August 5th, 2009 
T.C. This is a post we ran last year about this time, and because we are racing at Watkins Glen this weekend, we thought it would be fun to revisit this topic. Enjoy!
I have…
The Nationwide and Cup Series are heading north this weekend to the Finger Lakes region of New York and the historic Watkins Glen road course. The Glen and Infineon always present unique challenges to the drivers because all of a sudden they need to turn left and right. What you will also see challenge these teams this weekend is the backwards pit stop.
Infineon Raceway’s pit road is situated so that the cars come down like they do at any other track. The Glen’s is not. When the drivers come out of turn eleven, instead of hanging the normal left, they go right. This means the cars are in the stalls backwards.
And when it comes to attacking backwards stops, I feel like every pit crew coach has their own idea about how they should go. Some teams swap and have the front guys on the rear, and vice-a-versa. This is done so that movements around the car are still the same (yeah, I know it sounds weird, but its true). Other teams will keep the normal arrangement, so that their guys are in familiar places and jumping from the wall at the same times.
In terms of the actual pit work, hitting lugnuts and hanging tires is still the same. The only difference for carriers and changers is the movement around the car. Jacking becomes an issue because now the tougher to jack left side is the first side to be completed. Also, now the jackman is coming at the right side jack post from an unnatural direction.
When you show up at the first practice for the week, it normally takes a few stops to get your brain to cooperate with your legs and feet to get you going in the right (which is the wrong) direction. We do many hundreds of pit stops a year, maybe more, between practices and races and our movements become almost automatic. It definitely takes a little focus to convince your body to zag when it’s used to zigging.
If you watch either race this weekend, pay attention to pit road. Doing things backwards will certainly create problems for even the most prepared teams and will make stops noticeably slower then you might be used to seeing. You’ll see a lot more little mistakes, and those little mistakes could affect who comes out on top at The Glen.
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TC-Let me know which race(s) and car numbers you’ll be a changin rubbers on and I’ll rate your backwards stops on a 1-10 scale. Or…
If you don’t want anyone to recognize your profile, just wear your WWF mask to conceal your identity.
The Glen is one of my very favorite tracks. Good luck!
Watch out TC. Ross & I will be at the Glen all weekend & will be hunting for you.
Neon: Good idea, I will tell you which car I’m pitting, but I’ll wear a mask so you can’t tell who I am…
licker: Are you and Ross going militant on me? I’m afraid I’m going to be on pit road somewhere and get hit with a dart in the neck, then wake up in an interrogation room somewhere with masked faces around me demanding to know if I’m T.C. or not…
Journo and I tried to get people to come meet us at the Pit Crew Challenge earlier this year, but nobody showed. We said if you saw us to come say hi. Although, we didn’t have our WWE masks with us…
T.C., no worries…Miller Lite is on your side. Just try to aim a poison dart after a few beers — trust me, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to hit the neck straight on.
TC-I am suprised you didn’t mention the super secret method top teams use at the Glen by reversing the lug and nut threads for those rather odd backwards stops.
Oops….maybe I’ve said too much.
T.C.,
I was going to ask this as a Wednesday question but I think your answer might help us as we watch the races this weekend.
How many spotters does a team use for a road course like Watkins Glen? Sonoma? If it’s more than one, where are they positioned?
West Coast Kenny
Alameda, California
Sorry Kenny, just saw your question on this. Teams at Watkins Glen will use as many as 3-5 spotters stationed around the track. Because of the infield and all the trees, there is no way to see all the way around the track. At Sonoma, teams can usually get away with 2 spotters. Extra spotters usually find a grandstand to stand on.