Ask The Insiders Wednesday #34

With the Cup cars being off last Sunday, we’ve got a very light edition of ATIW this week.  As always, thanks to those that do send in questions.  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 Christopher:

You hear discussions about drivers “using the same” car this week as they used in another race.  But at the same time, crews seem to tear a car down to its nuts and bolts, and swap nearly everything out.  This may seem like a silly question, but what is a “car” exactly considered?  Does Tony Stewart have two #14 sitting in a garage somewhere right now, all put together- waiting for him to choose one or the other?

At it’s most basic level, a car refers to the chassis.  Underneath the bodies and all the parts is the chassis.  A chassis is the framework that a race car is constructed on.  Many organizations will have as many as 10-12 race cars for one team.  They have so many because cars are specialized (even with the COT) for certain tracks.  So Tony Stewart has a lot more then two cars to pick from… – T.C.

2. From Michele:

Hello T.C. & Journo, do you know what laboratory / doctor Kevin Harvick Inc. uses in it’s drug testing?  I am curious as his was the first team to mandate drug testing on all employees.

I haven’t got a clue. – Journo

3. From Jason:

What is it exactly that differentiates the various model years of race cars as they are listed on the entry roster (i.e. Kasey Kahne’s 2009 Dodge v. Derrike Cope’s 2008 Dodge on the Indy entry list)?  Typically I find that the “older” cars are fielded by the smaller or part-time teams.    Do the “model years” of the cars refer to specs they were built to (like nosepieces) to comply to a previous rule book?

Improvements are made every year to cars and their bodies.  For example, the Dodge nose was altered slightly for the 2009 season.  Kasey Kahne’s car had it, Derrike Cope’s probably did not.  You will usually see smaller teams with older cars because their inventory comes from buying cars from other teams.  Bigger teams build their own cars and will always have the newest stuff. – T.C.

4. From Jon:

These are both kind of off the wall ideas but things I’ve been thinking about.  First, I hear the Nationwide series is looking to roll out the COT for 2010.  It will be slowly introduced like it was supposed to be for the Cup series.  Is the Truck Series looking to eventually change their trucks?  A TOT (Truck of Tomorrow) in the future?  Second, I was thinking about the Chase a bit.  Some people think it cheapens a championship or something.  I personally love the fact that each year, there’s a real fight for the title at the end of the season instead of 1-2 guys battling down to the final few races, usually settling it before the final event.  However, I think including 12 drivers, some of whom would have no shot without the chase, is a little bit much.  Why not say to qualify for the chase, you have to be x amount of points out of the lead or something?  It would vary from year to year how many drivers qualify but it would also make it tougher to get into the chase, and would make the last few races before the chase more exciting because there’s ALWAYS a fight on the bubble if the chase is determined by a set amount of points.  It would also eliminate the possibility of a team who underperformed and narrowly made the chase from having a shot at the title.

I don’t believe there are any plans for a TOT. A lot of the elements you see on the COT for the Cup Series and eventually in the Nationwide Series have already been incorporated in the trucks. The front splitter started there and the trucks have always had large green houses. As far as the Chase goes, I also like it. I think your suggestion is a good one. One thing we have seen with the Chase through the years is that generally the guy who wins, would have won without the format. Behind him there is usually some variance, but everybody pretty much continues down the road they were on. Certainly that could change though. – Journo

 5. From Phil:

I don’t understand the reason for some of the cooperation between teams.  For instance, Hendrick Motorsport helps Stewart Hass Racing with engines and chassis.  If Hendrick Motorsports helps Tony Stewart succeed, that’s one more competitor Gordon, Johnson, Martin & Earnhardt have to beat.

You are certainly right about creating more competition for cars in house, but racing is a business.  Being able to supply chassis and engines to other teams is a revenue stream.  As we saw in the Hendrick/Ginn lawsuit recently, these deals can be very lucrative for a supplier.  But, if you think the stuff Stewart is getting is better then what Jimmie Johnson gets, think again. – T.C.

6. From Dan:

Boring,boring,boring describes the Brickyard 400. Most races are becoming that way with the COT. Get out front in clean air and the race is yours.The pit crews now win the races. So how does NASCAR racing become worth watching again short of having all races at Daytona or Talladega?  Sorry guys but I’ve been a fan since the 1960’s and it’s just not as good as it was.

I am not a big hater of the COT, and frankly I believe the racing we have today is some of the best the sport has ever seen. Having been a fan since the ’60s you know as well as anyone in those days it was not at all uncommon for the leader to lap the field, sometimes multiple times. That would not ever happen in a Cup race today. As far as Indy goes, as I wrote today, it’s a 2.5 mile, one lane track, the racing is never very exciting. The problem as I see it is not so much the cars, but the tracks they race on. The racing might have been a little better at times years ago because they were racing on such a wide variety of tracks. Today that is not so much the case. This idea though that the racing was somehow better 20 or 30 years ago is a fallacy.- Journo 

7. From Ric:

What are some of your favorite tracks? What about for the other pit crew guys?

I can’t really speak for other crew guys, as everyone has their own opinions, but I can tell you some of my favorite tracks.  I’m partial to Bristol, Daytona, Darlington, Talladega, and Martinsville.  I’m also a fan of the road courses. – T.C.

8. From David:

Given the Montoya speeding penalty at Indy, can you remember NASCAR ever admitting a mistake with respect to speeding penalties?  What’s your opinion on the accuracy of the timing?

I don’t have any doubts about timing and scoring. There are transponders in the cars and scoring loops throughout the track. It’s all very computerized and all very accurate. Ten years ago, you might have been able to say there was an error, but not today. Teams have access to their speeds almost immediately after leaving pit road if they should ask NASCAR for it. - Journo

9. From Gary:

NASCAR’s biggest problem is a perception by the general public that it is like pro wrestling. credibility is a major issue . their unwillingness to show pit speeds to the fans is a sure sign that they wish to retain the right to apply the rules according to their own wishes. if the fans believe that the outcome of the race is being manipulated to settle vendettas or to soothe sponsors they will continue to avoid the expense of live racing. attendence at indy was dismal. between the tires and now taking the race from the 42 car nascar owes the fans an explanation. dont you think so?

No I don’t. Montoya was speeding, it’s that simple. I think NASCAR does have a perception problem and I think that could be fixed with a little transparency, but this idea that NASCAR is somehow fixing races, is unfounded. I don’t even know how you go about fixing a race. You could make this argument in any major sport though. The referees in a basketball game could be unfairly penalizing one team. Why do fans need to see pit road speeds? The teams have all that data available to them after the stops. People are at liberty to believe what ever they like, but I think it reaches a point when no matter how much information you provide, there will always be doubters. There is no way for any body to be 100% transparent. – Journo

10. From Tom in TN:

I have been hearing about something referred to as the “Toyota Black Project”. It has to do with the mystery withdraws of some S&P teams. Have you guys heard or know anything about this?

This is a new on me and TC. I don’t know of any involvement between Toyota and any start and park teams outside of supplying them with motors through Triad Racing Technologies. – Journo

11. From Michael:

Any talk in the garage to what the Busch series will run for a COT next year.  I know there was talk of running the Challenger,Camaro and Mustang. 

Yesterday actually the teams met to discuss the new Nationwide COT. It has been known for a while that Chevrolet is using the Impala SS, Toyota is using the Camry, Dodge is using the Challenger and Ford is using the Mustang. – Journo

12. From Tom:

Are there many teams that still use the RPM tach instead of the light system to control their pit road speed?

Every car still has a tach on the dash, but many teams have added the light system.  And yes, some of the smaller, low budget teams still just rely on the tach reading for pit speed. – T.C.

13. From BJ:

We’ve all seen it virtually boil out in an explosion of black silt during a pit stop, but what exactly IS brake dust?

Brake dust is what the brake pad used to be.  The friction between the brake pad and the brake rotor causes the pad to break down.  The brake pad is literally reduced to dust.  Pads are made from a variety of materials including metals and resins.  Here is a basic rundown of how disc brakes work. – T.C.

14. From Steve:

Not to pick on him, but why is Chad Knaus so tight lipped about what he did to the 48 in a past race?  What harm does it do for another team to learn that Knaus went with (for example) air pressure changes and a change in the trackbar during the middle stage at Indy?  I for one would love to hear more about the particulars of what the crew chiefs are doing.  I can understand not hearing in advance or in real time but after the fact would be great.

I’m not sure exactly what you’re talking about, but crew chiefs have information that they work long and hard to collect and they don’t necessarily want a competing organization to know what they did. While it may seem insignificant sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes you want to keep things close to the vest and in a sport all about strategy and setup I don’t necessarily blame them. – Journo

15. From BJ:

During Sunday’s Indy race, I listened to scanner chatter as Kyle Busch’s crew scrambled hither, thither and yon retrieving parts & pieces to repair his damaged car.  Now, I know many pit crew members work other duties besides their race day over-the-wall ones, but what does someone like say a tire-changer actually DO during such a wholesale, ad-hoc race rebuild?  It appears totally chaotic when viewed on television, but listening in it seemed pretty well choreographed. If not assigned a specific duty how do pit crew members occupy themselves during an in-race garage visit by their car?

Most teams, even down to the Truck Series, if they run on a regular basis have at least a basic plan in place for damage repair behind the wall.  Certain guys do certain jobs on the car, others become runners for parts and tools.  Something else to keep in mind here, is the crew chief.  The good ones will stay calm in these situations and bark out orders on the radio like a General.  They know what needs to be done and when. – T.C.

16. From Kenny:

T.C. and Journo, Would one of you explain how the pit road speed is calibrated for the drivers? I think there’s no speedometer because they would be inaccurate as the tire pressures change, so that’s why they use the tach instead. When I listen to the scanner, I hear the spotter say, “47-hundred, 47-hundred…” Where do they get that number?

Most teams, before they even show up to the track, have a pretty solid RPM number for what they think the pit road speed is.  Knowing the speed and the gear ratios in the car, plus a little math help determine this number.  But before the race starts, under the pace laps, the pace car runs pit road speed and it gives the drivers a chance to get an RPM reading for the speed.  There is a good blog post about pit road speed here (Just a quick note, you need to stop by the site at this link.  Tons of great tech and scientific explanations about racing can be found here). – 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!

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