Mar 24th, 2010 by T.C.
The teams have a short trip this weekend, as the Truck and Cup Series head to Martinsville, VA. The teams are also spending the week getting some spoiler testing done at Charlotte Motor Speedway. And while they work, we’ve got another round of 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 Lee:
It is my understanding that Goodyear brings the tires that will be used for that race to the track. Do the teams get the tires from Goodyear at the track, then take them and mount and balance them on their own? Or do they bring their rims to Goodyear, and they mount and balance the tires for the team?
A company called Champion Tire & Wheel hauls all the wheels to the track. Once there, Goodyear takes them and mounts and balances all the tires for the teams. After the race, all the tires are returned to Goodyear. They are then broken down and loaded back up. Champion checks the wheels for damage, cleans them, and hauls them to the next race. – T.C.
2. From Ric:
Do crew members and drivers travel together or separate? I know it various from team to team, race to race. Just looking for in general.
Generally crew members travel together. Of course most teams have A team and B team guys that come into the race track different times during the weekend, but those groups do travel together. Drivers generally come in to the race track by themselves, but that’s not always the case; especially for the ones who don’t have private planes, or access to a private plane. – Journo
3. From Eddie:
With the 12 Hrs at Sebring this weekend, is it possible in the future for a NASCAR driver to race that event and still race the Sprint Cup event on Sunday? Also have any NASCAR drivers raced in the ALMS series before?
Probably not. The reason I say that is because the weekends don’t really work well together. Running in the 12 hours would screw up practice and qualifying on the Cup side, which would require teams to find someone to fill in. This is something a team owner wouldn’t be too keen to do. The 24 Hours of Daytona works because it’s out of season and Indy and the 600 were able to work because of how spread out things were. I don’t see this working though. To your second question the answer is yes. IMSA (the current sanctioning body of the ALMS which was formed in 1999) ran the 24 Hours of Daytona for many years until the creation of Grand Am. I can’t think of anybody driving in it recently, but Roger Penske had an ALMS team until 2008 (they ran Grand-Am in 2009). – Journo
4. From Ray in NJ:
Hey TC, I have a question regarding the spoiler change for Martinsville etc. If I remember correctly when the COT was first created the drivers were complaining about not enough downforce on the car and handling extremely poor…remember Kyle Busch complaining each time he won…..as a result NASCAR decided to add the wing and then during testing the drivers commented it was much better…..now people are saying the wing is causing or enticing the car to go airborne when turned around…so it makes me think we are going to keep the car on the track…but handling and downforce could be a problem again…what do you think?
During some of the initial COT testing, the car had a spoiler. But the COT was never actually raced in competition with a spoiler. It always had the wing. So saying the car is going to revert back to how it handled in the beginning isn’t necessarily accurate. The teams are definitely going to have to relearn how to set these cars up, but I don’t foresee huge problems with handling and downforce. – T.C.
5. From Michele:
Hi T.C. and Journo! Hearing lots about the Legend race @ Bristol running “faster more dangerous” cars than current Sprint & N’wide drivers. Is there anything to that or just ‘Hot Air’? Thanks for a great column!
I believe that the Legends race at Bristol had the drivers just running crate motor late models. The cars don’t have as much horsepower and are lighter then a Cup or Nationwide car, but their setup makes them easier to drive. I believe that is why we saw lap times that were as fast or faster then the other series. On a short track they are fast, but I don’t know if we can call them more dangerous. The incident with Pearson and Glotzbach was just an unfortunate accident I believe. - T.C.
Remember too this race wasn’t sanctioned by NASCAR. The race was put on by BMS. – Journo
6. From Mike:
How does the payout system work? I see at Bristol that Truex finished 12th with 500 laps earning $89,475 whereas Kahne finished 34th with 432 laps earning $123,390. Neither driver led a lap.
The reason some drivers make more then others depends on what contingency programs a team is involved in, and in what payout plan a team is in. I believe NASCAR has four different plans setup, and each team fits into one of those plans. I don’t know specific details, but the plans award prize money based on not only where you finish, but also past performance and longevity. – T.C.
7. From djones:
Hi TC & Journo, Two questions if OK. Regarding tire tests. If Goodyear brings tire ABC to test , why do they bring tire XYZ to run the race at the track they tested at? I am referring to comments made by Regan Smith at Bristol. Also, why use an Indy tire (flat track) at Bristol (high banked)? Why don’t the tire changers where some kind of dust mask? Doesn’t that brake dust cause health problems? Thanks guys. Read you every week.
Goodyear uses tire tests to try different compounds and combinations. Their data from the test will tell them what they need to know to select a tire. They may bring ABC to the test, but realize later that XYZ will be better for the race. And just because a tire is used at Indy doesn’t mean it won’t work for Bristol. Goodyear decided that the conditions the Indy tire was built for would also work at Bristol. There are a ton of factors that go into selecting a tire. And I don’t really know why changers don’t wear dust masks. You will see some front changers wearing full face helmets because of the brake dust. I’m sure inhaling the dust isn’t good for you, but I’ve never heard of specific health problems caused by it. – 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!
