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Only 16 more shopping days until Christmas!  But before you head off to the mall, sit and enjoy the 52nd edition of ATIW.  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 Michael in SoCal:

Question on the Nationwide COT – what will the spoiler look like?  Will it be smooth all the way across, or notched at the ends?  I’ve seen pictures of both from the test sessions, and was curious what the advantage of one vs. the other would be.  Thanks.

I’m not 100% certain on this, but usually the spoiler with the notches is used at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega (see the Truck Series).  I’m sure NASCAR was probably testing both at different tracks to see how it affected handling, but usually that is how it goes.  I would imagine that the regular spoiler will be used at all other races.  But again, I’m not 100% certain on this.  And I’m not an aerodynamics expert, but I believe the notched spoiler slows the cars a bit and makes them more stable at high speed. – T.C.

2. From Raymond:

This is a great deal… First time I got to read the Q & A… Here is my question… By the way I sent it to NASCAR and they didn’t answer. Ok here it is: what is the rule on pit lane stops during cautions, when are the cars penalized ?  IE cars already in pit lane? Or those that enter before pit lane is open. Thanks for your help.

Once a caution flies, NASCAR will close pit road.  Pit road doesn’t open until the field is under control of the pacecar and NASCAR has deemed it safe to open pit road.  Any cars that pit before pit road is open must restart at the tail end of the longest line.  Cars that enter pit road under green flag conditions, who are then caught there when a yellow comes out are not necessarily penalized.  Often times, a team will lose a lap because they are stopped on pit road while their competitors are on track at speed.  Some teams will pit before pit road is open on purpose, because they need extra time for damage repair or adjustments. – T.C.

3. From Christopher:

I noticed John Andretti missed the 35th spot by 100 points.  I also noticed he did not race in the 11th and 12th races of 2009.  It appears he didn’t even try to qualify, because he did not have any DNQ’s this year.  In fact, he was in the top 35 at points in the season because he somehow got into races.  Am I missing something?  It seems like he should have done whatever it took to run all races, as it would have assured him a top 35 car next year.

John Andretti was 36th in driver points, but the #34 car was 35th in owner points. NASCAR uses owner points to decide guaranteed starting position. John missed those two races because he was qualifying for and then racing in the Indianapolis 500. During those two races, Darlington and Charlotte, Tony Raines was driving the #34 car. He maintained the position in the points. John though lost spots because he missed the races. – Journo

4. From Virginia:

I know tools have changed over the years.  I would like to know what kind of tools were used by the teams when Nascar first started.  Did any of the shops not have electricity?  How have the change in tools affected the ease with which cars are built, set up and fixed?

I haven’t a clue. One would assume they all had electricity because NASCAR’s first sanctioned races were in 1948. I would imagine the tools weren’t all that different from the ones used today. Certainly the pneumatic tools weren’t available, but your basic tool chest would have been. Remember the cars in the early years of NASCAR were very stock cars. Working on them would be much like working on your own car in your own garage. As the years have progressed so has tool technology and the technology of the cars. – Journo

5. From Ric:

The winner of the race gets a checkered flag. But do they get THE checked flag, other than when Tony does his fence climb routine? I have noticed the checked flag they get to drive around with has a short handle, is there anything else special about it, or just some cheap flag that is thrown away after?

I believe the winner gets to keep the flag. There are also novelty flags given out to the crew guys in victory lane that have the race win printed on them.  – Journo

6. From Ric:

I have seen a couple of videos clips over the year (maybe the same clip) where Chad Knaus is talking on the radio (walking away from the 48 car). He then puts his clip board up to his mouth to hide what he is saying (like you see NFL coaches do) while he is still talking. If anyone is that worried on what he is saying wouldn’t you just listen to his radio, which is public info, versus trying to read his lips!?! Any inside clue on why, or what am I missing?

I think what you are seeing is Chad shielding his microphone from the noise around him.  Especially if cars are on track or engines are running around him, it will be very difficult to hear what he is saying.  Spotters often have to do this when the cars come by them on the front stretch.  They will shield their mics with their hands so the driver can hear what they are saying.  Chad isn’t worried about spying lip readers, as if he wanted to keep something secret, he would just lean in the window and talk directly to Jimmie. – T.C.

7. From Mike:

Who all gets to go to the banquet? How much of the crew gets to go. I realize that this probably varies if you are in 1st or 10th and from team to team but I was just wondering.

It’s usually just crew guys from the championship winning teams that go to the banquet.  And it’s the usual suspects; mechanics, pit crew guys, crew chief, etc.  They put them up in the cheap seats and let them at least be in the building.  I can’t say I’ve ever heard of any crew guys from the second place on back teams getting to attend a banquet. – T.C.

8. From Ric:

Do pit crews, crew chiefs, spotters etc. get chances to slip away for when nature calls? Or are you stuck there and hope it doesn’t happen. Are there facilities near, reserved for pit personal? I’m sure you don’t have to stand in long lines like the fans do.

Spotters don’t get the chance to take bathroom breaks.  They are stuck where they are until their driver wrecks or the race ends.  Guys on pit road are different.  Most tracks have porta-johns on or near pit road, and crew guys can slip away for a second to relieve themselves.  And yes, I do know of crew chiefs who have made race calls while using the facilities. – 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!

Click Here To Find Cool Nascar Items!

One Chase race down, nine to go.  It’s Wednesday again, so if you’ve got questions, we try really hard to have answers.  If you don’t know what this post is, until further notice, we will be answering 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 Pat:

Simple question: what tool do the pit crews typically use to pry the fenders up off the tire after contact? Is it just a pry bar or something more specialized? Thanks!

Teams use everything from their hands, to hammers and baseball bats, to specialized tools.  Roush has a fender rolling tool they developed some years back that some teams use. – T.C.

2. From Ric:

I have heard that the Michael Waltrip we see on TV is not the real Michael Waltrip. That he just plays the country boy / hick  / hillbilly /  country bumpkin /  image. Any truth to that? Are other drivers out there that are totally different on TV / in front of the fans, then they are in real life / behind the scenes?

I think to some extent the TV side of Michael you see isn’t real.  He’s not quite as funny and goofy as he’d like you to think he is.  And I think because of how corporate NASCAR has become, drivers are more polished when they are on TV and in front of the fans.  They are going to be a little different when they are just around friends or their teams and can loosen the collar a bit. – T.C.

3. From Matt:

What plans does Hendrick have for Landon Cassill? I thought he would have been a perfect driver for the 88 car in NW.

I honestly don’t know of any plans. I believe he is still doing testing for Hendrick and he is running some dirt modified races, but as far as next year goes, I haven’t heard anything. I too think Landon would have been a good candidate for that ride, but with Bires you get someone with a bit more experience and a little bit more assurance. – Journo

4. From Steve:

Each team has their tires for the race laid out in rows behind the pit box. Is there anything to this, are the tires in any particular order?  Or is a tire a tire?  And while I saw pressures being checked before the race, are pressures double checked just before they’re used?

Before the race, all sets of tires will be numbered and then will be used in the race according to a specific order.  The tire specialists will match tires according to stagger, and strategy will dictate which order the sets are used (for example, when to use stickers and when to use scuffs). – T.C.

5. From Kenny:

What do you hear about the #9’s engine? I kinda wonder if someone who was upset about the lay-off notices at RPM might have just forgotten to tighten a bolt, or fasten a nut…

We actually heard it was a broken crankshaft that did Kahne in. Honestly I can see where all the conspiracy theories are coming from, but it’s just not true. Not only would the sabotage have had to have been the greatest the sabotage ever (he makes it 66 laps, qualifying and several practice sessions?), but despite many of these guys probably losing their jobs at the end of the season, they are still looking at bonuses if Kahne wins the championship. In the end they would only be hurting themselves. I honestly believe it was nothing more than a coincidence. – Journo

6. From Amy:

My question revolves around Tony Stewart’s loose (broken?)  axle cap at Louden. One of the announcers said during the broadcast that they probably didn’t even need to bother to fix it? If that is they case why did the team take the time (losing positions) to fix the issue?

The rear axles actually have two caps.  The first is a flat cap that actually holds the axle in the tube.  The second cap screws to the first cap and is a cone shape.  It aids the tire carriers in indexing the new tires during pit stops.  The cap that gave Stewart trouble was the outer, cone shaped cap.  It sounded like the screws were not tightened properly and came loose.  Not fixing the loose cap wouldn’t have led to any mechanical failures, but it would have made subsequent pit stops very difficult for the rear tire carrier, probably resulting in slow pit stops. – T.C.

7. From Amy:

Here is another question I just thought of- this one is directed more towards T.C.  In the last two races, two different crew members have sustained hits on pit road during stops.  In this article on NASCAR.COM (http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/features/09/22/five.things.dwayne.moore.dreutimann/index.html) Dwayne Moore (hit by Tony Stewart at Richmond) mentions  that drivers who hit crew members should get penalized (he specifically mentions tail end). Do you think this is a good idea? When you are over the wall how much trust do you put in the drivers around your pitstall? Is there a way to make it safer?

It might not be a bad thing to consider.  If drivers knew they would be penalized for hitting a guy, they might be more careful.  But the problem is, is none of these incidents happen on purpose.  Drivers aren’t trying to hit guys.  These end up being wrong place, wrong time type of situations and there just isn’t enough time for either party to react quickly enough.  When I’m over the wall, I just have to hope that my guys around me will watch my back and that the drivers are paying attention.  But part of doing what we do is knowing that there is a chance you could get hit.  That is why we now wear firesuits and helmets. – T.C.

8. From Doug:

I feel the new restart rule in the cup series has had an unexpected fall out. It seems now since the lap down cars don’t get any air time (by starting on the inside of the front runners), that sponsors are pulling out and will continue to do so. Since NNWS has gone to this rule you’ll start seeing this trend also.

I’m not really sure what evidence there is of this. I can promise the recent announcements by Jack and Jim had nothing to do with the restart rule. Other than them, I can’t think of any sponsors at any level pulling out. The TV the back markers get really wasn’t all that great before the restart rule, and still remains not great. TV exposure while important, is not the only reason a company sponsors a Cup car though. I don’t think the restart rule has/will have any effect on sponsorships. – Journo

9. From red8814:

Hey TC, when a car ends up backwards in the pit like Ragan did this past weekend, are there any changes in who does what on the stop?  Also, can you extend our “get well soon!” thoughts to Clint Pittman?  You guys in the pits don’t get enough credit for everything you do in the middle of that chaos!

Teams will usually keep their positions, but the problem lies in the tires.  With fronts now in the rear, the rears now in the front, and the sides swapped, guys have to be real careful about knowing which tires they are putting on.  They end up needing to swap tires front to rear, and left to right. – T.C.

10. From ronfrankl via Twitter:

Which teams are likely to have sponsorship issues in the closing weeks of the season? Any teams that might fold?

None that I’m aware of before the end of the season. As far as next season goes, look to those teams, even individually within bigger organizations, that have lost sponsors or are having trouble finding sponsorship. Most of those problems are ones that have been well publicized. – Journo

11. From 4wide via Twitter:

With 5 tracks in the Chase that have lights, why only one Saturday night race and the rest on Sunday against the NFL?

I think this is simple. ABC needs something to go against the NFL on Sundays and they have NASCAR. While in a lot of situations the NFL game is going to do better than the NASCAR race, it will still give ABC a formidable NFL opponent. – Journo

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!