What Are These People Saying? Thinking? Vol. 2

With Speed Weeks all cranked up and a new beginning just a few days away... It's time to stir the pot! And don't forget... Laughter is the best medicine!

Just what do you think these people are saying? Thinking?


1. You choose... Either the Duck or Cousin Carl...

2. 

3.

4.

5. What is Brad thinking? A.J.?

6. 

7.

8.

9.

and 10.

Hope you've enjoyed putting captions to these!

And for all of you wondering how I won the prestigious 2011 Golden Lug Nut for my picks in the Trifecta... Here's a little gadget I use!

Goodyear's Good Work A Problem?

It's just been announced that NASCAR and Goodyear Tires has extended their working agreement through 2017. Goodyear has been very successful over the last couple of years matching their tires to the new COT car with the results really becoming obvious this season.

The bane of NASCAR 2011 has become the fuel mileage races that are now prevalent. What’s different from years past? Look no further than the excellent tires Goodyear is supplying to the sport. I don’t have the stats but I’d venture to say the number of cautions in 2011 are generally down and that there is a direct correlation to the number of tire problem cautions. This all adds up to fuel becoming the primary variable as less cautions result in longer runs that the improved tires allow…

Even Tony hasn't been bad mouthing Goodyear's tires!

 

NASCAR just addressed the tandem drafting with some rules changes to break up this superspeedway drafting practice (we’ll see the results in a couple of weeks). Can anything be done to put a more competitive product on NASCAR’s Cup tracks given the changes these excellent tires have brought about?

Will the momentum NASCAR rebuilt with it’s improving TV ratings and higher race attendance be negated by a less appealing form of racing thanks to Goodyear’s good work?

NASCAR Rules Changes for 'Dega

It was announced earlier today that NASCAR will change two rules for the Talladega Chase race designed to break up the multi-lap two car tandem drafting that's come with both this track's and Daytona's smooth resurfacing jobs.

First, the restrictor plate openings will be slightly larger (1/64th of an inch). This will yield from 7-10 more horsepower. I'm not sure how this translates to miles per hour or fuel mileage but I'm sure the former will go up and the latter will go down. How much of an effect this has remains to be seen, but it became obvious that the cars and driver skills were capable of safely running at increased speed as two car tandem racing speeds were up to 10 MPH greater than were single car qualifying speeds. I'm thinking the two car tango was actually much more dangerous than normal single car racing just based on the fact that the driver in the push car couldn't see what was happening up front. I know they tried to have radio communication between the two drivers hooked up, and it helped, but we all know how fast bad things can happen and we witnessed some accidents that normally wouldn't have happened.

Second, and the change most likely to break up the drafting, the cooling system's pop-off valve will be set to release water vapor at a lower temperature than before. In other words, the car doing the pushing won't be able to maintain a long-term draft like before. We've seen the two car hook-ups last as much as ten laps (in cool weather) before the trailing car had to get fresh air through it's radiator. The new valve will go off at 8 pounds per square inch less pressure than the old one and according to David Reutimann's crew chief Rodney Childers that change will drop the tandem run's durations down to 1 lap at the most.

A crew chief's nightmare?

We all know the drivers aren't going to give up a procedure that gives them more speed and because of this the rule changes will result in more pusher / pushee switching which, in terms of safety, may not be such a good thing either.

So what kind of speeds might we see considering more horsepower combined with the shortened draft durations? 220 MPH?

For The NASCAR “Purists” Lined Up Against Road Course Racing

The people deeply involved in NASCAR are the first to proudly point to the sport’s roots in bootlegging liquor runners driving their souped up cars over back country roads and at times racing away from the government revenuers… Check out these videos on NASCAR’s roots (yeah, I know the second one is a little long):

NASCAR’s Roots

History of NASCAR

CBS Sunday Morning show featuring Junior Johnson and Moonshiners

Moonshiners vs. Revenuers Reunion with Junior Johnson

Now think about this: If the bootleggers truly represent the beginning of stock car racing, and they only turned left, they’d have been in the ditch in no time… There’s a lesson in this for NASCAR…

A Look At NASCAR and Road Courses

I found an interesting article on NASCAR the other day written by Dustin Long who writes auto racing commentary for PilotOnline.com's Auto Racing Channel. Dustin also writes a regular column for SportsIllustrated.com.

This particular article, “Backseat Drivers Fan Council dishes on road courses & what races need to be shortened”, took a look at a couple of questions currently being bantered back and forth among NASCAR’s media and fans. In the article the members of The Backseat Drivers Fan Council were polled concerning their favorite types of tracks/racing and the results marked a surprising change in sentiment concerning road course racing. 65% of those polled had a middle of the road feeling about road course racing while 24% thought it’s the best form of racing and only 11% detested it. This is in sharp contrast to what fan’s thought of road course racing only a few years back when most didn’t care for it.

Here’s a sample of what these people had to say about road course racing:

1. Road courses are getting better but short tracks still rank up there. Mile-and-a-halves are the worst. (Note: Mile-and-a-halves are the worst and guess what… 5 of the 10 Chase races are on 1.5 mile tracks!)
2. Hate road course racing. The thought of one being valued enough to be in the chase makes me laugh. (Note: This person probably lives in the Charlotte area or is just an old curmudgeon!)
3. There is a need for road courses, if you're going to be a champion, you need to be able to navigate all types of tracks that NASCAR has to offer. (Note: Amen, brother!)
4. 10 years ago I never would have said this, but the road courses, along with Richmond/Bristol/Martinsville/Phoenix/Loudon are the best racing the Cup series has (aka any track that isn't a cookie cutter) (Note: See a trend developing?)
5. We see so little of it, I think we tend to romanticize it somewhat. Granted both road course races have been phenomenal this year, but in 2009, both were somewhat lackluster. They have their cycles. Just happens to be on an upswing. However, if there were 4-6 races per year on road courses, it would likely even out and we'd have a dud or two in the mix. Just like the 1.5 milers, sometimes it turns out to be a great show (Coke 600 this year), sometimes someone stinks up the joint (KY race this year). (Note: Not a Kyle Busch fan, fo sure!)
6. I don't mind 2 road courses but no more than that & keep them out of chase. (Another curmudgeon?)
7. NASCAR should only be on ovals!!! If they are trying to reduce costs, how about eliminating the need for a completely different car and setup for road courses!!! (Note: Yeah, forget about driving skill, just put the car on autopilot, sit back and snooze!)
8. Short tracks are still my favorite. It's more wheel to wheel. The road courses are exciting but they are more about pit strategy, track position and sensational wrecks. Give me a fall afternoon at Martinsville any day. (Note: At least this person didn’t bad mouth the road courses…)
9. Now that we only have the 2 car tango in the restrictor plate races, road course racing is quickly becoming my favorite - action (on and off the track), side by side racing, on the edge of your seat to see who can execute the turns. Still love short tracks the best, but as long as I can watch them on TV, I am starting to rank road courses up towards the top. (Note: This is an honest assessment. You notice the obvious disdain for the “two car tango restrictor plate races”?)
10. I used to hate road courses. I'm still not fond of them but I have to admit that the last couple has been pretty good. I even watched the Nationwide race on Saturday and I never would have done that before. (Note: I’m seeing a trend!)
11. With the destruction of good racing at Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol all sandwiched in between tons of cookie-cutter tracks, Sonoma and Watkins Glen are about the most fun there is now all year. (Note: The trend is established!)
12. It (road course racing) really has become the best. Great strategy, great racing. None of this clean air, aeropush or whatever. Just driving skill. (Note: I like this person!)

So the superspeedways have devolved to nearly the same level as the cookie-cutter 1.5 mile tracks… It appears road course racing is now considered equally as entertaining as short track racing! And we’ve only got two Cup races on road courses… Here’s the breakdown:
1-2 Mile long tracks – 11 for 15 races
1 Mile or less tracks – 6 for 12 races
Over 2 Mile tracks – 4 for 7 races
Road courses – 2 for 2 races

22 out of 36 races are on tracks the breed boredom… That’s 61% of all the races!

Considering the upswing in popularity concerning road course racing and the disdain for the cookie-cutter tracks as well as the growing disenchantment with the “two car tango” races at Daytona and Talladega, I believe NASCAR needs to not only stop introducing new cookie cutter tracks to the Cup schedule (Kentucky, Kansas, etc.), they need to remove at least a couple of Bruton Smith’s wonderful tracks (Only having one date for Kansas and Texas would be good for starters and fill

the newly opened dates with Road America [4 mile course in Elkhart Lake, WI] in the summer and the new F1 track in Austin Texas [3.4 mile Circuit of the Americas] just before the Chase).

So what if Smith throws a fit! Is NASCAR here to please Bruton or the fans? Knock the Fall Kansas Chase race off the schedule and run Sonoma in at that time. Early October in the San Francisco Bay Area is the best time for great weather there, and a road course as the fourth race in the Chase would really add some intrigue to the championship run.
Finally, if the popularity of NASCAR’s brand of road racing continues to grow with four road course races on the schedule, knock off one of the Pocono races and Indy’s 400 race (another couple of snoozers and yeah I know… Indy is such a big deal… Blah, blah, blah). This would get the total road course races up to 6.

NASCAR needs to regain its lost fan base. Taking boring race venues off the schedule and replacing them with good hard road course racing will go a long way toward retrieving those lost fans and I’m willing to wager moves such as these will bring many new fans into the sport.

Power to the fans!

Source: http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/backseat-drivers-fan-council-dishes-road-courses-what-races-need-be-shortened

NASCAR’s Premier Bully

Yahoo’s racing commentator Jay Busbee writes that he “really fights with pretty much everybody”.

The Sporting News had a feature article last May stating that he has a history of battles with the entire Sprint Cup top 10.

Scene Daily ran an article in December of 2009 that chronicled the best driver confrontations from 2000-2009 and this driver was named in three of the eight driver confrontations referred to.

So who is this bully? If you’re a true NASCAR fan it should come as no surprise. Kevin Harvick has had at least one confrontation each year since he took over Richard Childress’ Good Wrench Chevrolet after the 2001 Daytona 500 and it hasn’t been just limited to drivers with other teams / owners.

The two faces of Kevin Harvick... Happy and Bully...

Last season Harvick became so upset with Childress teammate Jeff Burton’s driving practices during the Martinsville Chase race he expressed his displeasure in no uncertain terms over the radio during a late in-race caution. At the time Kevin was in 3rd place in the Chase while Burton was on the outside looking in.

After the race Kevin passed off his public comments as “just racin”, but Jeff Burton wouldn’t hear of it. Here’s what Jeff had to say: “I don't understand what he is mad at, I think he is just wound up and racing for a championship. I can assure you I didn't do anything wrong and I would do it again a thousand times. Because if what I did was wrong, then I will just quit racing.”
Then Jeff made these really telling comments: "There will come a point when he (Harvick) realizes that everybody in the world is not against him. And every time it's a conflict he is involved. And you would think over the amount of years that he has done it, that he would get the hint that he is always in the middle of it and maybe sometimes if he just backed up a little bit and caught his breath, he would be OK. I'm not out to harm him. I am a teammate of his and I am trying to help him and there comes a point where he needs to just catch his breath and realize that it's my race track too.''

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Here’s a sample of the many confrontations this man has been involved in:
Versus Greg Biffle, Bristol, 2002… A post-race verbal confrontation boiled into a physical one as Kevin Harvick tried to get Biffle in a head lock. Harvick was fined.

Versus Ricky Rudd, Richmond, 2003… A screaming, yelling Harvick stomps on the roof of Rudd’s car after late-race crash. A near-riot breaks out on pit road.
“Kevin was [ticked off], what do you say?” – Harvick team owner Richard Childress
“I don’t know. He’s got that little yap-yap mouth.” – Rudd, on what Harvick said.

Versus Ryan Newman, 2003… While Newman was piling up eight wins, Harvick accused Newman and his team of cheating to get better fuel mileage. An unfounded allegation…

Versus Matt Kenseth, Pocono, 2004… They spun each other out while under caution and were subsequently fined. This set off running commentary on both sides.

Versus Jimmie Johnson, Daytona, 2005… After Harvick wrecked Johnson and several other cars in a preseason race, Johnson said "It's a shame. He just tore up six or seven good racecars. I hope Childress either fires him or NASCAR does something about him, because this is ridiculous -- absolutely ridiculous."

Versus Kurt Busch, Atlanta, 2006… “I’ll tell you what I think,” Harvick said. “He’s a cocky, arrogant punk… I’d still like to whip his ass. Before the year’s over, he’ll make a fool out of (car owner) Roger Penske.”
Through a team spokesman, Busch declined comment on Harvick's statements.

Versus Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 2007… Harvick called out Dale Jr.’s former team owner, Teresa Earnhardt, calling her an absentee owner while Earnhardt still drove for her.

Versus Tony Stewart, Indianapolis Brickyard 400, 2007… “He’s the first one to complain about not getting room on the race track and he’s the first one to not give any,” Harvick said of Stewart after being bumped out of the way by Stewart on his way to the win.

Versus Juan Pablo Montoya, Watkins Glen, 2007… On-track incident leads to shoving and helmet-grabbing between two hotheads. NASCAR officials forced to break it up.
“I was talking about kicking his ass.” – Harvick
“I said it was my fault and he started shouting and grabbing me. I don’t appreciate that.” – Montoya.

Versus Carl Edwards, Talladega, Charlotte, 2008… Snipping back and forth after a Talladega wreck leads to a mysterious note followed by a physical confrontation in the Charlotte garage. In the confrontation Edwards makes like a wrestling star as he applies a choke-hold to Harvick.
The note from Edwards to Harvick read, “Kevin, thanks for [criticizing] me on TV. I was really trying to screw up everyone’s day! Love, Carl.” Edwards then went on to say, “I have absolutely no respect for Kevin Harvick. I think he's a bad person. That’s what I think and I’ve told him.”
“You just gotta be careful who you wanna pick a fight with.” – Harvick.

Strangely, we haven’t heard any more out of this feud.

Versus Denny Hamlin, 2010… Harvick intentionally ran into him during practice after Hamlin publicly criticized Richard Childress Racing.

Versus Joey Logano, 2010… The two traded paint prompting Logano to make his now famous post-race comment that Harvick’s wife “wears the firesuit in the family.”

Versus Kyle Busch, Darlington, 2011… Angry over an incident with less than four laps remaining, Kevin Harvick said later that he wanted to “beat the piss” out of Kyle Busch. There was a pit road incident that Harvick instigated and then a confrontation in the garage. The next week in Dover the two were on the carpet with NASCAR. Asked after their meeting with NASCAR officials when he thinks he and Busch will be able to get along, Harvick stated, “Never.” And Busch agreed.

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Considering Kevin Harvick’s checkered past I found it very interesting to read a satire on the Kevin versus Kyle debacle. Here’s a couple of excerpts from the article entitled “NASCAR to Kyle Busch: Bullying of Kevin Harvick Must Stop” (!)

“A teary-eyed Kevin Harvick said he has been so stressed by the bullying he has received from Kyle Busch that he is often afraid to shave.” (Hilarious!)

“Kevin Harvick has accused Busch of being a bully for much of the season.” (!)

And finally these: Harvick and Busch almost came to blows earlier in the season at Daytona. Busch was walking by Harvick just prior to race time and said, “Hey Harvick, how did you ever get Jimmie John’s to sponsor you? You’re so slow I don’t think you could even qualify as a delivery boy driver.”

At Bristol, Busch left a pair of reading glasses and a note on the seat of Harvick’s car. In the note Busch volunteered to help “Old man Harvick” read a map of the Bristol track so that Harvick wouldn’t get lost going around.

Finally, this last week at the Showtime Southern 500 after Busch suckered Harvick into getting out of his car, Busch took off and pushed Harvick’s empty car into the wall and then drove away laughing so loud it could be heard in the stands. Harvick collapsed on the track and began to cry so hard he fogged up his helmet and had to be helped from the track. (!)

Like I said… It’s a satirical look at the current “hottest feud” in NASCAR inspired by Mr. Harvick.

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I was taught the best way to deal with a bully is to call their bluff. Once the bully knows you aren’t going to allow them to push you around they’re just cowardly enough to back off. I think that’s the lesson Carl Edwards taught everyone concerning Kevin Harvick and now Kyle Busch needs to take a step in that direction as well.

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Kevin Harvick came on the scene under terrible circumstances and made the best of his chance being named Rookie of the Year in 2001. What first appeared to be a very promising career has been eaten up with a “me against the world” mindset that apparently can’t be righted.

We’ve all seen rookies break into Cup racing who at first are in awe of their situation and then have to face the fact that it’s a dog eat dog world in this business. They learn sometimes they have to defend themselves to gain the respect of their peers. It’s a process that eventually yields the desired result.

In Kevin Harvick’s case, he’s pushed his over-reacting in tough situations to an extreme. He’s ended up losing whatever respect he might have had among his fellow competitors.

A very telling moment came during the confrontation Kevin initiated at the entrance to Darlington’s pit road by stopping Kyle Busch and then stepping from his car to try and punch Kyle in the face. The television director switched cameras to one focused on Kevin’s wife sitting atop the number 29’s pit box. Delana, watching a television monitor, had both her hands on her cheeks while slowly shaking her head in an unmistakable “Oh no, not again…” manner.

Yes, Delana, again… And who’s next on the Kevin Harvick “hit” parade?

References:
Jay Busbee:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Kevin-Harvick-really-fights-with-pretty-much-eve?urn=nascar-wp1153
The Sporting News:
http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2011-05-10/kevin-harvicks-history-of-battles-with-the-entire-cup-top-10
Scene Daily: http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/DECADE_IN_REVIEW_NASCARs_best_confrontations_2000-2009.html
iRaceFanNews:
http://iracefannews.com/2011/nascar-to-kyle-busch-bullying-of-kevin-harvick-must-stop

He Always Drives Like His Hair's On Fire?

Kyle Busch...
He got pulled over today doing 128 MPH in a 45 MPH zone!

Now that's a little much... I could see maybe 80 but 128?

The Iredell County (NC) sheriff's deputy that pulled Kyle over stated he was not arrogant but respectful. The deputy then wrote him up for reckless driving and excessive speed (ya think?)...

Here's Kyle's statement issued earlier this afternoon:

"Today I received a traffic citation in Iredell County. I was test driving a new sports car and I got carried away. I went beyond the speed I should have been going on a public road. I apologize to the public, my fans, sponsors, and race teams for my lack of judgment. I take responsibility for my actions and I can assure you that something like this will never happen again. I thank the Iredell County Sheriff's Department and all law enforcement for the hard work they do every day to protect the public and to enforce the laws in a fair and equitable manner."

What was he driving? He had a new prototype Lexus LFA sports car like the one below out for a test spin...

Nice car, stupid stunt...
Here's a link to the story:

http://www2.statesville.com/news/2011/may/24/23/kyle-busch-cited-128-45-mph-zone-ar-1061276/

The NASCAR Gods…

I’m just curious…

Who made the decision that it would be this at the end of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega last Sunday…


Instead of this?
There are a couple of possible answers to this question. First let me make it clear I don't think Richard Hendrick would demand a specific outcome, so let's throw out that theory right off the bat.

Do you think it was ultimately an agreement made between crew chiefs? Was it an agreement between the drivers? or... Was it just a matter of timing?

I'm leaning toward one of the drivers making a conscious decision to be a good teammate and if this is so, will Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ever win another Cup race?
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Leading to the first picture up above we all witnessed several hundred feet of this as HMS’s Johnson/Earnhardt tandem sacked their teammates…

How’s that rule about the yellow line go again?

You can tell me that while the 48 and 88 rode the yellow line they weren’t improving their position, but it doesn’t hold water… The simple act of moving to the inside while rounding turn four combined with two sets of cars racing in tandem immediately in front and on a headwind killing angle automatically set up “5 Time” and Junior to be sucked into the lead. The proof is that Johnson won the race…

What did Denny Hamlin do in the Shootout?

Oh… He was below the line at Daytona… Those HMS cars at Talladega were just on top of the line. I see...

You know what? There’s too much gray area involved here. The appearance is that NASCAR is doing a smoke and mirrors deal in terms of who it is, not what they've done. The grand hoopla of NASCAR has gotta revisit this “over the line” rule. I was reading somewhere that in the spirit of “Have at it” NASCAR should throw out their yellow line rule on the Superspeedways for the final, white flag lap of the race only. Let the drivers go for the gusto! This year alone it would have already affected the result on one exhibition race and would have eliminated any potential questioning concerning the outcome of the most recent Cup race…

Bristol!

There's artist Michael Atkinson's vision of Thunder Valley...

And then there's NASCAR's!

Some tidbits going into the spring Jeff Byrd 500 race at Bristol…

What are the drivers singing as they run the high-banked half mile?

• Jeff Gordon: "I Won't Back Down," Tom Petty
• Carl Edwards: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" theme from "Cheers"
• Ryan Newman: "Good Ol' Boys," Waylon Jennings
• Clint Bowyers: Theme from "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly"
• Matt Kenseth: "Nightmare," Avenged Sevenfold
• Regan Smith: "Welcome To The Family," Avenged Sevenfold
• Marcos Ambrose: "Fuel," Metallica
• David Ragan: "No More Mr. Nice Guy," Alice Cooper
• Greg Biffle: "Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night," Black Eyed Peas
• David Reutimann: "Pretty Fly For A White Guy," The Offspring
• Joey Logano: "Opposite of Adults," Chiddy Bang
• Kasey Kahne: "A Country Boy Can Survive," Hank Williams Jr.
• Martin Truex Jr.: "Homeboy," Eric Church
• Bobby Labonte: "God Bless Texas," Little Texas
• Kevin Harvick: "Back In Black," AC/DC
• Jeff Burton: "Welcome to the Jungle," Guns N' Roses
• Paul Menard: "Concrete Jungle," Black Label Society
• Juan Pablo Montoya: "Ladies and Gentlemen," Saliva
• Kurt Busch: "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," George Thorogood
• Jamie McMurray: "Burn It To The Ground," Nickelback
• Denny Hamlin: "Shipping Up To Boston," Dropkick Murphys
• Tony Stewart: "Bawataba," Kid Rock
• Kyle Busch: "Rowdy Busch," 2012 featuring Raytona500

JJ and Brian Vickers are selecting each other's songs and will keep them a secret until the introductions while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin are also being secretive… (or just couldn’t decide)…

BTW, I looked up Kyle’s song. It’s what I’d call screaming heavy metal (a new genre?) and was recently introduced to benefit the Kyle Busch Foundation…

On another couple of notes here… What in the world is Kurt Busch thinking? Do you picture Marcos Ambrose listening to Metallica? And then there’s Logano’s pick (What’s up with that?)…
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Biffle’s got a new Gas Can Man!

You could see this one comin’ from a long way off… I suppose the new guy’s the reason they finished second in qualifying…

The pit stop wars should be very interesting in Bristol as we’ll see whether fueling with ethanol continues to be a problem or, as the teams learn to cope, it's become a non-issue.
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How long has Goodyear manufactured racing tires for NASCAR? Yeah… Just about as long as there’s been a NASCAR…

Why do they seem to constantly have tire issues? This isn’t WWII when our nation’s security depended on coming up with synthetic rubber… We’re going round and round on tracks that have been gone round and round on for years…

Here’s a look at a right side tire that came off a car after practice at Bristol this week…

Nice huh?

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Racing at Bristol is like an art form… (According to Kyle Busch)


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I’ll leave you with the latest shot of Ms. Danica Patrick who will be plying her trade this afternoon in Thunder Valley…

Evidently she wasn't a happy camper about something… I'll bet a top ten finish at Bristol would put a smile on her face!

My song for Bristol... Will It Go Round In Circles? by Billy Preston

Here we go!

Fill ‘Er Up!

It’s just not that simple anymore.
Since the days way back in the 1950’s when Leonard Woods of Woods Brothers’ racing fame began tinkering with NASCAR’s pit stop processes and found a huge competitive advantage by shaving seconds off their driver’s pit stops, the science of making a quick, efficient pit stop has become a virtual art form.

As a result of Leonard Woods’ pioneering pit crew analysis and the changes made, today a group of people is selected for certain physical and mental attributes and molded into a team. They’re choreographed into performing specific functions (jacking a race car up and lowering it, changing tires, filling the fuel tank and making chassis adjustments) as quickly as possible. Their job is to constantly practice those functions working together, all while being tutored by their very own pit crew coach and under the watchful eyes of a demanding crew chief and an impatient driver.


From those early days when pit stops lasting a minute or more were commonplace, the pitting process has evolved to the point that a pit crew taking over 14 seconds to change four tires, completely fuel the vehicle and make minor chassis adjustments is chastised by the crew chief. Now think about that. If it takes more than 14 seconds to carry out those jobs, the pit crew stands to be admonished!

Enter 2011 and NASCAR’s mandated switchover to 15% ethanol racing fuel…

Suddenly a whole new set of potentially time consuming circumstances have presented challenges to be resolved. The crux of the problem being that ethanol attracts atmospheric moisture and is consequently easily contaminated. To avoid this, a whole new gas can had to be introduced that featured a “closed system”. The cans in use this season are easily recognizable due to a clear plastic tube running parallel to the metal fill spout. It acts to return air and any excess fuel back into the can while the car’s tank is being filled (The old cans allowed outside air into the tank filling process that aided in speeding the whole procedure along [and released fuel vapor into the atmosphere]). These new “closed system” cans actually take more time to empty into the car’s fuel tank. The new cans also must have what I call a quick shut-off valve feature or better yet, a sure shut-off valve at the end of the fill spout that must be precisely mated to and removed from a receiver fitting at the top end of the car’s fuel tank neck. The valve adds length to the fill spout tube. These new gas can additions have resulted in a can that has several moving parts and weighs at least 15 pounds more than the old can when full of fuel (from what was 85 lbs. when filled to possibly over 100 lbs.). And last but not least, the “closed system” fueling process was supposed to eliminate the excess fuel problem presented by the old filling system created when the gas can was lifted away from the car’s fuel receiver and a fairly large amount of excess fuel would slosh to the ground. To solve this problem with the old fueling process, a seventh “over the wall” person became necessary to stand beside the gas can man and catch any excess fuel in what became known as a “Catch Can” held directly below the car’s fuel receiver. Now NASCAR has eliminated that seventh “over the wall” man.

So, in a nutshell, here is the set of new, time consuming circumstances and an ongoing safety concern the pit crews have to contend with:
1. The closed system fuel can takes longer to empty.
2. The valve at the end of the new can’s fill spout must be precisely mated with the fuel tank’s neck receiver at a certain angle. If the two components are not properly mated, air will get into the process slowing an already slow filling procedure.
3. The valve must also be removed from the car’s receiver in a certain way or it will hang.
4. The new can has a longer fill spout and is 20% heavier.
5. The new can still results in fuel being spilled.
And 6. One less person is now allowed over the wall.

After three Sprint Cup races so far this season, here are a few different approaches some of the teams are now employing or will employ to address these problems:

1. The supposed cost savings to be enjoyed with one less person in the pit crew has been negated by the need for another man behind the wall to hand the gas can man his second fuel can when the need arises.

2. The height and angle at which the fuel can is held when approaching the car is critical to making a proper hook-up with the car’s receiver. This requires a tall gas can man (preferably around 6’2”).

3. To expedite the fueling process its been found the new man behind the wall who hands the second full can to the gas can man must also be tall.

4. The longer and heavier gas cans require even stronger gas can men who can shoulder and carry it, pivot to the car while holding it at the proper height and angle and then slam the can home.

5. The loss of the catch can man puts added responsibility on the backs of other “over the wall” crew members to make rear chassis adjustments, assist when need be with the fueling process and do it quickly while also handling their original duties.

6. The gas can man must pay close attention to the rear tire changer trying to anticipate when he will get his job completed so he can quickly remove the gas can from the car’s receiver before the driver tries to speed away.

For a look at a good 2011 pit stop, here's HMS’s number 48 team at work last month in Phoenix:

Now here’s a look at Roush-Fenway’s number 16 crew at work in Las Vegas…

What was wrong with that picture?

As it stands, in order to completely fill a car’s tank on green flag fueling stops using two cans of fuel, at least 14 seconds will be needed (6.5 seconds per can and one second to make a can switch). Something we may see this year as a result: A can will be jerked out of a gas can man’s hands when the driver just can’t wait any longer, unexpectedly pulling away from his pit.

When split seconds transmit into football field lengths at 190 mph, rest assured, racing engineers and pit crew coaches will be attempting to figure out how to get fuel out of these new cans and make pit stops as fast as possible well into the future.
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If you’ve got a few minutes, here’s a unique Sports Science look at Joe Gibbs Racing’s number 18 over the wall crew from last year that analyzes their work in a two part video. Check out the slow motion shots of the front tire changer, they’re really something.

Kyle Busch Pit Crew by Sports Science – Part One




Part Two

An Interesting Quandary…

It was recently announced that the IndyCar series will offer $5 million to any qualified, non-IndyCar driver who might qualify for, drive in and win their season’s finale race at Las
Vegas on October 16. The offer is to be limited to no more than 5 non-IndyCar drivers.

The challenge designed by IndyCar portrays what CEO Randy Bernard hopes to prove; the best auto racing drivers in the world drive for IndyCar. The challenge was issued to showcase that contention.

There was some immediate speculation about a couple of former open-wheel stars who currently race in NASCAR possibly putting together an effort to participate in IndyCar’s challenge. The problem is that although there is no Cup race on Sunday, October 16th, there is one the night of the 15th in Charlotte North Carolina (approximately 2,200 miles away). On top of that, qualifying in Las Vegas will be held on Friday, October 14th, while “Pole Night” in Charlotte will be on Thursday night, October 13th.


Both Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya have been asked about the possibility of honoring their NASCAR commitment and then jumping on overnight flights to run back and forth between practice sessions, qualifying and finally the races, all the while trying for the big payday in Vegas. Both drivers, in so many words, have begged off saying there’s no way anyone can just switch from a NASCAR ride to IndyCar without even practicing (Stewart went so far as to say to be competitive he felt a non-IndyCar driver would have to run in at least three to four IndyCar races).

I did hear that another NASCAR driver might be willing to give it a go, also a former open-wheel driver, young A.J. Allmendinger.
Unfortunately (or maybe not so unfortunately as I'm sure IndyCar thoroughly thought this through) Formula 1 is scheduled to be in Yeongam Korea for the Korean Grand Prix on October 16th so that pretty much leaves any of those drivers in a lurch as well. Can you think of anyone else that might be willing to give it a go?

Seems to me as it stands for October 16th, IndyCar's 5 million dollars is pretty safe… Maybe we need another IROC (International Race of Champions) series if they really want to find out who the best driver of the best drivers really is.