Ask The Insiders Wednesday #22

We’ve made it to another Wednesday, this one the first of May, and that means more reader questions and 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 Kathy:

I’ve been bothered by the fact that drivers can be awarded the Lucky Dog multiple times during the same race to come back from several laps down. This seems unfair to drivers who have fought to remain on the lead lap. Has there ever been talk of limiting the Lucky Dog to just once per driver per race?

Not that I have heard. There are definitely a few guys who use it more than others. I think it is a good thing for competition (back in the day if you got a lap down it was very difficult to get the lap back). That being said I do understand the frustration a lot of fans are feeling. – Journo

2. From Steve:

How much of the difference in lap times do you think is attributable to one driver thinking he is pushing his car to the max but actually getting , say, only 97.5% out of his car, while another driver is more confident/crazy and gets 98.5%?  In other words, since drivers try to push the car as hard as they can without going over the limit, do you think differences in where the drivers think the limit is show up in their performance?  Or through testing and simulations, do they all have a pretty consistent view of where that limit is?

I would imagine that by the time a driver makes it to the Cup Series, they have a pretty good idea of where the limit is.  I think that more then anything it comes down to who has the ability, the balls, and the focus to drive the car right on that edge lap after lap for four hours.  Those who know how to drive on the limit without wrecking will get the most out of their cars. – T.C.

3. From Steph:

I am a relative newbie to NASCAR (this is my 2nd full season) so please pardon my naivetee. I was wondering why tire wear causes such a detriment to the handling and speed of a car when the tires are treadless to begin with?

Racing tires are not treadless.  Goodyear racing slicks actually do have tread, they just don’t have grooves cut in them like the tires on your passenger car.  If you filled in the grooves on street Goodyears, you’d technically have a slick.  Racing tires wear and have a tread life just like the tires on your car.  The closer they get to being worn out, the worse they handle. – T.C.

4. From Ken:

With the problems of the plate tracks.  Why doesn’t NASCAR  go with a less cubic inch motor or maybe back to a V6?(like the old Busch cars)  I mean the teams are already spending loads of money on the car and motor as a package just for those races anyhow.  It would keep the speeds down and give the driver some throttle response.

A couple of things here. First, NASCAR is an organization that is very set in their ways. It takes something pretty extreme for them to change anything. With that is NASCAR’s unwillingness to admit when there is a problem. I think if they downsized they would be admitting there is something wrong, and they won’t do that. Second is the cost of developing a new motor. Teams and manufacturers would have to spend millions designing and building a new motor and that is something I don’t see them being willing to do. – Journo

5. From Milt:

While Listening to Jeff Gordon’s in-car audio, I hear Steve Letarte remind Jeff every now and then to “take one of his packs,” or “take some of his goo.”  What is this mystery “goo” or “pack” of which Steve is referring? I thought at first that it may be some energy supplement but now with his back issue, could it be something like a BC Powder or analgesic? Thanks guys!

I think your first thought was probably closer to being correct.  I’m sure it’s a nutritional pack he’s taking to keep his body going for the duration of a race.  NASCAR wouldn’t take kindly to a driver taking pain meds in the car.  If you remember a few weeks ago when Martin Truex Jr. had a kidney stone, he just had to endure the pain as NASCAR wouldn’t allow him to race with pain meds in his system. – T.C.

6. From Savannah:

I have a quick question about repairing a car after its been involved in a wreck.  After a car sustains damage, do the teams use  “all hands on deck ” to repair the car or are there specific team members behind the wall that oversee the repairs?  And, do the teams practice repairing a wrecked car during the week?

It is most definitely “all hands on deck.”  Normally the car chief and crew chief will direct traffic, but cars need to be repaired as quickly as possible and that means every available set of hands working.  In terms of practicing repairs, it’s not something that is done on a weekly basis.  Usually a loose plan is developed by the team for crash repair, but in the heat of the moment, crew members just dive right in. – T.C.

7. From Jan:

Do the crew chiefs secretly dislike having the wives/girlfriends of the drivers on the pit box?

I’m certainly not a crew chief, so I couldn’t answer for sure.  But I’d bet it probably depends on the particular wife or girlfriend.  I’m sure some are cool with it, and others aren’t. – T.C.

8. From Debbie:

I know if you are on the team that keeps winning each week you must love it.  However, what does it do to the morale of your team or the mood in the garage if the same driver keeps winning week in and week out? I would think that being human, you could only take so much of it. I know us fans certainly can’t!

It definitely gets old after a while seeing the same guy winning week in and week out. That is of course unless you are on that winning driver’s team. While it is frustrating it gives teams a target on race day. They know who they have to compete with and where they have to be at the end of the day. So it can be a motivator. – Journo

9. From Neon:

TC-being a tire changer, do have a preference and/or see a difference in your ability to quickly change tires in a night race vs day races?

As long as there is enough lighting and I can see the lugs during a night race, not really.  During the summer time, I do like the night races, because it’s cooler.  But other then that, it doesn’t really matter. – T.C.

10. From Steve:

Is it possible that some of the changes in lap times during the course of a run are attributable not so much to the car changing, but to the driver getting more or less comfortable with the handling of car over the course of the run?  For example, if a driver gets a little loose during one turn, might he back off a bunch for a while, resulting in lower times, then at some point start pushing a bit more, picking up his times from the low point?

I think driver confidence in how the car is handling is a big key to being successful on race day.  If a driver isn’t comfortable with what the car is doing, he most certainly will not be at the top of his game.  It really comes down to individual drivers too.  Some drivers can’t be really competitive with a car unless it’s handling perfectly.  Others, as they say, can take chicken sh** and make chicken soup. – 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!

Related posts:

• Ask The Insiders Wednesday #47
• Ask The Insiders Wednesday #40
• Ask The Insiders Wednesday #39
• Ask The Insiders Wednesday #43
• Ask The Insiders Wednesday #77

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