Don’t worry people, you are only three days away from a long holiday weekend!  It will be a week of firsts, as this will be the first Labor Day weekend race at Atlanta and the first ever Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway.  But this isn’t the first Ask The Insiders Wednesday, actually its the 39th.  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 Jeff:

Hey guys I was wondering if you had heard anything about Scott Wimmer going to Sprint Cup again next year…I think they may have said something about it during the Bristol race but I was hammered and can’t remember lol. Thanks for all the hard work you guys put into the web site it’s awesome!

I haven’t heard anything (that of course doesn’t mean that he isn’t working on something). I know Morgan-McClure is working on sponsorship for the Cup Series next year and I ‘m sure Wimmer would be a candidate for that if, and I stress if, the money comes through. Unfortunately there just aren’t a lot of rides available. – Journo

2. From Bob:

I saw that at Bristol Dave Blaney’s team seemed to give up the next best pit stall after qualifying fourth. Matt Kenseth’s team got the fourth best pit stall. Was there a trade of favors or was it just racing  etiquette to give the stall to someone who planned on completing the race?

I doubt there were any favors done here.  It’s just common courtesy for Blaney’s team to pick a random pit stall.  Since they were going to drop out early anyway, they have no business picking a good stall, say at an opening. – T.C.

3. From Ric:

While discussing Tony Stewart?s radio problems, the question was brought up how often do teams experience radio problems. Some thought it happens all the time, we just don?t here about. Some thought it only happens  a couple of times a year, for all teams combined.

Radio problems happen pretty regularly. In fact both the major radio companies, Racing Electronics and Racing Radios have employees that roam the pits throughout the weekend helping people with radio problems. Both also have support trailers/motorhomes. Obviously there are going to be more crew radio issues because there are a lot more of them, but radio issues do pop up with the drivers. Just like anything electronic you might go long stretches without problems and you might have problems every week. – Journo

4. From Dyannah:

Bristol was a sell-out due to the ability to sell the tickets to loyal fans that the corporate sponsors didn’t purchase.  With NASCAR’s dependence on corporate sponsors, will fans again be on the outside looking in once the economy improves and the corporate sponsors return?

Certainly corporate sponsor pull outs were part of the reason tickets were available this season, but I’m sure renewals were not nearly as great this season. Remember Bristol is a very popular track with the fans. As such renewals for tickets are very high and contribute largely to the very speedy sell out in years past. I think when the economy stabilizes if those sponsors that did pull out would like to have their packages back, I would imagine the speedway would be more than happy to comply with their request. Are fans going to be left out in the cold? I don’t think they were left out in prior years. I just think the demand generally outweighs the supply and some people can’t get tickets. – Journo

5. From Ric:

Jimmie Johnson had a bad pit stop near the end of the race. Something about a lugnut came off, the jackman dropped the car too early, and the tire was put on crooked, causing them to have to pit again to replace the tire. If one lugnut comes off how was the tire put on crooked? Wouldn?t the 4 other lugs get the tire tight?  If they knew the tire was on crooked, why didn?t they just fix it then, verses bringing JJ back in?

In that situation, if the tire changer and/or carrier have even the slightest doubt in their mind that the tire isn’t on right, there is no reason to take a chance.  Bring the car back down and make sure the situation is right.  Four lugs would probably hold the wheel fine, but why take the chance.  Jimmie Johnson’s team has won three championships because they are able to take bad situations and get good finishes out of them.  You don’t do that by leaving a driver on the track who possibly has a crooked wheel on the car. – T.C.

6. From Sean:

I’m wondering if you could provide some information about tire testing. Does Goodyear come with just one compound to be tested, or several? How many tires do they bring to a test? Is there a testing regime that the cars participating in the test need to follow – minimum number of laps to run before changing tires, tire pressure specifications, that sort of thing? From the team side of the test, how many people does a team bring to the test, compared to a race? Do they have an agenda beyond providing information back to Goodyear, such as bringing a new car or testing new parts? Is there any kind of technical inspection of the cars before they go on track? And anything else you might want to add about tire testing. Thanks.

I believe Goodyear usually brings the compound they’ve previously run at the track and one new compound.  They use the old compound as the control, and compare the new compound to it.  I couldn’t tell you specifically how many tires Goodyear brings, I’m sure it varies depending on the test.  Goodyear does give the teams some parameters, such as a range for tire pressures and how many laps to run during  a run.  Teams will usually bring less people to a test, as they only need a few mechanics on hand to make changes.  As far as an agenda, teams are always trying to learn as much as they can, but I don’t believe they are allowed to bring a ton of new parts to throw at the car.  There is not a tech inspection as part of the test.  NASCAR officials are on hand, but mostly to observe. – T.C.

7. From Dave:

Can you give us some info on NASCAR officials?  Do they go through a training / testing program?  Do they travel the circuit or are they homebased at each track?  Can you (team members) chat with, and develop friendships with them, or does NASCAR keep them isolated?  Is there a maximun age limit? Thanks!

Sure. On a given weekend there are about 50 officials with the Cup Series. They do go through training, but a lot of them are former crew guys and engineers so many are already experienced in the areas they work. All of the officials travel with the series every weekend, but not all of them are full-time. And you can most definitely become friendly with the officials. Remember the teams and officials are together 36+ weekends per year and they interact very closely during those weekends. There isn’t an age limit that I’m aware of. There are young guys and gals that aren’t too far out of school and guys who have grandkids. Here is an old article from Stock Car Racing that does a much more thorough job answering your question. – Journo

8. From Steve:

Re: Carl Edwards’ smacking the DP on the out lap In yesterday’s Rolex race:
While he put a brave face on for the cameras, what goes on behind the scenes when a driver wrecks a car outside of the race itself: in practice, qualifying, etc.?  Does the crew just shrug their shoulders and pack up?  Do you all get paid for the weekend?  Are the owners as sanguine as the drivers appear to be?  Or is there a bit more cursing under one’s breath?  And how much ribbing is there among drivers when someone does something like this?  Nicknames, teasing?  Or does everyone keep their distance, thankful it wasn’t them? As always, thanks.

Drivers wrecking cars, in any situation, is going to hurt the team.  It means more work for both the at track and shop guys, and backup cars aren’t always as good as a primary.  Most crew guys are on salary, so their pay won’t necessarily be affected (bonuses might), but some smaller teams do have sliding pay scales.  And trust me, no owner wants to see his cars wrecked.  In Edwards situation, he had to put on a brave face.  He’s a better driver then that, and he was really embarrassed.  As far as ribbing from other drivers, I would imagine that only happens if guys are friends.  Some drivers who do it on a regular basis though do get ragged on in the garage area, whether they know it or not. – T.C.

9. From Michelle:

What are the struggles with jeff gordon and the team the last six races?

Has Jeff Gordon struggled over the last six races? He has two second place finishes, two top-ten finishes, a 37th at Watkins Glen because of a wreck and a 23rd at Bristol. Remember he’s third in points right now. I think there has been a lot of talk about Gordon lately because of his back issues, but he and his team, despite only having won one race, are running pretty darn good. – Journo

10. From Steve:

How do tire changers know the lugs are on tight?  I don’t hear the ratcheting sound I hear when I’m using an impact gun on my lugs at the track.

After you’ve been doing it a while, it’s all about feel.  I guess you know subconsciously how long it takes for your gun to get a lug tight.  If a changer wants to be really sure, they will wait until they hear/feel the gun ratchet over a time or two.  In my own experience, if I don’t get a lug tight, I know it immediately.  You can feel that it didn’t draw up right, and if it’s really bad, you may even be able to see that it’s loose. – 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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