With Labor Day, it’s a very short week for NASCAR.  Cars will be on track at Richmond on Thursday, with racing on Friday and Saturday night.  While we enjoy a short week, here is another round of Ask The Insiders for you.  If you don’t know what this post is, we answer 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 Kev:

Following on from your reply to Red Neck’s question last week – I know in European racing antifreeze or any other additive is banned from the coolant because it will make the track slippery in the event of a spillage during an accident or breakdown. Do NASCAR and other American racing authorities apply the same ruling and for the same reason?

This is certainly possible.  I couldn’t honestly tell you with certainty what NASCAR’s reasoning in this area actually is. – T.C.

2. From Lost In Texas:

As reported on Jayski.com ” Juan Pablo Montoya and the #42 team will welcome a new sponsor this weekend at Atlanta, Huggies.” Is it true that when asked what was next, he answered “Depends” ? Hehehe

Haha, I’m sorry, I just had to include this.  And no, I cannot confirm that he actually said this… – T.C.

3. From Justin:

3 questions – Any idea what Johnny Davis did after the Montreal race to get fined 5k? Perhaps something with Ambrose? 2 – The question about NTI last week made me wonder what you’re thoughts are about the institute, and what do people that work in the shop and in the garage think of it? I don’t think I’ve read anything good about the place (as far as helping you get into working in nascar), except for what you see on infomercials which were done before the big layoffs. I don’t see how people can go to NTI thinking they’ll get a job in nascar when 100′s have been laid off from various teams. 3 – Any thoughts on Kenny Wallace endorsing the Liberator Fuel Saver? These kind of fuel gadgets do little to nothing to help fuel, kinda like the various snake fuels that say you’ll get better mpg, longer engine life etc. Seems like Kenny has hit rock bottom right now, JRR has struggled this year, and now he’s endorsing a product that is too good to be true. I almost feel bad for him, watching him blindly endorse a product that promises great gains when in reality it does little to nothing.

To your first question, I’m honestly not 100% sure. From the fine I would assume there was a bit of a conflict with a person or group of people and NASCAR didn’t like it. Sorry I can’t be a little more specific. To your second question, it is what it is. I think anybody thinking about going to NTI needs to be realistic about what they’re getting. If a person is OK with being a mechanic at an auto dealership then there is nothing wrong with NTI. They’ll teach you all the necessary skills. If a person wants to work in NASCAR they’re going to have to work for it. There are guys who work in the sport who went through NTI, but they made their own way. The question is how bad do you want it? To your final question, don’t the Wallace’s have a history of endorsing bad products? Do you recall US Fidelis? To paraphrase a radio interview I heard the other day with Pat Haden speaking about Reggie Bush and the Heisman, if I was Kenny Wallace with Journo’s soul I wouldn’t endorse the product. I can’t speak to Kenny’s motivation for endorsing a questionable product though. – Journo

4. From Doug:

Great site guys! A daily read. I know you guys have touched on this in the past but with the possibility of real changes coming, I thought I would throw this out there. I enjoy seeing the Cup guys in the NNS. Makes for some good racing and is a good way to judge the NNS regulars on their skills. However, I hate them stinkin’ up the championship race. It is simply not fair to the drivers, teams, owners, sponsors and crews of the NNS regulars who work their butts off to race week in and week out. I would like to see what you guys (and maybe the other readers) would do if you were dealing with this situation for NASCAR. Here’s my take: All drivers permitted to run for championship from 1st NNS race competed in unless: 1. Driver has competed in (x) Cup races in the same competition year PREVIOUS to first NNS start. a. If rule is applicable, driver will not accru points for position b. If rule is applicable, driver will race for wins and cash rewards based on position 2. Driver has competed in (x) Cup races in the same competion year AFTER first NNS start. a. If rule is applicable, driver will no longer accru points in the NNS b. If rule is applicable, driver will race for wins and cash rewards based on position The owners points would not be changed. ** x is a variable, but 7 would be a good number since it is already used to determine Rookie status. I think this would be a good start. Something to build off of. It would allow the Cup guys to race the NNS which would help acquire sponsorship and attention to the series, while not killing the NNS regular’s chances at a title. I also think it may help with driver development because Cup guys may not be as willing to make the back-and-forth trips for non-companion events, thus opening those seats up. What do you guys think?

Thank you Doug! I think your plan is similar to the ones NASCAR is considering as they decide what, if any changes they want to make. I know for the owners in the sport it’s a tough because sponsors like to see the Cup guys in the cars. From a spectator’s perspective I can tell you I miss the days when series regulars competed for and won the championship. What the right solution is, I’m not entirely sure. I think if NASCAR wants to eliminate the Cup competition they need to limit the number of races Cup drivers can compete in. I don’t think it would be good if a Cup competitor went out and was in position to win a championship and then didn’t because they were technically barred from doing so. If we’re going to handicap, I think we need to fully handicap. – Journo

5. From Richard:

Do the cup teams buytheir engine blocks from NASCAR, or from the different manufacturers? Is it a common engine block with just different heads for the different brands?

There isn’t a spec block. Each manufacturer has their own individual block. The manufacturers build the blocks and then teams get them either from the manufacturer (if they build their own engines, like JGR) or from one of the engine builders (in the form of a complete engine). – Journo

6. From Garry:

Dont know if this has been asked before my time here (feel free to link, but….. Do you guys typically work 3 races every weekend? Do you fly when the truck, NW and SC races are at different tracks? Do you get paid more for SC vs NW vs trucks, or is it a team salary thing, where it you are paid a flat salary (plus bonuses)with the expectation that you will be working all three weekend races?. Feel free to answer in vast generaliztions to protect who you are, but how does this usually work? Do new tiremen/jackmen/gasmen work trucks, and move up like the drivers, or do highly funded teams put their best men on all of their race cartypes? Is working different types of races waaaaaaaaay different or…. is a tire a tire… a wheel a wheel and a lug a lug? PS For the record I would like to make some positive comments about how NASCAR “regulates” the pit stop action. NASCAR does an excellent job of making sure Pit Stops are a big part of the race …. BRAVO NASCAR!!!…. GREAT JOB ON PIT STOPS

There are certainly crew members that work multiple series every weekend, but I’m not sure we can call it typical.  Remember that the Truck Series has limits on the number of crew members that can work on the truck during a weekend, so hired guns are less common in the CWTS than they used to be.  And yes, pay is different between the three series as one might expect.  Actual pay structures and bonus systems vary by team.  And in most cases, new crew members will start out at lower levels and work their way up.  That’s why you’ll see progressively slower pit stop times as you go down the ladder.  And there really isn’t a huge difference between pitting cars in the three series.  There are certainly some differences because of the different body shapes, but it isn’t waaaayyy different. – T.C.

7. From Cinde:

Hi guys! Why is it that when we pit under caution and want to for example, change a front shock, why do we make 2 pit stops instead on fixing everything during the first stop?

A team would make multiple stops to fix a problem under caution to make sure they don’t lose a lap.  Some problems will take longer to fix, and doing part of the job, then leaving and coming back ensures as little track position as possible is lost. – T.C.

8. From Kristi:

Does NASCAR require an entrance fee for Sprint Cup, Nationwide,or Truck?

Yes, all three series have entry fees.  For example, I believe the Cup Series entry fee is around $3,500. – T.C.

9. From M:

What is packer? And why do they, the pit crews, pull it? Also, are the motorcoaches just for looks or do the drivers actually stay in them overnight?

A packer is a little piece of rubber they use to restrict how much a shock can compress.  Packers and shims can be pulled off the shocks to change the handling characteristics of the car.  And no, motorcoaches aren’t just for looks.  The drivers, and some owners and crew chiefs do stay in them at the track. – T.C.

10. From Denny:

Another question about Triad engines. I noticed during the Atlanta Nationwide race, when Steve Wallace blew-up, when ESPN gave us a shot of the hood being up on Steve’s car, you could see Triad on the valve covers. I thought the Wallace team was supported by JGR. Why are they not using those great engines coming out of JGR’s engine shop? Along that line of questions, who is supplying the engines for the Nationwide #18 & #20. Also, why so many Toyota trucks in the Truck Series and is Triad building all of these trucks & engines, also? Thanks so much for your always great answers.

Joe Gibbs Racing is the only Toyota team that builds its own engines.  And along with that, I don’t believe they supply engines to any other team.  So even though RWR is aligned with JGR, they still get their engines from Triad.  The alliance probably just includes setup and engineering information.  And the most likely reason for the number of Toyotas in the Truck Series is that Toyota does a better job of supporting those teams than the other manufacturers.  Also, teams are going to want the best combination they can get.  Triad does build engines and Trucks for many teams, but some teams do build their own Trucks, and I believe PME is building some Toyota engines, although I’m not 100% sure who they supply. – T.C.

11. From Eric:

I am a big Robby Gordon fan, but obviously the last few years of team ownership have been miserable. Since you guys are in the garage area I have to ask you a question: does he have any chance at getting a good ride again like he had at RCR or is his age and questionable reputation going to make that never happen again?

The long and short answer is no. Robby is 41 years old and well, not the easiest guy in the world to work with and work for. His best years, performance wise in NASCAR, are probably behind him, and I think he’s starting to realize that. With money difficult to come by it’s easier and probably more rewarding for him to focus on his off-road racing and let other people utilize his NASCAR team. – Journo

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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