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Drivers should be professional enough to police themselves and refrain from using such offensive language, even in the heat of battle. They should be conscious of the fact that fans and others are listening and choose their words and rants more carefully.

What!?

Yearly we end up in this ridiculous debate about the language used over team radios. Someone, somewhere inevitably gets offended by an f-bomb or a tirade and some in the media pick it up as a cause célèbre.

In fact, TC wrote about it two years ago – in that case it was Kurt Busch getting into it with Roger Penske on the radio. As TC said at the time, “who cares.”

The debate ramped up this week after tirades from Martin Truex Jr. and you guessed it, Kurt Busch. Put together a lot of f-words and a lot of criticism of equipment and crews and you get the general idea about what was said.

The openness of crew communications in NASCAR makes it a great resource for fans and the media. In no other sport do you get easy, real time access to privileged communications between athletes and coaches (or in our case, crew chiefs). We’re provided with insights into team strategy, the highs of victory and in some cases the frustration of defeat.

With that privilege, we have to realize that these athletes have every right to express themselves for better or worse in some venue. The adrenaline and danger associated with this sport leads to the occasional understandable outburst. Not too long ago I heard a driver tell his crew they were “ruining [his] f****** career.” He didn’t necessarily mean that, but in the heat of the moment and the heat of the battle he was letting off steam.

And while you may or may not agree with the use of language, I think it’s hard to argue that these guys shouldn’t have an outlet to express what they’re feeling in the heat of battle. Saying that they need to moderate themselves is absolutely ridiculous.

Being in the car during a race is not an interview and is not really an environment that lends itself to “choosing words more carefully.”

I don’t think NASCAR should make radio traffic private – it really is one of the great things about the sport – but I think there needs to be a realization about the nature of the communications on those channels. And lets face it, the more complaining that’s done in public about what’s said on those channels the more likely the teams are to move to, or push for closed communication channels.

So the long and short of it is, if you don’t want to be offended by bad language, don’t listen.

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Thanks to another Monday race, we’ve got a short week before we head to Talladega.  The ARCA cars will take to the 2.66 mile tri-oval on Friday, with the Nationwide Series and Cup Series headlining the weekend.  While the teams make last minute preparations, we’ve got 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 Allen:

What do you think of Kasey Kahne moving to Hendrick in 2012 and what do you predict his plans will be for 2011?

We’ll see. Hendrick’s driver performance is pretty hit and miss. Remember Casey Mears and Brian Vickers’ stints with the team? And when was the last time Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won a race? Check this out, it’s an interesting look at driver performance at Hendrick. He is certainly better positioned now, but there are a lot of factors in play. And if I had to bet, I’d put my money on Stewart-Haas for 2011.  – Journo

2. From Paul:

I just read an ‘ask’ question about gear ratios. For ‘Dega and Daytona, why not mandate a gear to keep the speeds down and get rid of the restrictor?

NASCAR actually does have a gear rule at the restrictor plate tracks, to go along with the plate.  I think though, that having just a mandated gear would result in the same kind of racing we have now.  Everyone would be in a giant pack and passes would be based on aero and momentum. - T.C.

3. From Ike:

What is the fastest anyone has ever gone in the history of NASCAR?

The fastest official, recorded average speed is Bill Elliott’s 1987 qualifying run at Talladega – he went 212 mph. Rusty Wallace went out a few years ago and ran a car in the neighborhood of 230 (top speed) with averages around 220. It wasn’t official though. – Journo

4. From Loren:

They say the new rear deck fin length is adjustable. Can it be adjusted during a race or is the length determined before hand and then can’t be changed?

I’m not 100% sure on this one.  I know that NASCAR allows a variance in how long the fin can be, but I don’t know if they’d allow a change to it during the race.  If a team did decide to make a change, it would be a very lengthy one to make, as it would require either cutting or replacing the existing setup. – T.C.

5. From Allen:

I’ve noticed this since Daytona, but I’m sure it’s been going on longer: How come the cars do not have the “Official NASCAR Stock Car” logo already on the car when unloaded. I noticed a few weeks ago at Atlanta one car didn’t have it on Friday, but come Sunday it was there. I thought it was painted on, just a sticker?

That sticker is placed on the car after teams successfully make it through the inspection process. Those are NASCAR’s to put on the cars. – Journo

6. From Grover:

During a impound race, what are the teams allowed to change? I assume it is small stuff, tire pressure, tape on the nose, carb jetting, and topping off fluid levels.

It’s pretty much just tire pressure, grill tape, and wedge/trackbar adjustments.  Other then those three, there is very little else that NASCAR will allow the teams to mess with.  Any carb adjustments and fluid additions would have to be done pre-impound.  NASCAR will sometimes make exceptions, but any adjustments have to be approved by NASCAR. – T.C.

7. From Clay:

I was listening to Dave Rogers (Kyle Busch’s Cup Crew Chief I believe) on Sirius Nascar Radio and he was saying that the reason they went with 4 tires at the end of the Phoenix race is that they scanned the other team radios and heard that Chad Knaus was also going with 4 tires.  This got me thinking, why don’t the crew chiefs use code names for their pit stops so the competition won’t know who’s doing what on the next pit stop?

It’s unnecessary. Crew chiefs do listen in to other crew chiefs during the race, but the information that gets spewed on the radio isn’t always accurate. If a crew chief wanted to be discreet, it would be as simple as hopping off the box and telling his guys what the stop was going to be. The spotter plays a big role in this too, because he can see what other team’s stops are and pass that information along. – Journo

8. From Paul:

Ok, settle a bet for me. If a driver only completes 250 laps of a 500 lap race but is still running at the end, did he finish the race or only finish half of the race?

If I understand you correctly, it won’t mean that he gets a DNF. He will be shown as finishing the race. He’ll be scored 250 laps down, but he’ll finish. Hope that helps! – Journo

9. From Lost In Texas:

Is it my imagination or does it seem that the Monday races run smoother with less cautions. Is it because everyone just wants to get it over with or what?

It’s your imagination.  Monday’s race at Texas actually had more cautions and more caution laps than the previous four races at Texas.  And the Martinsville race earlier in the year was right in line with the recent races there. – 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!

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