As a tire changer I have basically two jobs: take the lugnuts off and put the lugnuts on. Sounds simple enough right? Well don’t forget that during a pit stop there are 20 lugnuts to hit, that is 10 off and 10 back on. So in essence, that’s 20 chances to screw up. And trust me, there are a lot of ways to screw it up.
At Bristol, even though Jamie McMurray finished third, it was a tough night for his guys. After one round of pit stops under caution, McMurray had to bring his car back to pit road because the rear changer knocked off lugnuts. Meet tire changer deadly sin number one. When a new tire gets hung on the hub, the lugnuts sit on the end of the studs and wait for us to come back and tighten them up. On your way to getting them tight quickly, it only takes a small miss to knock one off. And sometimes the jackman is paying attention and sees you knock one off, so you can fix it without coming back to pit road. There are plenty of cases though, where a changer knocks one off, the official sees it, and the jackman sends the car. The team has just bought their driver a return trip to pit road. These situations aren’t exactly conducive to job security.
What’s interesting to note though, is that there are actually a lot of cases where a lugnut gets knocked off but the official doesn’t see it, and the car heads back to the race with only four. Things happen so quickly during a stop, that if a changer knocks one off, but is a good actor, the official won’t notice. Often times the official only knows a lug is missing because the changer was fumbling around.
The next deadly sin will also ruin a race for a team, and could cost the changer his job. This sin is usually predicated by a short radio message that goes like this: “I’ve got a vibration.” Those are words dreaded by every changer on pit road. Why? Because that can mean loose lugnuts. There are a ton of reasons why lugnuts could be left loose or come loose, but in any case, it’s really bad when they do. The vibration comes from the fact that the loose wheel is now wobbling on the hub, destroying both the wheel and the studs. And every changer has had those pit stops in his career where when he got done, he said a little prayer and thought “wow, I hope those are tight.” You then spend the next 60 laps praying that the car makes it to the next pit stop without hearing that dreaded message.
The other two sins I will mention here will kill pit stop times, but unless they are repeated over and over, probably won’t completely ruin a race. They are hanging lugnuts, and hitting more then 20 during a stop.
Hanging lugnuts means you hit all five off, but for whatever reason, one (or more) doesn’t come all the way off the stud. It’s a horrible feeling to grab a hold of the wheel to pull it off, only to be jarred by a stuck lugnut that won’t allow the wheel to come off. The next course of action is to either pick the gun back up and hit the offending nut off, or try and spin it with your fingers. And we will call attempting to spin the lug with your fingers deadly sin 3-B. Crew chiefs and pit crew coaches alike will chew some ass over that tactic because sometimes the lugnut might be stuck and your fingers aren’t strong enough to spin it off. Or maybe it took 10 turns to get the lug off. Either way, you just killed the stop.
In practices and at the races, we are always told to “just hit 20.” Only hitting 20 lugnuts is what we all strive for. Sometimes though, that just doesn’t happen. Instead of hitting five, it’s not uncommon for a changer to hit six, or seven, or eight off. There are again a million reasons why this could happen, but every extra hit means the pit stop is longer by two to three tenths of a second. So if I miss one time during each pattern, that’s four extra hits for the whole stop, which just cost my team one second in the pits.
These are all deadly sins because if done enough, they will all lead to a changers demise. And trust me, having to explain why you just screwed up a race is not exactly a fun conversation. No race can ever be won in the pits, but it certainly can be lost.
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This week, we go from the high banks of Talladega to a Saturday night short track shootout in Richmond. The Nationwide cars will kick the racing weekend off on Friday night at RIR, while the Truck Series heads west to Kansas for a rare Sunday race. While we wait for the weekend to arrive, here’s a big batch of reader questions and our 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 Don:
How do the teams get cars to tracks in such short times? Does the transporter go back to Charlotte each week or is there more than one transporter and they alternate weeks? The transporter has to be completely restocked each week and some times Charlotte is not on the way.
Most Cup Series teams have two drivers per truck. This allows them to make it back to Charlotte in a timely manner after a race (for races close by this isn’t a problem). In the case of West Coast races organizations will often send extra trucks from Charlotte to run equipment to their teams out West because driving to Charlotte and back just isn’t feasible. Smaller teams will often just turnover the equipment they already have. – Journo
2. From ATS:
Every weekend when I watch the beginning of the race I see the #00 and David Reutimann come to the front and run in the top-5 or top-10. Only to have a failure of MWR equipment ruin his day. Do you think we could see David move teams at the end of 2010?
I don’t see David Reutimann going anywhere. I believe his contract is up this year or next, but I think he’s pretty happy where he’s at. Remember he and Waltrip go back a long ways. And anyway, where would he go? There aren’t too many seats available. – Journo
3. From Marcus:
What happens to Penske Racing’s #12 car now? Will Justin Allgaier drive it or what happens? Just let me know if you get any inside information.
It could be used for Hornish or it could go away. I haven’t heard anything specific, but I don’t think Allgaier will be in it next year (full-time at least). It’s possible he could run a few races, but they won’t be moving him full-time to the Cup Series in 2011. We’ll let you know if we hear anything. – Journo
4. From West Coast Kenny:
T.C. and Journo, It seems like Robbie Gordon causes a yellow during every race. Is it possible he does that just to get TV time for his sponsors?
I’m going to say probably not, but anything is possible. – Journo
5. From Woogeroo:
What is the deal with some races being impound races and some of them are not? It seems to me like Detroit’s love affair with half the autos fasteners being metric and the other in inches… with no rhyme or reason. I can understand Daytona with all it’s goings ons… but what’s the deal with the rest of them?
It is my understanding that only the Talladega races and the Daytona race in July are true impound races. I don’t know for certain what NASCAR’s reasons are for impounding cars at these tracks, but I would imagine it’s because there are so many extra little rules. Impounding the cars allows NASCAR to have more control over what the teams can and can’t do. – T.C.
6. From Cinde:
Kurt to drive the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge. Is Pennzoil that much better of a sponsor? Do they provide more sponsor money than Miller Lite? Or just pay the driver more? In your opinion why would Kurt go to Pennzoil? Or, perhaps did he really not have a choice at this time? Finally, do the CC and crew generally stay with the driver, or will that be a change as well? Thanks! Love your weekly writings!
It doesn’t have to do with Shell/Pennzoil being a better sponsor. And Miller is still with the organization. I’m not privy to their negotiations, but I would imagine Shell wanted Kurt Busch and Miller was OK with shifting their focus to Brad K. Wam, bam, Penske had a deal. In my experience drivers, for the most part, don’t really care who’s on the car, as long as they’re able to race. I’m sure Kurt Busch is just as happy hawking oil as he was beer. As far as switching crews, we haven’t heard anything about that and given the success the two teams are having in their current configurations, I don’t see Roger Penske making any major changes. – Journo
7. From Allen:
I’ve noticed during pit stops the lug nuts sometimes fall under the tires, has a lug nut ever been shot back and hit someone when the driver stomps on the throttle to leave?
It certainly has. The gas man and catch can man are usually the guys in the direct line of fire, but others have been hit. Trust me, it isn’t pleasant. – T.C.
8. From Doug:
You told us that you and Journo are Batman and Robin. Allow me to be just a little bit skeptical, if that’s OK. My question: do regulars in the press box and on pit row know who you are, are you both really in deep cover?
As far as we know our identities are unknown. If someone does know who we are, we haven’t heard about it. – Journo
9. From djones:
Regarding the recent penalties at MWR, are the drivers aware of suspect parts on the car, or other infractions? I’d like to believe they are innocent. Thanks.
I would say in most cases the driver probably doesn’t know. There is really no reason they need to know, plus keeping them in the dark gives the sport’s stars that oh-so-convenient “plausible deniability.” – T.C.
10. From Kim:
Sitting here in Talladega! If the race is an “impound” race and the cars would have been impounded after qualifying, what happens when qualifying is cancelled, as it was today? Are the cars deemed impounded at the moment qualifying is cancelled?
Actually, cars are impounded before qualifying, so the rainout doesn’t really matter. Teams were allowed to make any final adjustments to their cars on Friday evening, and then they were sealed until the race. The cars did go through an inspection on Sunday morning before the race, but teams were not allowed to do their usual race day work. - T.C.
11. From Amy:
While watching Talladega I am noticing that during the draft some of the cars have their hoodflaps popping open…I have never noticed that before- it that a product of the bump draft or the spoiler? Does it hurt anything?
It’s just a product of the aerodynamics and how the air travels over the cars. If I remember correctly, the flaps are coming up because they are in a low pressure area. And I don’t believe the car’s performance is hurt by it. – T.C.
12. From Michael:
A few years ago it seemed Jon Wood was on a path to a great future. Then, poof, he was gone. Any news?
Jon’s last start in any of the top NASCAR series was at the Phoenix truck race in November of 2008. He has not reappeared, I believe, because of his performance and because of his own personal issues (which I will not get into here). Wood made 17 truck starts in 2008, and only managed a best finish of 10th. Once the Wood Brothers team ran out of money to keep their truck program going, Jon was out of a ride. I would be surprised if he returned to competition down the road. It’s a shame too, because he could have been a very solid driver. – T.C.
13. From Kim:
Another question came up while sitting at Talladega: that hat hit the track close to where I was sitting. Why call a caution during practice for a bird, but not call a debris caution for a hat on the track? I’ve seen debris cautions called for a lot less!
Birds and other animals on track can (and have) actually cause significant damage to race cars. A hat on the other hand, especially like the one that ended up on the track at Talladega, is much less of a hazard. Didn’t the hat end up getting hit and destroyed anyway? – T.C.
14. From Dave:
I’m a little surprised you guys haven’t written about Roush’s situation in Nationwide since Colin Braun got ousted. I’m thinking as far as the 6 and 16 go, it looks pretty ugly. Does Roush go back to Erik Darnell at this point, Kenseth for the rest of the season, or does Roush stop running those cars when they’re unsponsored? Colin will run only, what, 10 more races? So I’m just assuming Stenhouse, who’s been equally as disappointing, won’t make it the full season anymore. Just seeing if you’ve heard anything… I don’t mean to sound happy about the situation, but I just don’t think the plan was ever a good one– two rookies in those cars full time. Thanks!
The situation at Roush has more to do with Jack’s frustration with Colin and the situations he puts himself in and the mistakes he continues to make than it does issues with young drivers or even unsponsored teams. Running these teams full time is exactly what Jack needed to do. He needs to see what these guys can do and see if they’re worth keeping (you can’t keep running part time schedules with young drivers and hope to accomplish anything). After three seasons with Colin, I think Jack has seen all he needs to see. With Ricky though, I don’t think he’ll get pulled unless there is some serious trouble down the road. Remember prior to this season Ricky had just one full ARCA season and a couple of Nationwide Series starts. – Journo
15. From David:
2 questions, what is the problem with racing someone hard(Jimmie Johnson – Jeff Gordon) also heard Hamlin complain. Do they think competition should move over for them because of who they are? Also how about a road course in the chase.
I don’t think actually racing each other close is the problem with some of these guys. What bothers them is when that close racing turns into contact and wrecks. Jeff Gordon has been mad the last few weeks because he’s been wrecked while racing hard with someone, not because of the actual racing itself. You have to remember too, some of these guys just need something to complain about. If it isn’t the wing, it’s Toyota has more power, or it’s people racing “too” hard, etc. etc. For your second question, I’m all for adding another road course race. In fact, I wrote a post about it last season. See it here. – T.C.
16. From Rick:
I heard ricky rudd is helping the #23 team in the Nationwide series is that true or is he helping anyone?
I haven’t heard anything about that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Does anyone know anything about this? – 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!
I was amazed tonight to look up and realize this is our 70th edition of “Ask The Insiders Wednesday.” It’s crazy to think we’ve done this many all ready! 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:
We received some lug nuts (from BMS Fire/Rescue) that were painted yellow, but the tips had different colors on them, was told they came from different drivers. We later were discussing why the lug nuts are painted yellow. The reasons that were thrown out (Starting with darn sure): Easy to spot for the tire changer, the yellow sticks out on pit floor to make sure you cleaned them all after a pit stop, there is a special coating on/in the paint to help with putting on / taking off the lugs.
The paint is strictly to make the lugnuts easier to see for the tire changers. Lugs from the manufacturers are usually yellow, but you will often see them painted pink, white, or other bright colors. Each tire changer has his own preferences. – T.C.
2. From djones:
I am totally fascinated how the haulers are parked in the infield, most recently at Martinsville. Is there a certain order in which they are parked? Is it first come first serve? And the big question is, how do they park them in there so perfectly? Thank you TC & Journo.
The haulers are parked based off owners points. As far as them being parked perfectly it’s a combination of skill and help. These guys are all, for the most part, very skilled and experienced truck drivers so parking in tight quarters is not a problem. They also help each other out when things are particularly tight. – Journo
3. From Dale:
When do the Mustangs debut?
They’ll make their debut with all the other Nationwide COT’s at Daytona in July. – Journo
4. From Walt:
Who pays for Sunoco gas? Also what do the teams do after practice back at the hotels without getting anybody in trouble.
As part of Sunoco’s deal with NASCAR, the fuel is provided at no charge to the teams for race weekends. As for the crew’s activities away from the track, there really is no end to what teams do. Some guys get the chance to get out and attend other sporting events, while some just hang out at the hotels. And knowing that NASCAR has a strict substance abuse policy, along with the fear of losing one’s job goes a long way in making sure guys don’t get too crazy on the road. We aren’t on vacation on the weekends, we go to the track to work. – T.C.
5. From Sue:
The 14 car went backwards yet again at Phoenix. What’s going on?
At Phoenix a lot of teams struggled with the changing conditions throughout the day – Tony was among them. He led 15 laps early on, but they just couldn’t find the magic late in the race. Sometimes this happens and you have to deal with it . Fortunately the team is having a pretty good season and Tony is ninth in the points right now. I would expect him to continue to be competitive as the season progresses – wins will come if that’s what you’re wondering. – Journo
6. From Pat:
When Denny Hamlin got out of the car this weekend he talked about how there is more braking at Phoenix than most tracks due to running a gear that doesn’t slow the car down as much. Are they running a high gear or a low gear? What other tracks gear like Phoenix? Which tracks are the cars geared to slow without as much brake?
They are running a higher gear then some other tracks. Gearing is all about getting the maximum amount of power and torque out of the engine for the conditions. At short tracks, you use a lower gear gear for better acceleration off the corners. Lower gears allow for better torque, but mean lower top speeds. Lower top speeds don’t matter at a track like Martinsville, because the track isn’t big enough to run really fast. At big tracks, like Daytona, teams use a very high gear. The cars have less acceleration, but much higher top speeds. Since the drivers don’t get off the throttle and brake in the corners, acceleration isn’t as important. That’s why it takes almost two laps to get the cars to full speed. – T.C.
And they’re off! The 2010 season is officially underway, and so is another Ask The Insiders Wednesday. 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…
Is there an ejector mechanism that ejects lug nuts out of the impact? Do lug nuts ever get stuck?
Yes, inside the impact’s socket is a spring that helps eject the lugnuts during a changer’s off pattern. And yes, they do get stuck on occasion. – T.C.
2. From Kev:
From this side of the Atlantic most of those who are aware of her view Danica Patrick as a very good racing driver – not just a very good female driver – believing that you cannot run in the company she races against unless you have a pretty good talent. But . . . she has also gained a reputation as someone prone to hissy fits – throwing her toys out of the pram when things don’t go according to her plan. Her pulling Dan Wheldon during a disagreement, something a male driver would have ended up getting hurt if he’d tried it, was well documented in the UK as was her “handbags” spat with another lady racer whose name escapes me. My question to you guys is simply am I right in thinking those sort of tantrums will receive very short shrift with the NASCAR boys? I’m thinking her acceptance by them could be won or lost in one hot tempered moment. Thanks guys – your contribution to our appreciation of NASCAR is probably greater than you realise.
First of all, let me say thanks for reading! It’s good to know we’re read on both sides of the pond. As far as Danica goes, you’re very right in your thinking. It’ll definitely be interesting to see an outburst if and when it happens. I doubt anyone will put up with it and I would guess she’ll have to deal with the consequences on the track. Everyone is certainly giving her the benefit of the doubt right now, but that can be used up very quickly. -Journo
3. From Steve:
During the 150s on Thursday, I saw guys with Home Depot firesuits crewing for someone other than Logano (don’t recall who, but it wasn’t a big name). How does that work? Are they loaned out by JGR? Are they able to free-lance when their drivers not running?
This actually happened quite a bit during the 150’s. Many of the smaller teams who aren’t sure they will make the 500 will come to Daytona without crews. They will then hire a crew for another team to pit their car. Another example is the RCR CAT guys pitting for Casey Mears and the Keyed Up team. They are able to do a little freelancing as long as JGR’s bosses approve. Some teams allow this, and some don’t. - T.C.
4. From red8814:
Hey guys! Watching Daytona right now & someone has noticed that the 43 car has the number “515″ on the front of the hood. any idea what this represents? thanks!
Just like Lowe’s does and I believe a couple of others, it’s a store number. A good and exciting way to recognize those on the ground. – Journo
5. From Jerry:
Guys I noticed Sunday when Dale jr. got in and out of his car his Hans device was attached to his helmet. Other drivers would put there helmets on in the cars. How did they hook the device up inside of the car?
A crew member will lean inside the car and hook everything up while the driver is in the car. It’s not too difficult to do. It’s just a matter of hooking the Hans’ straps to the loops in the driver’s helmet. I guess it’s just a matter of personal preference for the driver. – T.C.
6. From Michele:
Hey guys, great column! Is the ’shark fin’ only for Restrictor Plate races or all tracks? Thanks!
I believe the shark fin is only for the restrictor plate tracks (Daytona & Talladega). It makes the cars more stable in the draft, and aids in keeping the cars on the ground if they get turned around. – T.C.
7. From Eric:
Could you get someone at NASCAR to clarify the new Green-White-Checkered rule? During the Daytona 500 they restarted with 2 laps to go. Technically they could say they didn’t use the first GWC, then use 3 more after that. Now I’m sure they will say it was used, but, I am worried that they could go either way in an attempt to have a particular driver win.
The green-white-checkered rule applies to extra laps. In the 500, the first GWC was actually still in regulation, so it didn’t count towards the rule. It just so happened that the restart happened with two to go. The three GWCs then only apply after the scheduled distance has been run. And trust me, NASCAR isn’t looking to affect a race to see a particular driver win. If that were the case, the series’ most popular driver wouldn’t go winless for two years. - T.C.
8. From Mike:
I’m all for letting drivers police themselves, but do some drivers just not understand the damage they do to the NASCAR brand when they bump in the turns and cause a big crash? Do some of them forget that NASCAR claims to have the best drivers in the world (and I’m convinced, but I’ve followed to sport for decades)? Do some of them not realize that the casual “don’t regularly follow NASCAR” viewer is asking themselves “but how can they be the best in the world when they crash so much?” Maybe the question isn’t “some drivers” but rather “one driver”?
I’m not exactly sure who that “one driver” is, but I think you have to understand wrecks are going to occur. Great drivers or not, things happen when you’re doing 200 mph closely bunched up with 43 other guys. Bump drafting isn’t necessarily bad, but drivers do need to be careful. It stinks to see wrecks that take out your favorite driver, but this is just a part of racing. – Journo
9. From Steven:
Do you guys know what’s up with MSRP Motorsports? There had been tell during the offseason that they were selling their equipment and opting to turn that operation into a second Cup team (The #55), but lo-and-behold, the #90 and #91 have shown up on the entry list this week…But Eddie D’Hondt is listed as the owner of the #90 car. Did he buy the remaining assets of the team, or something? And if so, why is Randy Humphrey still listed as the owner of the #91? What gives?
From my understanding, they have teamed up in some way (D’Hondt and Humphrey). Seeing as how neither car is sponsored, and what drivers are on the entry list, I wouldn’t expect anything less then to see both the 90 and 91 start and park if they make the show. They may be attempting to build for the future, but for now, don’t expect either team to race. – T.C.
10. From Dean:
Could it be that Junior was actually driving a Toyota and the gas pedal stuck and he was hanging on?
That’s a good theory, but I’m going to say it’s probably not a likely scenario. – Journo
11. From Eddie:
On the Dodge Charger, why is the “DODGE” name below the grill and the “CHARGER” name is above the grill this year?
I honestly don’t have a clue. I’d imagine the fine folks in Chrysler’s marketing department thought it looked better. Perhaps it shows up better on TV. – Journo
I was fortunate enough to have attended the 2010 Daytona 500 courtesy of a NASCAR sponsor. On the first caution for the pothole, is it true NASCAR contacted all the teams looking for any available Bondo?
I know there were some jokes going around about how NASCAR was bondoing the track, but I’m not aware of a call to the teams looking for any plastic body filler. – T.C.
13. From Joe:
In your opinion will the Wood Brothers and Bill Elliott ever run up front again?
I think the Wood Brothers still have good equipment, but I think Bill Elliott’s career is certainly in its twilight. He runs good here and there, but given his limited schedule and the point in his career you can’t expect him to go out and be ultra competitive when he races. That certainly isn’t a jab at “Awesome Bill” but he just isn’t as strong as he once was. – Journo
14. From Neon:
TC-You see a lot of coverage about “over the wall” crew members that practice pit stops almost daily at the shop (usually around Mooresville, NC) during the week. However, at the Cup level, are there many that live in other towns or states away from the shop and only practice and perform during the race weekend?
To be honest with you, especially at the Cup level, I don’t think a guy could make it if he didn’t live in town and wasn’t able to practice with his teammates regularly. The only way to be really good as a crew is to work together all the time and to know what each other is going to do at all times. The more you work with the same guys, the tighter your stops become. I can’t honestly say I know of anyone that lives away from Charlotte that is on a pit crew for a team based in Charlotte. – T.C.