to spiral into whether or not people believed what Denny had to say. I wanted to preface that I was not going to be talking about it. I promise you I’m not protecting RCR, my opinions on the matter were just irrelevant for the post. If it makes you feel better about the situation, just pretend like that section of that sentence isn’t there. - Journo
12. From Scott:
Hey Guys, As always, love the site and read all the posts. Fantastic job to both of you. My question is about Team Red Bull. Given Brian Vickers health issues this year and the questions about who will be the second driver or if a second car is even a possibility is Team Red Bull back to square one? Currently, both cars are locked into the points and probably will stay that way until the end of the year. This speaks volumes for the team behind the scenes however not having the presence of a veteran driver like Vickers race in and race out must have some kind of effect right? Will be the 2011 race season be a rebulding year or is there enough juice left to give that team wings?
The issue at Red Bull is not whether there will be two cars, it’s whether it will be three cars, and if it’s just two cars, who will be in them. Obviously Kasey Kahne will be in a car next year, but if Vickers’ health keeps him sidelined will Red Bull keep Scott Speed? Or if Vickers does return do they keep Speed and create a third team for Kahne? I personally think there are issues at Red Bull that start at the top. It sounds like the folks in Austria are starting to make changes there - whether that has a dramatic effect on the team’s performance remains to be seen. They certainly have the resources to be a good team, but there are issues that need to be remedied before that can happen. - 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!
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The Chase is now upon us! This weekend’s race at New Hampshire marks the first of the ten race playoff. While we work through another week, here’s the 92nd edition of your questions and our answers. 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 Joe:
I read somewhere that Kenny Wallace said that NASCAR is banning the $1700 seats he uses and that they are going to be required to use a $4000 seat – which he needs five of. Have you heard anything about this ban?
I’m not aware of this specific instance, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me. NASCAR is always making changes to the rules, and if this is true, it sounds like they’ve decided the type of seat he uses isn’t as safe as they would like. I know it sucks that this will probably cost Kenny or the team more money, but racing is a business and it isn’t cheap. – T.C.
2. From Marc:
I’ve been meaning to ask Journo a question similar to Garry’s crew-related question last week. What is life like for journalists in NASCAR? How many beat reporters are there? Are there a lot of free-lancers? Do columnists travel to every race or work from a home base? What are the different travel schedules like? What’s it like for those who have to try to cover all three series? In a nutshell, how do the routines of the reporters whose names we see in the bylines (and as well as those we don’t see as often) compare?
Honestly the answer to all your questions is, it varies. These days there aren’t a ton of regular NASCAR beat reporters and not everyone travels every weekend – it gets expensive. The reporters you’ll regularly see at the track are Lee Spencer, Jim Utter, Dustin Long, Reid Spencer, Jenna Fryer, the NASCAR Scene reporters, of course the guys from PRN or MRN and the TV regulars, among others. From city to city there are bloggers and local reporters who come to the track. The life of a NASCAR journalist is hectic and constantly moving. Between blogging, and tweeting, you’re expected to produce regular content from the racetrack. This is on top of the content you’re expected to produce during the week. As far as travel schedules, they’re very similar to those who work in the sport. To your final question, the routines during the race weekend are similar. You pound the pavement (talk to people, work sources/contacts, build relationships, etc.), go to press conferences in the media center and behind haulers, you do interviews for longer features, and of course watch the race. I hope that answers your questions. – Journo
3. From Richard:
Do the teams use the sim programs for changing set-ups between the last practice session and the race. Do they ever use the sim programs during a race?
I’m not 100% up on the engineering side of racing, but I believe the engineers are working through the weekend to find any little gain. I’m also pretty sure they don’t use the sim programs during the race. The teams are getting real time information from their driver, and I’m not sure how much simmed data would help. – T.C.
4. From Gene:
Richmond’s surface used to be very dark because of a sealer that was applied. What was the purpose of the sealer, and why did they stop using it?
I’m not sure I know the answer to this question. They repaved the track in 2004. Perhaps that’s the change you saw? Sorry I don’t know, maybe someone else better knows the answer to this question? – Journo
5. From Billy:
How you assess John Wes Townley’s return to the Nationwide Series after the three races that he has run so far?
I think John Wes is better. I think he definitely improved some in his time with RCR, though I don’t think it helped his confidence – quite the opposite in fact. I think he is capable of keeping a car in the top-30 in points and running consistently. He’s a field filler, and likely always will be, but he’s running better. – Journo
6. From Christopher:
For the Richmond qualifying, I noticed Bobby Labonte got in on a Champion’s Provisional. But his brother, Terry, did not. But Terry was a champion too. What gives?
Only the most recent past Champion who fails to qualify for the race gets the provisional. Bobby won his championship in 2000, Terry won his most recent championship in 1996. Both needed it, but Bobby gets it because his was most recent. – Journo
7. From Steve:
Saturday night, Jeff Gordon got a lucky dog, he was running 18th (or so) at the time, but ended up restarting somewhere further back in the line (maybe 8 cars from the back). Why, if he was the last driver on the lead lap, wouldn’t he have started 18th. As it was, he had to spend a lot of time passing guys he was already ahead of just to get to the next driver ahead of him.
When a driver is given the lucky dog two things are required. First, the driver must still make any pit stops with the lap down cars on the second lap that pit road is open. And second, the driver must then restart the race at the tail end of the longest line. That is why Gordon restarted behind cars that were a lap down and subsequently had to pass a bunch of lap down cars. – T.C.
8. From Tina:
Why is it drivers have the same numbers for Nationwide & Sprint Cup & some don’t? Do the spotters go to victory lane if their driver wins?
NASCAR assigns numbers based on requests from the teams. Sometimes a team owner requests the same number in both series, sometimes they don’t. Remember also, some Cup drivers don’t drive for their Cup team owner in lower series (Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle for instance). And yes spotters generally go to victory lane if their driver wins the race. – Journo
9. From Justin:
Terry Labonte took over the 55 and the scenedaily article says his crew worked on changing the setup from a s&p set to a race set. I thought this wasn’t allowed? What is the difference between going full blown qualifying set at Talladega, making the race, then putting in a race set and starting at the back and racing?
The difference between the Talladega races and the second Daytona race with everywhere else, is that those races are impound. Every other race on the Cup schedule doesn’t not invoke a post qualifying impound. Since Richmond isn’t an impound race, Labonte’s team was allowed to take the 55 after qualifying and turn the straight qualifying setup into a race setup. At the superspeedway races, the cars must start the race with the setup they qualify on, and any changes after qualifying will be viewed as unapproved and the team will then start in the back. – T.C.
10. From Mike:
Hello, please explain in detail the process of gluing the lugnuts to the wheels. What keeps the studs from forcing the lugnuts to the ground? Thank you.
Prior to the race, all the wheels will be prepped and cleaned. Teams use various brushes, a degreaser (usually SD-20) and something like brake clean or Acrysol to prep the wheels. Most teams then use a weatherstripping glue from a company called Norton to glue the lugnuts to the wheels. A bead of glue is run around the tapered edge of the lugnut, and the lug is placed over the stud hole. The gluing usually takes place around three hours prior to the start of the race. This allows the glue to dry to the point where it isn’t brittle. When the carrier hangs the tire, the glue actually stretches so that the lugs don’t fall off the end of the stud. If the glue is allowed to dry for too long, it will become brittle and lugnuts will pop off easily. – T.C.
We’ve made it to the Scott Speed edition of Ask The Insiders Wednesday (get it? 82…). Upcoming this weekend is a NASCAR mid-west triple header, with the Nationwide and Cup cars at Chicago, and the Trucks at Iowa. While we work through a short week, here are more reader questions and answers for you. 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 Woogeroo:
Howdy Insiders! The qualifying vs. race trim question from last week got me to wondering about what is allowed to be changed these days? I’ve read that Larry McReynolds had a some crazy number of things he would change back when he was a crew chief… but that was back when they could swap motors between racing/qualifying, no impounding and pre spoiler mobile. I’ve read of things like special oils/lubricants for various things just to run the two laps… then they drain it out and put the good stuff in for the race. Does NASCAR still allow all of these shenanigans? I guess what I am asking is… what all is being changed on the car?
Anything and everything is fair game. Like I said last week, whatever it takes to make the cars go as fast as possible for two laps. That means doing things like making the car as aerodynamic as possible (taping up openings), and doing whatever is necessary to move weight around (legally). Teams will also change chassis elements, put more air pressure in the tires, and use lighter lubricants. - T.C.
2. From Joseph:
Hey Guys, will Bobby L. race for the #09 for the rest of the year? Is there any other team your aware of for 2011 ? Do you think Bobby is done? I hope not I believe he still can drive he just needs that 2nd chance like Martin got. Thanks.
As of right now it’s only a two race deal – Chicago and Daytona. Certainly if they’re happy with him and money can be put together that could be extended. I don’t think Bobby’s done in NASCAR, but his Cup Series opportunities are dwindling. Could he have a resurgence? Its possible, but I don’t think it’s likely. – Journo
3. From Ryan:
Any word on sponsors for Smoke. I heard Maybe Stanley. Thanks.
To be honest, I haven’t heard even the slightest small rumor about who or what Stewart Haas is going after. I’m sure that Bass Pro Shops and Budweiser are in play, as is any other company that has an expiring contract. – T.C.
4. From Eddie:
What happened to Scott Lagassee Jr?
Lagassee started out the season with Baker Curb Racing in the #43 NNS car, but has been out of the car for a few weeks because of lack of funding. Unless he can find a sponsor or put more money together, you probably won’t see him back. – T.C.
5. From Dan:
Why didn’t Chevy use the Camaro in the NNS or even the Malibu. Did I miss something? People are referring to the new NNS cars as pony cars. My thinking is the Challenger and Mustang are true pony cars,but not the Impala and Camry.
You’d be correct in your assessment. I’m not sure why they didn’t use the Malibu – that’s not a bad idea – but they didn’t use the Camaro because the COT didn’t allow for them to do justice to the body lines of the car. GM’s Mark Kent said:
“At the end of the day, because of the quest for very close competition and the need to have templated bodies in that series, we felt that by forcing the Camaro into the Nationwide templates that we were compromising the body lines of an iconic car. So at the end of the day we just could not get the Camaro in the Nationwide series to satisfy our requirements.”
- Journo
6. From Billy:
What are your opinons of fan sponsored cars?
I don’t think there is anything wrong with fan sponsored cars. They though are not a sustainable way to run an operation. I’m assuming this question is coming up because of the ‘formation’ of that America’s Racing Team. I think I’m going to do my post on this for Thursday so I’ll elaborate then, but I hope no one opens their checkbook for it, I’ll say that. It’s one thing to send RAB Racing some money to get Scott Riggs on track – it’s a completely other thing to spend $500 on a ‘membership’ with some no-name start-up organization. – Journo
7. From Nancy:
How much do NASCAR spotters make?
Anywhere from $500 a race on up to a few thousand per race for the well known spotters with big name drivers. – T.C.
8. From Ric:
In the Coke Zero 400 why was Paul Menard given a “lucky dog” so late in the last caution? There was no way for him to make it around the track and reach the pack, not to mention get into the correct spot, for the restart.
What I believe you saw was Menard off and on pit road fixing damage. By the time he got back on track it was time for the restart – so the jump he got wasn’t a big one. They were already a lap down, so what mattered was that they get the damage fixed as best they could. They still got a lap back and a jump on the field with the lucky dog. It just wasn’t the advantage it could have been if his car was 100%. – Journo
9. From Kevin:
Can you guys comment on the sponsorship “issue” with the 29 car. I have been a Harvick fan since day 1, and he has always seemed like one of the more marketable drivers on the circuit. Granted the last couple of years were tough in the performance department, but he still got a lot of air time. Now that he is a legit title contender (yes, these exist outside of Henrick and Gibbs camp, depsite what the media thinks) why is is taking so long to solidify his 2011 sponsor? Do you think it is a case of having many options? Or a case of a sponsor from a current team *coughUPScough* leaving? Seems odd that a guy like Harvick leading the points, winning races, cant find a sponsor, even in these difficult times.
Shell Pennzoil is leaving RCR more for the business to business relationship with the Penske Automotive Group than they are for the competition end of things. A large number of sponsors are in the sport because of the opportunities they have to make money off the track. Take the Dupont, Hendrick Automotive Group relationship. I’m confident RCR won’t have a problem finding a sponsor or sponsors to fill the void being left by Shell. It’s not necessarily out of the ordinary that you aren’t hearing about anything. This is the time of the year that teams are waltzing sponsors, and the sponsors are looking for the most bang for their buck. Never fear, there is still a lot of time – things will be just fine. – Journo