Did you notice the short field in the Nationwide Series this weekend? Certainly not a great indicator of health of the sport. But then did you notice the fields in the Cup and especially the Truck Series? Those should make us all feel a little better.
Consider this: there were 40 cars on the Nationwide entry list, the first short field since 2008, 44 on the Cup Series entry list and 41 on the Truck Series entry list. In the Truck Series that’s five more cars than make up a full field.
Unfortunately that meant some great young talent like James Buescher and, for the second week in a row, Tayler Malsam didn’t make the race. Still there wasn’t a single team that start-and-parked. That in itself is quite an achievement.
With the lesser cost of entry and the investment by teams like RCR, KHI and KBM, the Truck Series this season is a whole new place. Competition is improved (or perhaps expanded) and the fields are full. To see reduced and or eliminated start-and-park teams is wonderful.
This season is shaping up to be really interesting. Let’s hope these full fields continue.
Tommy Baldwin Racing Announces Their Start-And-Park Run
File this under the strange moment of the weekend, Tommy Baldwin Racing actually announced they would be start-and-parking. The team had planned to run the full race, but a wreck in practice meant they would have to go to a backup – which turned out to be their Las Vegas primary.
Apparently they decided they’d have better luck in Las Vegas and they wanted to tell everyone – from a PR perspective, I’m not sure I see what the benefit of this was though. And NASCAR didn’t either. NASCAR’s VP of Competition Robin Pemberton said before the race Sunday:
“I can’t speak for Tommy and why he did it, but I just thought that it totally took us by surprise… We know that if anybody tries to run all the races it’s Tommy Baldwin. When he can he does. Quite honestly, just taken back by it, and I thought it was just poor timing on his part and that’s all I’ve got to say about it.”
Telling everyone you’re about to take part in a frowned upon practice is not advisable – though it’s admirable they apparently felt bad enough about doing it that they decided they would tell everyone. With the response they got, I doubt they do this again.
An interesting tidbit none the less. What do you think? Would you prefer for a team to announce their intention, or would you rather they just did it?
UPDATED: Link to TBR’s full statement here.
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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.
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!
Is this week dragging by? Don’t worry, a holiday weekend is approaching, and with it comes Truck Series action at Kentucky, and NNS and Cup racing at Atlanta! While we wait for it to get here, we’ve got the 90th edition of ATIW 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 Anonymous:
Training for pit crews, how is it done? Is UTI the only show in town? By the way great articles, very well written, has given me a much better understanding of NASCAR, and I haven’t watched my first race.
The UTI campus in Mooresville, also known as NTI, doesn’t actually specialize in pit crew training. They are more about teaching guys to be mechanics. They do offer a pit crew class as a part of their program, but it is very basic. Performance Instruction & Training (PIT) in Mooresville does offer a much more comprehensive program for teaching people to go over the wall, as do a few other smaller programs. Tire changer and TV analyst DJ Copp actually runs his own small program for teaching guys and providing pit crews for example. Outside of that, some teams will have developmental pit crews they work with, or they will hand pick guys to bring in and train. The opportunity also exists for some shop employees to come out and learn. There are really several avenues for learning the skills. – T.C.
2. From Brandon:
Love the site! With the start and park drivers would NASCAR ever consider paying the purse based on laps completed? It seems if a team was only going to get 10% of the purse for running 10% of the laps it may eliminate some of the start and parking going on…
It’s certainly a novel idea. I think the big thing for NASCAR is not penalizing a team who competes every week and has bad luck but discouraging the practice of starting and parking. While this would certainly discourage the practice, as these teams wouldn’t be making much money off of this, it could also hurt a team trying to make a go of things. It’s definitely tough to find a perfect solution for this.- Journo
3. From Peter:
Sorry if this is a repeat question. Why do the gas can carriers always shake the empty can while timing down the balance of the second can?
What you are seeing when the catch can man is shaking the can is him signaling to the jackman that the car is full of fuel. When the tank is full, fuel will run out of the vent tube on the back of the car and into the catch can. Once the jackman sees the signal from the catch can man, and knows that his tire changers are finished, he will drop the jack and send his driver back to the race. – T.C.
4. From Craig:
With the NFL determined to go to an 18 game schedule, possibly pushing the Super Bowl deeper into February, do you think it will force NASCAR to change to the Daytona Speed Weeks schedule? Possibly going back to the old days when they started the season at another track before speed weeks to avoid a conflict with football?
It’s certainly possible that NASCAR would consider pushing the race back, or trying to accommodate the NFL if they pushed the post-season further into February. From the way I understand it though the NFL is just talking about taking away two pre-season games and starting the season earlier. If that happens it shouldn’t affect NASCAR’s schedule. – Journo
5. From Joe:
Have you heard anything about all of the engines NASCAR took to check for differences in horse power?
I know there weren’t any penalties associated with the check. And since we haven’t seen any more about it, we can assume NASCAR decided everything was fine. If they had found one manufacturer had a significant advantage over another, they would have made a rule change to level the playing field. – T.C.
6. From Brian:
With Petty saying this week that there will only be two cars, what was all the “exciting news” Petty, AJ, and Marcos talked about coming at each of there press conferences? What else is in store at RPM? Or is there nothing left to announce?
I’m sure what they were talking about were sponsor announcements. As far as I know they’re just going to be a two car team next season. – Journo
7. From Allen:
I’ve noticed when I attend Cup races if there was a Nationwide or Truck race the day/night before the “official” haulers are still in the infield. You know the ones with the giant Series logo’s on them, is there a reason they don’t leave with the team haulers?
As far as I know the Series haulers don’t generally return to North Carolina after races, so they aren’t in a hurry to leave the track like the teams are. They have to be at the next track early in the week, so they go straight from wherever they’re at to wherever they’re going. – Journo
8. From Michael:
“There was passion (and one middle finger), and boy was there carnage.” Who flipped the bird?
Steven Wallace to Ron Fellows. Here is the video – fast forward to 7:30. - Journo
9. From Michael in SoCal:
During Villeneuve’s last pit stop on Sunday, why was the catchcan kept in the car after the fueling was complete as they finished the four tire change?
Once the car is completely full, sometimes excess fuel will spill out of the vent tube. Keeping the catch can in until the last minute means less of that fuel ends up on the ground. Remember that it only takes one spark from a lugnut to set fuel on fire, and the less there is on pit road, the better it is for everyone involved. Also, spilled fuel is very slippery, so by not allowing spillage, it also aids in keeping the crew members on their feet during the stop. - T.C.
10. From Marcus:
Do you guys know what the state of the new Cup car is? They were really talking about it alot and lately they haven’t said a thing about it. With only 12 races left this season you would think that if they really wanted to implement it they would be designing it and getting ready to test it but all I have heard is that they would like to make changes to the current car to make it look more like the new Nationwide car. Just wondering if you guys have any more info or if you have heard anything in the garage area lately. Thanks.
Changes to the COT have certainly been discussed, but we’ve heard probably not until the 2012 season. NASCAR and the teams need enough time to properly test any proposed changes, and the teams would need time to implement these changes to their fleets. – T.C.
11. From Red Neck:
What type of coolant is used in NASCAR? Is it plain old water, anti-freeze or a mix?
Teams just use water to cool the engines. Anti-freeze is not needed because the cars are never driven in conditions that would require it. – T.C.
12. From Mike:
At the near end of the Nationwide race in Montreal, Robby Gordon ran out of fuel. Nascar told him to pull over and park (I believe the grass area in turn 2). Was that a safe move? What if his car would have been hit? Or Robby!
Absolutely. Robby got out of the car. This is actually not at all uncommon in most road course racing series. This is why they have local cautions to alert drivers of an issue in a certain part of the course – this avoids unecessary full course cautions. While NASCAR doesn’t utilize the local caution, this was not a surprising move given there were only a couple of laps left. So to answer your question, Robby was safe and the drivers were all well aware of his car’s position on the track. – Journo
The Cup teams get their final off weekend of the season, but there won’t be a shortage of racing action this week. The Truck Series is off to Chicagoland Speedway, and the Nationwide teams head north of the border to tackle the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. 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 Justin:
Thanks for a great site. Have you heard anything about why Scott Wimmer cannot get a decent ride in the Nationwide series? He has a lot of success in the past. What is the knock against him if any?
Thanks Justin! I think Wimmer’s problem is not so unsimilar to a large number of racecar drivers. He’s getting older, his performance was never spectacular and he doesn’t have funding. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not bad, you certainly know what you’re getting with Wimmer, but he’s not necessarily the kind of driver big teams are going to be willing to take a risk on at this point. – Journo
2. From Dave:
Does the first start and park team still face the rigorous “just because” tear down process that some cars went through at the start of the season?
Yes, NASCAR continues to tear down start and park teams like they were doing earlier in the year. This week, the #55 of Michael McDowell was the first car out of the race and NASCAR took their engine back to the R&D center. – T.C.
3. From Jamie:
You guys tweeted free beer at RCR. So do one or both of you work for RCR?
You caught us… Just kidding. I’m not sure where you saw that tweet, but it wasn’t on our twitter feed. Because of the nature of the site we’ll never disclose where we work, and we certainly wouldn’t be that obvious. – Journo
4. From Dan:
Hey Guys, According to the results of the Saturday night Bristol race the #48 car was listed as running at the end of the race with 415 laps completed. Why would Johnson stay on track after he couldn’t gain any more points? Hamlin who finished one position ahead had 58 more laps completed. Johnson was well ahead of Conway, who finished behind him, with only 212 laps completed and no threat to Johnson losing a position. Seemed odd considering it was Bristol, since a lot of chaos can go on there nearing the end of the race.
Well first, you never retire from a race if you can help it, because you never know what may happen. Johnson was involved in the wreck around lap 260 or 265, which means there was still half the race in which something could go wrong for somebody else and he could gain more points. Second, even once you mathematically cannot gain any more spots, you keep running for pride (for lack of a better word). You don’t want that dreaded DNF on your record and you never give up, even when you know it’s over. And finally, sponsors are paying your team to get exposure for them, and that can’t be done with a car loaded on the hauler. I personally commend them for running until the finish. – T.C.
5. From brotherflounder:
What do you think of Kyle Busch winning the triple?
I thought it was a cool moment, certainly something historic. Is Kyle winning in the Nationwide and Truck Series much of a feat? Not really. But still, to be able to do all that in one weekend is nothing to sneeze at – which is why no one has done it before. – Journo
Road racing returns this weekend as the Cup and NNS cars head up to Watkins Glen. While they are turning left and right, and doing backwards pit stops, the truck series takes on the Nashville Superspeedway. As we work through another week, here are more 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 Garry:
How often do you AND your driver practice the exact routine of the car pulling in and out of the pit stall? How many times does it take to be perfect? When you are working with a new driver or at a tougher track (like Bristol) do they allow you extra time to practice a lot? Is it true that “pit mates” (drivers in ajoining pit stalls) try to coordinate their stops, to stay out of each other’s way? It seems so many things can go wrong. Do you have any good stories about bad blood rivals who are battling and then winding up next to each other? ( e.g if Horse face and lil Brad wound up next to each other. It might make things interesting)
You won’t find most drivers at the shop driving the pit stop car for practice. Some teams will use their development drivers or just a shop guy to do the driving. Once most guys get to a certain point in their career, practicing getting into and out of the pit stall just isn’t necessary I guess. And the only real example of a track that sticks out where we might do some extra practice is for this weekend’s race at Watkins Glen because the pit stops are backwards. Other then that, the rest of the tracks get the same amount of prep usually. In terms of pit road neighbors, you try as much as you can to coordinate stops, but often it just isn’t possible. The hope is that the guys around you are either on a different lap or fall out early, so your driver has a clean path in and out. And there are plenty of times where teams end up pitting next to each other and things get ugly. There have been instances where crew members have thrown lugnuts and other objects at an opposing driver as they come by, pit boards have been hit by drivers, there have been plenty of shoving matches, and there is always going to be a ton of yelling when things go south. – T.C.
2. From Bill:
Why not let the cars that make the chase all race together and have another race for the other cars. Nascar asks the other cars to move over and not race the chase cars. This makes for poor racing and the other cars cannot win.
I’m not really sure what the question is here, but NASCAR doesn’t ask other cars to roll over for the Chasers. In fact Jamie McMurray, a non-chaser, won the race at Talladega during the Chase last season. – Journo
3. From Michael:
Regarding Tool sponsorship. Mac, Snap-On, Craftsman, etc. Are the tools given to the teams, discounted, or on loan? Or is each team contract different with each vendor?
The contracts can be different, but for the big teams, when the team itself needs tools, they are usually given or highly discounted. Remember though, the guys who work in the shop use their own tools and must pay for all of their own equipment. With the shop guys, they are usually given a discount, but nothing is free. – T.C.
4. From Marty:
After watching the wide array of tire strategies at Pocono I offer you this question… Has anyone ever taken 3 tires in a pit stop? How about just 1 tire?
Not that I’ve ever heard of. Getting one tire takes the same amount of time as it does to get two, as does the time for three versus four. So it wouldn’t really make sense. Plus, it would give the car really odd handling characteristics to have grip at one corner, but not the others. - T.C.
5. From Jackie:
On Sunday’s race, I noticed that start and park teams would come in and then go back out on the track – Why? Do they not want to be listed as last or are they trying to better their position? At what point in the race do the start and park teams say enough is enough and call it a race?
Most are trying to just be able to finish a little better. Remember most don’t have pit crews, so if they are going to run longer then a tire/fuel run, they’ve got to do something to change tires and add fuel. A few minutes in the garage can do the trick. And the agendas will vary by team. Some of the bare bones operations will just run a few laps because they are fine with last place money. Others might be attempting to make more money, and score more points, so they may stay out longer. – T.C.
6. From Debbie:
While watching the Pocono race a driver, I want to say Denny Hamlin, but don’t quote me on that, said his tires were over rotating. How can that be and what does that mean? Thanks!
I’ve never heard a driver say his tires were over-rotating. I have heard them say that about their car though. If a car is over rotating, it just means it’s loose in the corners. – T.C.
7. From Kevin:
First off, the 48 dumped the 2. Everybody who has ever watched a race with bump drafting knows you dont do it unless your wheels are straight. The 48 was turning left the entire time and clearly turned the 2. No question about it. Kurt should have gone and kicked some ass. I am sure he will in coming weeks. Secondly, how great was the racing at the end of the race? For about 20-40 laps there we saw some of the best racing of the season. All through the pack. I am so tired of the people complaining, if they didn’t like the racing right after the rain stoppage then they should just quit watching, b/c it won’t get much better. Finally, do you think the recent success of two tire stops is due to the flat nature of the last two tracks? I imagine someone taking two tires at say, Vegas, will suffer a lot more due to the speed all the way around the track. I do enjoy the mixing of strategies though.
To your first point, I don’t think Jimmie dumped him, I think Jimmie got sloppy and made a poor decision. To your second point, I couldn’t agree more. I think we have had stellar racing this season. And to your last point, the two tire strategy works when everything comes together right. Certainly tire wear is a factor, but how many laps are left, who took four versus two, and how many all play a role. It has played a role the last two weeks. – Journo
8. From steve:
Any idea what was going on with Brian Pattie and Montoya, especially Pattie’s barb that Montoya needs to come to Charlotte to practice pit stops? How redfaced do you think ESPN is that they had zero cameras on Sadler? But for his crash sneaking into the Busch coverage, they would have had nothing at all on one of the worst wrecks in NASCAR this year.
Montoya screwed something up, and they had a 17 second stop (I would imagine he messed up getting into the box), so Pattie called him out. Montoya was then upset that Pattie called him out, and he was upset about losing track position because they got four tires. JPM is notorious for his ability to express his feelings. To your second question, I think it’s the nature of the beast. This sort of thing is the nightmare of every sports television director – missing that key play (or in this case a wreck) because they didn’t have a camera – but it happens because you just can’t have cameras everywhere. I’d be willing to bet there have been some serious discussions this week about how to make sure this doesn’t happen again. – Journo
9. From Lost in Texas:
Anything new in the Jeremy Mayfield case?
I haven’t heard anything new. The last I heard was that Mayfield’s legal team had asked Judge Mullen to reconsider his ruling, a formal step before they can appeal to the 4th Circuit Court. – Journo
10. From Kipp:
T.C.- This is a great outlet and source of information and discussion. Thank you for you and Journo’s efforts. With the recent fine given to Denny Hamlin, have you worried any about potential fines or punishment coming from NASCAR for operating on this forum?
Thanks Kipp! Glad you are enjoying what we do. And no, neither myself nor Journo is worried in any way about being fined or punished by NASCAR. We operate a very fair website, and if they ever took exception to something we wrote, all it would take is a simple request, and they could post a rebuttal here. Also, I think it’s important to note that NASCAR didn’t fine somebody in the press, it was drivers. If they did ever try and penalize a media member, it would come to light pretty quickly. And, as our regular readers know, we’ve been very critical of NASCAR at times (see Tuesday’s blog post), and they have yet to even bother contacting us. – T.C.
11. From derek:
Why does a crew member use a propane torch to heat the tire up and then scrape it?
The crew guy is using the torch and the scraper to clean off any build up on the tires so the tire specialist can get an accurate reading of the tire’s tread depth after a run. When a car is running around the track, especially under caution and heading to pit road, the hot tires will pick up rubber and all sorts of other things. Cleaning them allows the teams to figure out how much rubber was actually worn off over the course of a run. – T.C.
12. From M. Sauter:
With the season winding down, and sponsors signing or leaving, when should Kahne fans begin to panic?Right now, he has no ride and no sponsor.
There isn’t a point you should start panicking. Kasey will be in a car next season. Where that’s at is still yet to be seen, but Kasey will absolutely be driving somewhere next season. Rick Hendrick didn’t sign Kasey to sideline him. Don’t worry! Everything will be worked out…eventually. – Journo
Before I really get into this post, I wanted to share a quote from Michael McDowell that he posted tonight on his Twitter page (@Mc_Driver). McDowell has been driving the #55 for Prism Motorsports this season, and is one of the start-and-park crowd’s usual suspects. There was some discussion about the reasons often given for why these teams fail to finish, which are usually bogus, and McDowell had a great response.
“They get mad at me when I tell them ‘I was going down the straight away and the funding fell off.’”
It was a bluntly honest comment from a good kid who is just trying to make it in racing, and I wanted to share. Keep fighting McD…
Over the last few seasons, starting and parking has become a regular part of the sport. Fewer teams and less available sponsorship dollars have contributed to the phenomenon. Lately though, it seems that the number of teams doing it has increased in the Nationwide and Truck Series. I believe it is a frightening trend, as most of these are victims of sponsorship losses.
Instead of trashing these teams though, I wanted to hopefully open up your eyes about the practice. While there are certainly those teams out there who are doing it for nothing but the profit, for many, this isn’t exactly the case.
Lets picture for a moment that you are a NASCAR car owner. Your team runs mid pack each week, but it’s a solid operation and it’s respectable. Then something unforeseen happens and you lose your sponsorship. Maybe you only had a partial deal, or maybe an agreement fell through. And now, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t find a replacement. What do you do? You really only have two choices: shut down completely because of lack of funding; or trim down your staff and begin starting and parking until something comes along.
This exact scenario is what many are now starting to face. Instead of putting entire shops of people out of work, owners are using the start-and-park startegy to weather the storm and keep the doors open until they can put money together. It buys the owners more time to find sponsorship, and it keeps the employees’ paychecks coming on time. Knowing that, it’s hard to really blame them for it.
Something else to consider is how this affects these owners and teams. Remember that people get involved in racing because they want to compete. They want to go out each weekend and try and be the best. Starting and parking though, goes against the very idea of competition. Pulling out of a race after only a few laps with a perfectly good race car is a very difficult thing to do. Add on top of that the fact that most fans and NASCAR itself severely disapprove of the practice, and you begin to see how demoralizing it can be.
In a perfect world, we’d have 43+ fully funded teams showing up to the track each weekend to race the full distance. But we don’t live in a perfect world. In reality, the world is a very tough place to try and race. I know for many of you, the simple mention of the phrase “start-and-park” gets your blood boiling. Trust me, I understand. It makes me sick to my stomach to watch these cars pull into the garage each weekend after a few laps.
Do me a favor though? Don’t forget that sometimes bad things happen to good people, and tough choices need to be made. Not all of the start and parkers are the enemy.
It will be a weekend full of left AND right turns as both the Cup and Nationwide Series will both take to road courses. The Cup cars are at Infineon Raceway in California and the NNS boys are at Road America in Wisconsin. While we wait for the racing to get here, we’ve got more 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 Tony:
Guys – I know the S&P questions probably get as annoying as the practice itself, but here’s another. Earlier in the year, NASCAR implemented a rule that the first car out of the race for non-accident reason would have their engine taken and torn down. The portrayal I saw in the media was that this would be very expensive for these teams. Do you know how much this costs the team and if NASCAR is still doing this? If yes, what are your thoughts on the impact to S&Ps?
I believe the cost to rebuild an engine is in the $25,000 range. NASCAR has continued to tear down the first start-and-parker out of the race, but it doesn’t appear to have changed anything. The same teams that have been doing it all season continue to do it. Remember too, that only the first car out has to tear down, so it’s not like the teams have an extra $25,000 expense each week. These teams have found a loophole in NASCAR’s system, and I’m not sure there is really a lot NASCAR can do to stop them. – T.C.
2. From Joe:
I know i’m a week late, but during the Pocono race Kurt Busch got penalized for a missing valve stem cap. I’ve never heard this before. Is this a safety concern?
I know it’s a rule that each tire must have a valve stem cap, but I couldn’t really tell you what the rationale is. I don’t believe it is a safety issue, and would be more apt to say that it has to do with cheating and setup issues. – T.C.
3. From Andrew:
There’s a saying that racing improves the breed. I can definitely see that from F1 and maybe even Indy cars, but how does NASCAR racing improve the breed of the street cars we all drive?
I don’t know that it does. And to be honest, I haven’t ever heard a manufacturer rep try to sell their involvement like it did. The fact is, NASCAR’s use of technology is limited, so there isn’t a whole lot the manufacturers can learn – that is unless they’re planning on dumping fuel injection. I think we could see it benefit them with the introduction of fuel injection in NASCAR, but until that point, the days where racing improved the breed, at least in NASCAR, are behind us. – Journo
4. From Rebecca:
Hey guys. I watched the AMP chat this week, which featured Kip Wolfmeiyer, rear-tire changer for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 crew. Wolfmeiyer said he works with No. 5 crew during the week and race weekend, but works only with the 88 crew to pit the car on race day. This got me curious. I know the 5 and 88 team share a garage, but is it standard practice among race teams to have some crew members work with one team during the week and then another team on race day? Thanks for considering my question.
This crew sharing doesn’t happen a ton, but it does happen. There are a few guys here and there that work on one car during the week and weekend, and then switch and go pit another team car. It all comes down to where there are opportunities and holes that need to be filled. – T.C.
5. From Robert:
Do crewchiefs take into consideration time lost during deceleration/acceleration when chosing pits? I see some better qualifiers choosing mid road spots which use more time.
What it comes down to when picking pit stalls is getting an opening, either in or out. Once those stalls with openings are gone, then it’s about the timing lines. Each pit road has a specified number of timing lines that NASCAR uses to determine pit road speed. By knowing where those lines are, teams can pick a stall that will give them an advantage getting into their stall. What they will do is find a stall that is in between those lines. That allows the driver to speed up once they cross that line as they enter their stall; the idea being that going over the limit in that segment won’t hurt them because of the pit stop. – T.C.
6. From NASCAR fan:
I read this week that NASCAR held a meeting with drivers and owners to talk about possible improvements for the chase format. I think this is a positive, and would love to see increased bonus points for wins, say 25 instead of 10. But how about bonus points for where a driver finishes the regular season in the standings? Say 120 points for first place, 110 for second place, etc. Your thoughts? Do you really think NASCAR is looking to improve the chase format or just paying lip-service?
I think with all the changes NASCAR has made over the last couple of seasons (at the behest of the teams and the fans) I don’t think it’s just lip service. I don’t know if NASCAR believes there is anything wrong with the Chase, but I believe if they perceive it to be a problem with the teams (the drivers, the owners), and with the fans, they will do whatever they can to make it better. They are working hard right now to make sure people are happy, and getting the best product possible. If they hear enough bad feedback on the format, there could definitely be changes. What those changes might be, and what they’re thinking is, is anybody’s guess. – Journo
7. From Garry:
Watching the 24 hours of Le Mans and seeing the pit guys doing thier importaant job, it made me wonder if you guys ever have (or ever considered) swapping places for a weekend or two with other types of racing, maybe just to see how the other guys do it, and maybe learn a trick or two, which could cut 1/10 or 1/2 second here or there.
The pit stops and equipment used during stops is different among all the series, so I’m not sure we could really learn anything from those guys. In sports car racing, for example, most of the cars have wheels that only have one lugnut and the cars have built in air jacks. The duties of the crews are all different. In the IRL, there is one changer per wheel and fueling is done through a hose. While it would be fun to trade places for a week, I’m not sure it would really benefit either crew. – T.C.
In reference to the “gentlemen start your engines” at Michigan, who can I strangle for that? Is that really what NASCAR has become??????
Was it really that bad? They’re both comedians and they were trying to be funny. I personally like to see people get into giving the command. Would you have rather seen a no-name executive vice-president of HP Food (the owner of the Heluva Good! brand) do it? It’s supposed to be fun and entertaining. I think they did a good job at that. A matter of perspective I suppose. – Journo
9. From Kyle:
Last week Landon Cassill was in the 09, and this week it is sponsored by hendrickcars.com(entry list). Is it possible the deal may have been made for Kahne next year?
It’s certainly possible. All we’ve heard is what’s out in the press right now, but remember denials aren’t always denials. I think it’s a little suspicious that James Finch has sponsorship from HendrickCars.com this weekend. Finch and Hendrick though do have a past relationship. The fact is there aren’t a lot of good options for Hendrick. Phoenix is certainly a possibility (despite the denials), as are the other teams that we’ve heard about. – Journo
10. From Kyle:
There are 43 cars on this weeks Nationwide entry list. 21 of those cars do not have a sponsor (01,04,09,10,15,26,27,28,31,35,40,43,56,61,70,87,89,90,92,99) . 5 more are seriously underfunded(05,23,24,59,81). That leaves only 17 sponsored teams Of those many are self funded, Menard, Gaughan, 34 FRM car, 21 car (meant for Townley). Ive also heard the 10/11 Braun cars are “funded” drivers. Is the long term health of the Nationwide series in question?(especially with the COT looming in a few weeks)
When NASCAR first announced the Nationwide COT a couple of seasons ago, a lot of teams screamed that it would put them out of business. I don’t necessarily think that’s going to be the case, but I think what you point out speaks to the sport as a whole. Money is tight, very tight, across all three series. I think the series will be fine, but until the economy improves, or teams can figure out a way to make sponsorship more cost effective, this is the reality. – Journo
11. From Marcus:
I have a couple of #95 and #96 Caterpillar Chevrolet Monte Carlo die-cast cars (1/18 and 1/24 scale). I recieved these when I was youger (probably 1-3 years old) being my uncle works at Caterpillar. However, I cannot find what series they raced in. The decals on the side where the series logo would be are not there. And my uncle does not know either. I was just wondering if you could help me out. I know David Green drove them and that is about it. Thank you very much for any info you have.
The #95 is a Nationwide (Busch Series) car driven during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, and the #96 is a Cup car driven during the the 1997 and 1998 seasons. David Green drove most of the races in both cars, but Ward Burton, Robby Gordon, and a slew of other drivers had starts in them. Both of the cars were owned by Buz McCall. Happy to help! – Journo
When a driver becomes a Cup Series champion a certain amount of gravitas is permanently attached to him. Being a champion puts a driver in the league with the sports all-time greats and marks him permanently in the annals of history in the sport. He’ll forever be introduced as a Cup Series champion. I digress.
There had been rumblings for a while that TRG would begin starting-and-parking. Given their limited sponsorship and their history with the practice it seemed incredibly likely that it would happen again this season. The one caveat I heard though was Bobby Labonte would not participate in the practice.
Unfortunately on Sunday Bobby did just that. After 65 laps, the TRG car pulled into the garage and ended its day early citing “electrical” issues. I think we all know what that means.
After 19 seasons, 594 starts, 21 wins, and one championship Bobby Labonte deserves better. He owes it to himself and to his legacy to not ever start-and-park again.
Now a lot of drivers have had less than spectacular years toward the end of their careers. Think Dale Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip and others. Still they went out with their dignity intact, knowing that they left nothing on the table. It’s just not realistic, especially in this day and age, to leave the sport (or any sport) on the very top, Ned Jarrett-style. What Bobby Labonte did though was far below not making races or running in the back.
At age 46 Bobby Labonte isn’t going to have a Mark Martin or Jeff Burton-esque rebirth or renewal. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I feel comfortable in saying Bobby Labonte’s best years are behind him. That said, I don’t have a problem with the guy continuing to race if that’s what he wants to do. He deserves better than a start-and-park ride with a mediocre team though.
As good a guy as he is, I’d much rather see him retire or look for opportunities in lower series, than to see this continue. Here’s hoping Bobby Labonte, the man and the Cup Series champion, realizes he and his legacy deserve better.
Casey Mears Is In the All-Star Race? What!?
If I was James Finch at this moment I would be furious. I would be on the phone wearing out Mike Helton, John Darby and anyone else who would take my phone calls. Why you ask? Because NASCAR allowed Casey Mears to sub for Brian Vickers in the All-Star race – something Casey neither earned nor deserved.
This puts James Finch in exactly the same situation as Red Bull – both had teams that won a race, but don’t have the winning driver in the car. Red Bull is allowed to sub a driver, Finch and Phoenix are not.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the seriousness and unexpected nature of the situation at Red Bull. It stinks for the #83 team that Brian Vickers is unable to compete because of his health. Certainly this was beyond Team Red Bull’s and Vickers control.
Still, NASCAR has a duty out of fairness to every competitor to uphold their rules (note these are THEIR RULES). If something unexpected happens the sanctioning body should not change set rules or guidelines to accommodate a particular organization or driver.
This is a admittedly a bit of a stretch, but NASCAR didn’t give Denny Hamlin his position back this past weekend after he was wrecked under caution by Clint Bowyer. Hamlin couldn’t control what Bowyer did – it certainly was unexpected. But there is no precedent for giving a driver his position back and it would have been unfair – NASCAR didn’t do it. This situation should not, in my opinion, be any different.
My point here is, it is ridiculously unfair to change the rules in the middle of the game and not make concessions for others in a similar position. Incidents like this do absolutely nothing to help the credibility of NASCAR as a sanctioning body – let’s be honest it makes them look wishy-washy. It says they’ll change the rules depending on who you are and whatever unfortunate extenuating circumstances you may be facing. Bad move NASCAR.
It’s a bit of a weekend off for teams, as even though we will be at the track this week for the All Star and Truck races, at least we get to sleep in our own beds. If you are in Charlotte for the races, don’t forget that the Pit Crew Challenge is tonight at Time Warner Cable Arena in Uptown Charlotte! Before it kicks off though, here is the 75th edition of ATIW to help you get through your hump day. 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 Ron:
Excellent site. Withthe new spoiler package they are controlled and dispensed at each event by NASCAR. How is it that some cars have their’s color matched if they are distributed randomly? I would think the teams wouldn’t know what spoiler[s] they would get each race.
Unlike the now extinct wing, NASCAR does not issue the spoilers to the teams. They are put on at the shop and then teched when they get to the track, just like they used to be. That’s why some teams have color matched pieces. - T.C.
2. From Jerry:
Guys what happens if Brian Vickers car owners points make the chase but his own drivers points don’t. Are Chase births given to the car or the driver.
Great question! There are actually two Chases. One for the driver championship and one for the owner championship. It’s no different then when Carl Edwards won the Nationwide Series driver championship in 2007, while RCR took home the owner championship. We don’t often see another driver run a car that is so high in points, so to this point, it hasn’t been an issue. - T.C.
3. From Kim:
This may be the silliest question you’ve gotten, but when a driver like Casey Mears subs for different drivers, what firesuit do they wear? Do they quickly doctor up a suit with the appropriate sponsor logos?
There are no silly questions here. Casey actually wore a generic firesuit at Dover. I would imagine if he continues to drive the #83 that he would have a Red Bull firesuit going forward. It really depends on how much time the team has. If they have some advance warning, they can get a firesuit ready. If not, the sub driver either has to wear one of their own, or hope they fit into one of the current driver’s suits. – T.C.
4. From Christopher:
At Darlington, Jeff Burton was penalized for running over the air hose. I’m curious- what is the rationale behind this type of penalty? I understand speeding on pit road- it’s a safety issue with other drivers, and it gives you an unfair advantage. But driving over a hose doesn’t give you any advantage, and can only really hurt yourself.
Running over an air hose is a definitely a safety concern. The combination of an impact and the hose getting kicked up by the tires can be very dangerous. If an impact were to hit someone, it could do some serious damage, and the air hose is connected to a Nitrogen bottle that has 2,500 lbs of pressure in it. – T.C.
5. From Kyle:
What do you know about the ownership situation at Red Bull Racing? There are rumors the company wants to move into a sponsorship only role. Any idea what team the sponsorship would go to if this were to happen?
The team is wholly owned by Red Bull owner (or perhaps more accurate, majority stakeholder) Deitrich Mateschitz (just like the Red Bull F1 team). So short of Red Bull deciding, without Mateschitz, that they no longer want to be in the NASCAR sponsorship business, it’s not too likely. Though I suppose if you looked at it from it’s purest form Red Bull really is just a sponsor now (albeit a very large one). – Journo
When people talk about start-and-parkers, they often complain that they’re keeping better (serious) drivers off the track. If money and sponsorship were no issue, which drivers could be competing well in the Sprint Cup?
That’s a good question (it’s not something I necessarily buy into). Start-and-parkers are filling a void. Certainly there are exceptions every now and then but in the absence of the start and park teams we would likely have less than full fields. If money and sponsorship were no issue? That’s tough and I’m no driver development expert – this is something even the best driver development people have failed at (ex. Reed Sorenson, Casey Mears). Sorry. – Journo
Who makes the call to hand down penalties or park a car in the middle of a race? Brian France? Mike Helton?
Those calls generally come from the series director – Wayne Auton in the Truck Series, Joe Balash in the Nationwide Series and John Darby in the Cup Series. When drivers get to the trailer though, they sometimes get to meet with both the Series Director and Mr. Helton. – Journo
8. From yankeegranny:
Ok, what’s the story; was there a steering problem with the 88 at Dover, or not? If there was, what was it, and if there wasn’t has my fav driver become delusional? Seriously, what could be wrong with the car to make a driver say he had to turn the wheel 90 degrees to the left to get it go straight on a straightaway? Did he hit something/someone early in the race to knock something loose?
It is my understanding that there was, in fact, no problem at all. The marbles at Dover can be pretty bad, and if a driver picks them up on his tires, he can think all manner of things are wrong. It is not uncommon for drivers to think they have a flat tire or some mechanical issue. That’s why you see drivers swerving back and forth under caution to clean their tires. Dale Jr. isn’t crazy, and he wasn’t the only victim of the marbles this weekend. It’s just another example of the horrible luck and circumstances that continue to keep this team down. – T.C.
9. From Sann:
With all the drivers that get right front flats and smack the wall, would it be possible to run a liner in just that tire to prevent hitting the wall?
At Dover, Goodyear runs inner liners in all of the tires. When a tire blows out though, there isn’t much that is going to stop a car from heading straight for the wall, inner liner or not. The inner liner may make the hit not hurt so bad, but it’s inevitable. – T.C.
10. From yankeegranny:
In this age of mega teams with mega bucks, simulators, windtunnels, and 7-post whatever they ares, how can a team unload a car that misses the needed race setup completely. Some cars seem to be pure garbage from the time they come off the truck and nothing seems to improve them. On whose shoulders do we lay the blame..somehow it seems that this is one that we can’t blame on the driver?
Well it depends what team/s you’re talking about. Lesser funded teams don’t have the resources to spend a lot of time at the wind tunnel or at the 7-post – many of those teams are also running sub-par and used engines. When you see these teams run like garbage it’s often because their using sub-par equipment (having Chad Knaus on the box and Jimmie Johnson in the car wouldn’t do them any good). In the case of well funded teams you can blame the driver and/or the crew chief for missing the mark. Something to consider too is changing conditions. If a team practices in sunny/hot conditions and they race in cold/cloudy conditions their setup is going to get messed up. – Journo
11. From Walt:
When a driver says that they are tight or pushing in one corner and then tight or pushing in the next corner how can you adjust for both corners?
Usually, just adjusting for the overall tight condition will help in both corners. At a place like Darlington, where 1 and 2 are different then 3 and 4, a happy medium has to be found. It’s very difficult to make the car run well through both sets of corners. – T.C.
Following their usual quick exit from Cup races, the #66 Prism Motorsports team of Dave Blaney was met with a little surprise on Sunday at California. Lee Spencer of FoxSports.com first reported about Blaney’s Toyota being taken by NASCAR for inspection. Once the team was out of the race, the #66 was chosen as NASCAR’s “random” to be inspected following the race.
In case you aren’t aware of the normal post race inspection procedure, NASCAR usually takes the winning car, plus a few others back to it’s R&D center in Concord, NC. There, the cars are thoroughly inspected to ensure they are legal, and then returned to the teams when the process is complete. For more on what goes on during these inspections, see this piece Dustin Long wrote last season.
What has some people talking about this particular random pull, is this is the first time a start and park car has been taken by NASCAR, and this now leaves Blaney’s team with only one car to compete with at Las Vegas (barring a miraculously quick inspection by NASCAR which nobody believes will happen). Spencer even questions NASCAR’s motives in her article, saying:
Is NASCAR attempting to send the message to “start and park” teams — those that enter a race primarily to collect a check and don’t always try to finish — not to stink up their show?
The answer is most likely yes, and no.
First, I believe NASCAR wants these teams to be aware that the sanctioning body is paying attention to them, even if all they plan on doing is running in the back for a few laps, and then parking. If these teams are breaking the rules to beat out other teams and get into the race, they need to be caught. They should be under the same scrutiny as everyone else. So there certainly is a message being sent.
On the other hand, while I know NASCAR isn’t particularly a huge fan of these teams, they understand that on some level they do serve a purpose and that there really isn’t much that can be done about their existence. Until the economy picks back up and companies return to racing sponsorships, these teams will have a place.
I also wanted to point something out about the level at which some of these start and park teams appear they can compete at.
Before his quick exit on Sunday, Blaney had qualified fifth and even led a few laps. But that performance is deceiving. Understand that these cars are built to do nothing but qualify. These teams do things like run light weight motor oils, light weight transmission oil, and light weight rear end grease to make sure there is as little resistance as possible in the drive trains. That way, the cars can run very fast for a few laps. But the problem with setting cars up like this, is they would never last an entire race. Those lighter weight oils and components would fail before the car made it to the end of 500 miles.
But because none of these teams plan to run more then a few laps, reliability doesn’t matter. When reliability does become an issue for these teams, many would never even qualify.
So here we are talking about the start and parkers again. Frankly, I don’t really even notice them anymore. They don’t affect the actual racing going on, and as long as they aren’t taking the spot of a legitimate team, I don’t care if they do what they do. I think most of the fans understand the game now, and just accept it for what it is.
It is nice to see though that NASCAR is willing to hold these teams to the same standards as all the others. If you show up, expect to be under the microscope, regardless of your intentions.
I do wish though that just one of these owners would be honest with everyone and just come out and say they are just in it for the money. It certainly would be a refreshing change from the usual “we’d race if we had money.”
Yeah, I’m sure you would.