Loose Lugnuts

After Texas this week, a friend asked me about a conversation the Fox broadcast team had during the race.  At some point, one of the competitors had to return to pit road because of loose lugnuts.  They were discussing who was to blame during those pit stops where the car leaves with less then twenty lugnuts tight.  The gist of the conversation was that a lot of the responsibility for loose lugnuts falls on the jackman.  Well I’m here to take jackmen off the hook.

I think for most people, understanding the pressure that us pit crew members are under week in and week out to perform at a high level consistently is difficult.  But also, in saying that, I’m not asking for your sympathy.  We all choose to strap on the helmet and step off the wall each week, and we all know the expectations.  No race can be won on pit road, but it certainly can be lost.  Getting your driver four tires and fuel in a competitive amount of time weighs on all of us.  And sometimes, even though our coaches tell us not to, we hurry. 

There are a few reasons for loose lugnuts, all of which fall on the changer and the tire carrier.  It’s the carrier’s job to get the new wheel and tire on the hub.  If that wheel isn’t seated properly when the tire changer starts hitting those lugnuts back on, they won’t be tight.  But if that wheel is seated, it’s all on the changer to make sure he gets those five nuts tight.  And once the tire changer signals he’s finished, the jackman is going to drop the car.  He has to trust that the changer got the lugnuts tight. 

So to all the jackmen out there, I’m officially taking the blame off of you, and putting the blame on myself, the tire changer (and maybe a little tiny bit of blame on the tire carrier too). 

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