May 5th, 2011 by T.C.
As we get ready for Darlington this week, pit crew coaches across the sport are preparing their crews for what will be a busy night of work. The Lady in Black is a unique track and it creates a lot of challenges for the teams. From it’s abrasive surface and looming walls, to it’s uncommon shape, Darlington always demands a lot from the pit crews.
Since the track was repaved in 2008, the surface hasn’t been quite as hard on tires as it had been previously. Fresh asphalt and a smoother surface are the reasons why. But as the asphalt continues to age, it will start to return to it’s historically abrasive self. This means lap times are sure to fall off quickly as the tires wear, which will place a large premium on fresh tires. Drivers and crew chiefs will want to take advantage of every opportunity to come get four fresh skins, and that equates to a lot of pit stops. With fuel mileage already dictating somewhere in the neighborhood of eight pit stops, you can be sure pit road is going to be a busy place all night.
Just like we saw last weekend at Richmond, this weekend’s race will start in the early evening, and end late under the lights. As the race progresses, you’ll see the handling characteristics of the cars change based on the track’s conditions. The teams build adjustability into the cars, especially on nights like this, so they can keep up with the changing race track. And it will be on the pit crews to execute those changes. Besides bolting on four fresh tires, crews will be making trackbar and wedge adjustments, pushing in and pulling out spring rubbers, possibly adding grill tape, and adding or removing front shims. A stop without some sort of adjustment becomes the exception, not the norm, even for the fast cars.
If there is one thing everybody always remembers about this track, it’s that famous “Darlington Stripe.” The fastest way around the track requires the cars to run right up against the wall through the corners, and that leads to plenty of chances for drivers to hit said wall. Besides making adjustments and changing tires, many pit crews will be tasked with fixing and clearing bent sheet metal from these brushes with the red and white retaining wall. Darlington is a fast race track, and aerodynamics are important here. Damaged front fenders will make any race car handle poorly on a fast track.
The pit work I’ve talked about in this post is not really any different than what is expected out of teams on a weekly basis, but Darlington seems to amp up the importance. Whoever comes home with the win on Saturday night (and Friday night) will most certainly have had a very good night on pit road. Why? Because the Lady in Black always seems to penalize mistakes just a little bit more.
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