Comments on: Changing Tires: It’s All In Your Head

By: steve

steve — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:53:22 +0000

a sports psychologist described ‘choking’ as letting something get in your head that interferes with your ability to perform, and it seems there’s plenty of opportunities for that to happen on pit road. Is there a particular mind-cleansing and/or mind-focusing process you go through?

And dwelling on mistakes (not only past mistakes but the fear of making a mistake) seems to be directly related to the ‘cost’ of the mistake. here, the cost is not just the impact on the race but also on getting chewed out in by crew chief/driver and perhaps even more importantly, on the chance of keeping one’s job on Monday. The more likely someone will lose their job for making a mistake, the less likely they will be able to focus their attention on the job…. which goes to something I asked about earlier, how crews go about determining when someone loses their job. A little negative reinforcement can be good, too much and people get paralyzed… tough to balance, whether in racing or in any other profession.

By: T.C.

T.C. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:22:04 +0000

Neon: It can be tough in the middle parts of the race when everything seems to just be dragging by. But I always keep my helmet on or near by, try and keep the muscles warmed up (jumping jacks and pushups can help with this), and hit the practice hub periodically. Another thing that I think a lot of guys do (myself included) is try and do everything the same way every time. I always do things in a certain order and at a certain time, that way your brain is keyed in that hey, now it’s time to go to work. When I do these things at this moment, it’s game time. For me personally, its helps me to focus and block everything else out.

By: Neon

Neon — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:02:44 +0000

Nice piece TC. To me one of the amazing aspects of a tire changers Job (and the entire over the wall crew) is their ability to snap to attention w/o any chance to develop a rythym. I’ve seen the practice spindle on the war wagons, but what do you do get yourself in motion 0 to 60?

Doug in CA #2-I’m not pickin on ya here, but…. the lugnuts are actually glued to the steel wheel at each of five stud holes w/ stringy/stretchy/yellow weather adhesive. Not to the Goodyear rubber tire. We know what you meant though.

By: T.C.

T.C. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:38:31 +0000

Bob: The tape on the wheel corresponds to a specific stud hole in the wheel. The tire carrier uses this as a reference point. As the carrier gets set, he will look at the wheel to see what specific pattern the studs are in. You will usually either have one stud right around 12 o’clock, or have two studs on either side of 12 o’clock (say 10 and 2). The carrier will use the taped hole on the wheel and line it up to hit a specific stud he’s aiming at on the car. I know it sounds a bit complicated, but with a little practice, most guys do it without even thinking.

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:11:20 +0000

Something I have always wondered. I know the tape on tire indicates where stud hole is in wheel (for the guy placing tire on studs), but how does he know what the location of the stud is on the drum (since air wrench operator removed old wheel).
Does operator of air wrench put stud in a specific location before he removes wheel? Happens too fast, when shown on camera, to see how it is done.

By: T.C.

T.C. — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:33:36 +0000

Doug: The studs aren’t really tapered. The ends are rounded, but they are pretty much the same diameter all the way down. And yes, in the Cup Series the studs are a little longer then they’ve been in the past.

By: Doug in CA

Doug in CA — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:27:10 +0000

Something I have never understood about your job: I know the nuts are glued onto the tires before the race. Are the studs somehow tapered so that the wheel actually goes over the posts before you have to tighten the nuts? And hasn’t the size or shape of the post changed in the last year or two? They’re longer?

By: ronfrankl

ronfrankl — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:54:18 +0000

Terrific post, T.C. I feel like I have some real insight into your job, and how difficult it really is. The analogy to making a mistake during a football game is particularly effective.