With the Nationwide Series and Truck Series moving to some non-companion events over the summer, it seems that I hear everyday about teams looking for quality crew members for upcoming races. It really makes me wonder if we aren’t almost facing a bit of a shortage of pit crew guys.
There are a good number of guys that have crew gigs all weekend. A crew guy may pit a Nationwide car on Saturday and a Cup car on Sunday. Some are even finding ways to not only double dip, but even add some Truck races! By freelancing themselves out, they can make some very good extra money, get more experience, and gain exposure. Some teams also use guys across the various series. Teams like Gibbs and Penske have guys that are on both their NNS and Cup teams.
When the series separate however, it creates holes for many teams. They are then left trying to put crews together last minute. With travel and license issues arising from these last minute hires, plus the uncertainty about a guy’s experience and abilities, it can make the whole situation very difficult.
With NASCAR imposing hard card limits on teams in the NNS and CWTS, I wonder if they have created an unintended effect. The rules were put in place to help the teams save money on salaries and travel, but they have limited the opportunities for younger guys trying to work their way up the ranks. Many of these kids that come through the various pit crew schools don’t often have the know-how to also be mechanics, so they miss out on opportunities. Teams are forced to find guys that not only work on the cars, but pit them too, so as to be compliant with the credential limits.
What then ends up happening, is that on weekends when holes are created by non-companion races, there just aren’t enough experienced guys available. There are plenty of kids available who “know” how to change tires, jack, and carry, but very few have a ton of experience. And crew chiefs don’t like bringing in some new guy who doesn’t have a ton of races under his belt. It takes time for a crew guy to understand what he needs to do to be successful at the track, and to be able to transfer his skills from practice to the race.
While the causes may be different, the problem is similar to that of many young drivers and the need for fresh talent. For example, the Nationwide Series has become Cup lite, and development drivers just don’t get the chances they used to. Crew guys are no different.
My advice to the young crew guys out there is this: network as much as you can and do as many races as you are able. That way, when a hole does open up somewhere, people will know who you are, and have faith that you can get the job done.
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There is absolutely no doubt about how important pit stops are to a race. Like I’ve said here before, a team can’t win the race on pit road, but they certainly can lose it. A perfect example of this happened last weekend at Darlington. Jeff Burton brought the field to pit road as the leader with only a few laps remaining. His crew chief, Todd Berrier, called for the crew to bolt on two tires to keep their track position, and hopefully win the race. A mistake during the pit stop though, and the subsequent penalty, killed any chance for a win and saw Burton finish eighth.
In case you missed what I’m talking about, watch the doomed pit stop here. Front tire changer Dan Blizzard struggles just a touch with his on pattern (tightening the lugnuts) and the jackman drops the jack too early. If you watch very closely, you will see that jackman Adam North is watching Blizzard like a hawk. North is waiting for him to make his normal move showing that he’s finished with the lugnuts, which signals North to drop the jack. During his on pattern, Blizzard’s body makes just a small shift in position and North takes that shift as the sign that his front changer is finished. Blizzard isn’t done though and Burton, who is leaving on the drop of the jack, runs over the air hose which results in a penalty.
The normal rule they teach guys on two tire pit stops is for the jackman to drop the jack once the tire changer is at the right headlight. That gives the changer enough time to get out of the way of the car leaving the stall. As a crew works together and becomes more familiar with each other though, those tolerances become much smaller.
Let me show you an example of a very tight two tire stop. This video is of Kyle Busch’s crew, posted to Twitter by JGR Coach Mike Lepp (@mlepp). In the video you will see front changer Nick Odell hit his fifth nut, and make just a small move to leave before jackman Jeff Fender drops the jack. Odell is well short of the right headlight. And the result is Busch leaving the stall quickly, missing Odell by only a few inches.
As you can see from the two examples, the margin for error is very small. A normal two tire stop, which the #31 CAT guys have executed to perfection hundreds of times before, goes awry. Why? The answer lies in the familiarity among the crew.
The jackman sees his changers hit lugnuts everyday. And the majority of the time, they are very good. In this case, both front guys and the jackman were part of the winning crew from the 2009 Pit Crew Challenge. We aren’t talking about amateur or inexperienced guys here. They are among the best at what they do. What can happen though, is the jackman (or any other crew member for that matter) can get lulled into a false sense of security. He’s used to seeing the same thing, over and over, from his guys. This time, a small hiccup changed the normal rhythm. Add to that a little pressure with the race on the line, and you have a small mistake that costs a team the win.
So who’s ready to be a pit crew guy?
If you got to watch the races on Monday from Texas you may have heard the TV guys talking about the drivers who had to do double duty. Guys like Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Greg Biffle, and others got out of their Cup rides and had to immediately jump into their Nationwide cars for another 300 miles. It can be a tough thing to do as it requires the drivers be in top shape, and have the ability to re-focus their minds after 500 grueling miles. But what the TV folks probably didn’t talk about a lot, was all the crew guys who did the same exact thing.
Just like there are drivers who run in multiple series, there are also quite a few crew members who work in multiple series. Usually it’s not a problem to do, because the races aren’t on the same day, but Monday was different.
Following the Cup race at Texas, crew guys had to pack up their pit box and then run to their Cup haulers to strip off their firesuits. They then had to head over to their NNS haulers to put firesuits back on and proceed back to pit road to set up their NNS pit box. Teams had about an hour to work with following the first race to get changed and set up their pit stalls for the nightcap.
One example of what I’m talking about is the Furniture Row pit crew. Those five guys pit Regan Smith’s car on Sunday, but on Saturday they work for KHI and service Kevin Harvick’s Nationwide car. Some more examples include three of the five guys that work on Kyle Busch’s Cup car. Both front guys and the rear changer also work on Kyle’s pit crew on Saturdays. And there are certainly others.
What this really means for these crew guys is being 100% focused. It means doing 10 pit stops during the Cup race, then getting a quick break, followed by four more pit stops in the Nationwide race. Oh yeah, and don’t screw it up.
Another group that did double duty on Monday that I wanted to point out was the spotters. The double header for the Cup guys running in the Nationwide race also meant twice the work for their spotters. They had to work for 500 miles, take a quick break, then get ready to work 300 more.
What really sucks about double duty though, is having to do it again a week later. With the way the forecast is shaping up for Talladega, it may be deja vu all over again.
Hope you all enjoyed our little joke earlier, we certainly had fun doing it. This is my real post for today, and don’t worry, none of this is an April Fools prank.
If you will remember, at the start of this season, NASCAR introduced a new style fuel can for the Truck Series that eliminated the need for a catch can guy (See the fuel can in action here). Because of this new can, NASCAR limited the number of over-the-wall crew members in the Truck Series to six: two tire changers, two tire carriers, a jackman, and a fueler. Teams could still technically use a catch can guy, they would just have to eliminate one of the other positions.
We are hearing now that NASCAR is seriously considering bringing this new style fuel can to both the Nationwide and Cup Series for the 2011 season. If this happens, it would mean the elimination of the catch can man for both of these two series as well.
I’m not 100% certain about NASCAR’s rationale for the change, but I’m guessing they would say it is a safety issue and will save the teams money. It basically removes 43 people from pit road and means teams don’t need to bring (or pay) a catch can guy.
In my opinion, I don’t think this change would really accomplish anything. If teams aren’t spending that little bit of money on a catch can man, they are just going to spend it somewhere else. It isn’t like a NASCAR team is going to be broken by the few thousand dollars it takes to have a crew member catch gas during a pit stop. When we are talking about $15-$20 million budgets, what is a few thousand?
As for the safety issue, I’ve heard some say it’s more dangerous for the catch can man, because he has his back to pit road during the pit stop. But to be honest with you, he is not really in any better or worse position then the rest of us over the wall. When I’m hitting lugnuts, it’s not like I’m looking around to see if I’m going to get hit by another car. I’m focused on my job. You could make the argument that tire carriers and jackmen are put in much worse spots.
On top of that, it isn’t like we’ve seen a recent outbreak of catch can guys getting hit on pit road. I can’t honestly remember the last time it even happened. So this couldn’t be called a reactionary change by NASCAR.
From a competition stand point, the rule with the fueler in the Truck Series is, that he cannot make any adjustments during the pit stop. I would imagine that NASCAR would carry this part of the rule over to Cup and the NNS. If you watch stops in the Cup and NNS Series, you will often see catch can guys making track bar and wedge adjustments. Teams build extra long adjustment wrenches specifically for this.
If the catch can guy goes away, pit stop times will be affected considerably. Any adjustments will now have to be made by tire carriers, which will slow stops down. It will certainly give crew chiefs fits, as the question becomes “do I lose time on the stop and get the adjustment, or leave the car as it is, and take the track position.”
We will keep you posted as we know more about this rule change.
They don’t get any TV time and you have probably never heard most of their names, but a position within the race teams that continues to gain in importance is the pit crew coach. Many teams have full time coaches, while others have part time or contract coaches. But no matter the level of employment, these guys can really help set a team apart from the competition.
Since they don’t get much coverage, I will throw a few names at you of coaches at the bigger teams: Richard Childress Racing has Matt Clark; Mike Lepp coaches at Joe Gibbs Racing; Greg Morin, Mark Mauldin, and Walt Smith lead the Hendrick crews; Eric Wilson and Andy Ward lead the Petty/Roush conglomerate; Greg Miller is at Michael Waltrip Racing; Lance Munksgard coaches Red Bull; and Trent Cherry coaches at Penske.
During the week, coaches spend their time breaking down the film of the pit stops from the previous weekend and running practices. Some will also work with their pit crews in the gym, leading workouts and training sessions. At the race track, (if they don’t go over the wall themselves) they will be looking over the tape of recent pit stops and helping with advice or small adjustments during the race.
Coming up in your career, you encounter all different types of coaches. And just like any other sport, some coaches are really good, and some are not. Many come from athletic training backgrounds, while others are ex-changers, carriers, and/or jackmen.
As is the case in most sports, you learn to absorb as much as you can from the really good coaches, and try really hard to not let a bad coach screw you up completely. The good coaches are the guys that can watch just a few stops and be able to see the small things that either make you good or hold you back. They know when to step in with some coaching, and when to say nothing. The bad coaches are just the opposite. They could watch pit stops for days and never be able to tell you definitively what you are doing right or wrong. All these guys are good for, is holding the stop watch.
Coaches do have a tough job, because they are often the first person a crew chief or manager searches out when a stop goes wrong. They have to be able to take the flak from an angry crew chief and translate that into advice or adjustments that will help the crew be better. And like I said earlier, some are better with this stuff than others.
For me personally, it can be very difficult to listen to a coach who has never been over the wall (trust me, some haven’t). Racing is such a different sport, that the coaching means a lot more coming from a guy who knows what it’s like to step off the wall during a green flag stop, while your driver is leading. I’m not saying actual race experience is essential, because some coaches are good at what they do even without that knowledge, but it certainly helps.
As the Cup and Nationwide cars head to Bristol this weekend, I would encourage you to really watch the pit stops during the races. Bristol’s pit road can get interesting, because of the setup and small pit stalls, and pit stops will be very important to success at Thunder Valley. When your favorite driver’s team busts off a 12.60 stop and sends him out in the lead, don’t forget about the pit crew coach who helped them do it.
With the first off weekend of the season in the rear view, we head to Thunder Valley this week. The Cup cars are getting some spoiler testing in before they leave for Bristol, and while they do we have more 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 Ric:
TC, when you are (un)tightening lugs, what is it you look for, feel for, listen for, etc. before you move on to the next?
It’s really all about feel. When you go to your local tire shop, you can hear what an impact sounds like when the lugnuts are really tight. That noise is the gun ratcheting over. For the good changers, you will never hear the gun ratchet over like that. We just want to stay on the nuts long enough that they are just tight. Don’t stay on long enough, and they will be loose, stay on too long, and you won’t be able to get them off on the next stop. After you’ve been doing pitstops for several years, your brain and your hands just know when to move to the next. – T.C.
2. From Lee:
I know that the drivers get to fly in private jets to and from races. What about the crew? Do they fly commercial or ride in the hauler? Do they usually travel together, or are they on their own to make it to the racetrack?
It depends on the team. Some teams have their guys fly commercial, others have private jets they fly their teams on. TC has actually written a couple of posts on the subject here and here (this one includes links to pictures of team planes). Teams like Roush, Hendrick, RCR, etc all have planes (Roush actually has 2 Boeing 727s); teams like Front Row fly commercial. For smaller teams, when the track is within driving distance, they’ll often make their guys drive – this is especially the case in lower series. They don’t ride in the truck though, they take vans. – Journo
3. From djones:
My question is regarding templates. In LV Robby Gordon’s car didn’t fit the template. If he has same at shop, why didn’t it? Same thing happened to JJ Cobb in ATL. Template didn’t fit. BTW, I don’t know which ones they were. Can templates get warped somehow? Does hot/cold affect them? Are any tolerances allowed? Thanks TC & Journo.
Templates are made of aluminum, and while I don’t know the chemical properties of aluminum, I don’t believe they really distort. Whenever cars are run through templates though, they are always in the shade. There are certain areas that NASCAR will let teams slide on if the template doesn’t quite fit. They may pass you, but tell you to fix it for next week. On top of that, NASCAR does allow for some tolerances on templates. If you ever make it to a track like Daytona, where the inspection areas are visible, you will see the officials use a small gauge that measures the tolerance between the template and the body. – T.C.
4. From Rick:
I’m a huge fan of Bill Elliott. Is he very respected in the garage and If given a good car, do you think he could win again?
My answer is yes and probably not. It’s hard not to have a lot of respect for Bill Elliott. He’s a good guy and great race car driver. While he is still pretty good with Wood Brothers (which doesn’t have bad equipment), I have a hard time seeing him make a Mark Martin like return to full-time competition. Remember Mark, even during his part-time seasons, remained very competitive. Bill has been OK, but just hasn’t had that spark since he retired from full-time competition. – Journo
5. From yankeegranny:
I am surprised that crew chiefs don’t do more to see that their drivers lead a lap during the pit stop sequences. A case in point, if JR had lead laps in the second and third races, he would be in the top 12 instead of sitting in 13th, In the first 26 races leading a lap in every race(not likely, but possible,) a driver could accumulate an additional 130 points, Now that is not chump change in anyone’s book. I want to throw something at the tv, everytime JR gets up to 3rd or 4th during pit stops and Lance tells him pit this lap, instead of telling him to lead a lap and then pit.
All of this sounds good, but it doesn’t always work out that a team can lead a lap during pit stops. It really depends on how far the car can go on fuel, and how much time a car is giving up on old tires to a car on new tires. Lance McGrew isn’t going to leave Dale Jr. on track to lead a lap if there is a chance he may run out of fuel. Five bonus points in that situation isn’t worth screwing up the whole race. The reasoning is the same for tires. If Dale Jr. is out front on old tires, and tires fall off a ton, somebody on new tires will be able to make up a ton of track position. When this is the case, when Jr. does finally pit, he will be further behind then he was before the sequence of pit stops. – T.C.
6. From Richard:
Why doesn’t Nascar make the wing or spoiler hinge against a stop so when the car goes backwards it just flips over and has no lift when going backwards.
I’m no engineer, but this sounds like something that wouldn’t be too reliable. I question whether or not it would work every time, or whether it would work like it should. Likewise a fixed wing and spoiler allow NASCAR to ensure equality among the teams; a revolving spoiler or wing would probably leave some room for fudging. It seems to me, having a fixed wing or spoiler is just a whole lot easier. – Journo
7. From Joe:
Can you give us an idea of exactly where the restrictor plate is located, perhaps using a quick diagram of the car? Also, how has the restrictor plate changed this year? What are the restrictor plate tracks? Can you also give us a rough estimate of the speed difference of a car with the restrictor plate and without?
The restrictor plate is located on top of the engine, in between the carburetor and the intake manifold. I found an image that illustrates the location here. NASCAR made the holes in the restrictor plate a little bigger this season, so the engines will have more horsepower. Restrictor plates are only used at Daytona and Talladega. In May of 1987, Bill Elliott sat on the pole at Talladega with an average speed around the 2.66 mile track of 212.809 mph without any restrictions. A year later at Talladega, with a restrictor plate with 1″ holes, Davey Allison sat on the pole with a speed of 198.696 mph. This season at Daytona, Mark Martin sat on the pole with a speed of 191.188 mph. So the restrictor plate does definitely slow the cars down quite a bit. – 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!
Every week, teams are trying to get any little edge they can. And one way that many teams have found they can gain a small edge with pit stops, is to add a little bit of traction to their pit stalls. At places like Las Vegas, that little bit of traction in the stall can make a big difference on the track.
Each track has it’s own little quirks in terms of pit road. Some have small pit stalls, others have stalls that aren’t square or level, and some places have tall or short pit walls. At Las Vegas, everyone knows that pit road is very slick. For whatever reason, when the concrete was poured on pit road, they didn’t do whatever technique some other tracks have used to rough up the surface. So a smooth surface, combined with the little bit of dust that always seems to linger on the concrete, and you have a recipe for disaster (a.k.a. I just busted my ass).
In the past, teams used a chemical known as VHT to add a little traction to their stalls. I had a conversation on Twitter recently with RacingwithRich.com’s Richard Allen (@RacingWithRich) about this very topic. The drag racing fans out there will know that VHT is very common around their favorite strip, as tracks use it to add grip to their surfaces. But within the last few weeks, NASCAR has decided that teams are no longer allowed to use any sort of chemicals or adhesives in their pit stalls. The only additive we are allowed to use now is your favorite soda.
Before, and even during the race, you may have noticed teams dousing their stalls with soda from cans and bottles. Anybody who has ever spilled a soda knows that it makes a sticky mess. Pit crews are using that stickiness to their advantage. Beyond that, some teams have even discovered that using just the syrup from the soda makes for even better traction.
What this added traction from chemicals or soda really means, is crew members have better traction with their shoes while running around doing pit stops, and the cars will have better grip getting into, and leaving the stalls. And that little bit of extra traction can pay big dividends on the scoring pylon when the checkered flag drops.
It’s happened before. And it will happen again. Something goes horribly wrong on pit road, and a guy gets hurt. Nobody wants to see it happen, but we all know it’s a possibility. In the event it does happen though, the teams have realized they need some sort of insurance policy.
For race teams, gone are the days when mechanics would be plucked out of the shop and thrown out onto pit road to service the car during the race. If you read us regularly, you’ve seen me talk about this topic before. Pit crew guys are becoming more specialized then ever before, with many coming from athletic backgrounds. Pit stop times continue to be cut down, and the margin for error grows smaller every year. And as such, many of the bigger teams are starting to invest in backup crew guys for those dreaded “what if” situations.
With the level of competition in the Cup Series what it is these days, it’s vital to an organization’s success that they are prepared for any situation. A team who is fighting for race wins and a championship can’t afford to lose their main guy after the first pit stop, throw some goober in to fill his spot, and then struggle on pit road for the remainder of the race. They need trained, capable guys waiting in the wings to jump in at a moment’s notice and perform.
It really is no different then other team sports. In baseball and basketball, you’ve got bench players; in football, a lengthy depth chart. These backup pit crews serve the same purpose.
In most cases, these crews train just like the first stringers, getting ample practice and gym time. In order for them to be plugged into an existing crew, there really isn’t any other way. The preparation must be the same.
Besides practice and workouts during the week, often times these backup pit crews have their own gigs during the weekend. Their teams will find them deals with Truck teams, NNS teams, or even other Cup teams to keep their race skills sharp.
One documented example we’ve seen of a backup crew this season, is that of Stewart-Haas Racing. The management at SHR put together a third pit crew and loaned them out to the #71 TRG team. The idea being that the team can stay sharp over the wall, but any member can be recalled at any moment to help one of the SHR teams.
Another example of a backup crew was seen last weekend at California. The rear tire changer for Juan Pablo Montoya’s team wasn’t able to go on Sunday, and since EGR doesn’t have their own backup crew guys, they borrowed one from Team Red Bull’s backup crew. If you watched the race, you may have noticed the change.
These backup guys are just another example of how teams continue to find ways to eliminate as many variables as possible. Like I said above, the margin for error grows ever smaller, and no team can afford to be left in the dust.
If there is one thing I’ve learned about changing tires in my career, it’s that the only way to be successful is to get my head straight. If I’m not focused when I step off the wall, I’m defeated before I’ve even started. Hitting 20 lugnuts becomes very difficult, and mistakes are in my future. But keeping my wits about me, remaining calm, and not letting my mind wander all lead to my success. And while carrying tires and jacking might be the same, changing seems to me to take just a little bit more.
The actual technique and fundamentals to being a good tire changer are really very simple. I could probably teach them to someone in just a few short sessions. As long as you get a good set, keep your elbows up, wrists locked, square the shoulders, stay low, and hit them hard, you’ll have a good shot of doing well. But where the trouble starts is when the mind wanders or isn’t focused.
When one pits a car during a race, there are a ton of distractions. You are surrounded by thousands of people, both in the stands and on pit road; you’ve got a driver and crew chief yacking in your ears; and there are cars coming and going all around you on pit road. When it’s time to go though, you’ve got to learn to block it all out and just see your own car and do your own job.
One area that was a struggle for me early on, and I would imagine is something that all changers deal with at one time or another, is confidence. If I don’t believe I can step off the wall and hit just 20 lugnuts, no amount of luck in the world will make that happen for me. I’ve heard it said that to be the best, you’ve got to believe you’re the best. This certainly goes for pitting race cars too. But there is a fine line between being confident and being cocky. I’ve never understood those guys who think they are the baddest, yet make mistakes, and then blame others. Confidence will get a guy a long way in his career. Cockiness and a bad attitude will end it pretty quickly.
And to go right along with the idea of staying confident, one must be able to bounce back from mistakes and the crazy things that happen sometimes. No crew member will ever go through their career mistake free. Lugnuts will be dropped, jack posts will be missed, and tires won’t always be studded. What separates the good guys from the great guys, besides consistency, is the ability to deal with the mistake, not make it worse, and then forget it ever happened. Dwelling on a mistake and letting it affect you mentally can be extremely detrimental.
Every sport on this planet takes a combination of physical ability, hardwork, heart, and mental focus to be successful. Pitting a race car is no different. Crew guys must have all the tools to make it to the top and remain there. But (and I’m going to give my profession some kudos here) where a mistake in a football game might get you benched, a mistake on pit road could get somebody hurt. How’s that for pressure?
You may not realize it, but while the 2009 season still isn’t officially over yet, preparations for 2010 have already begun. One area that teams will spend the last few races working on, is changes to their pit crews.
To the untrained eye, it may appear to be business as usual for your favorite driver on pit road. The car comes in, four tires go on, the car leaves. But many teams take the opportunity to use these last couple of races to plug some new crew guys into their teams and see how they fare. Do they gel with the existing crew guys? Are they rattled by the pressure? Could they make it next year? These are all questions teams are trying to answer.
You won’t usually see this from the Chasers, but many teams outside the Chase will tinker. It is inevitable that some guys will stay with their current teams, while others are looking to move on. And some will be looking for a new spot involuntarily. Either way, the teams need to find new guys to fill those holes. These races can give them that chance to see what a guy, or guys, has.
Besides lateral movement within a series, these races also give teams a chance to see some younger guys in action. Maybe a guy is brought up from the Truck Series to the Nationwide Series, or from the Nationwide Series to the Cup Series. Crew chiefs and pit crew coaches can see first hand if a younger, inexperienced guy might be ready to move up the ranks. Some will thrive, while others will need more time to mature.
When you watch any of the races this weekend, the Cup race in particular, be on the lookout for helmets on pit crew guys that don’t match the rest of the crew. Often times, a gray helmet on a team means a new guy is involved. And if you really know your favorite driver’s team well, take a look at each crew member. Do you recognize every face? In many cases, I’ll bet you will be able to spot some fresh faces. It’s just another example of how teams are always working to be better for the future.