All You Crew Chiefs

F

fastfordfan

Guest
Just a thought
500 strategy

With the qualifying at Daytona being different than any others would you as a crew chief consider this?
Taking a not so GOOD pit box in order to possibly have your running partner next to you.
IMO this could play huge dividend on the last pit stop. Since drivers will not be able to communicate with other drivers the crew chiefs will have to be up on there game plan.
If say Jr and Jimmie plan on teaming up the crew chiefs would be right next to each other.
Also in the 125 races would you hold your own if you were behind your partner in order to get those pit boxes?

Kenseth
Edwards
Biffle

JJ
Jeff
Kasey

If I read right all in same race.
This could be an advantage I think at all plate races.
 
CC's consider who they are pitting next to all the time, and try to keep 2 cars together. I'm pretty sure JJ and Jr picked pits near the back last year for this reason. Last year, we saw guys checking up coming out of the pits to put someone between them and their partner so they could line up bumper to bumper for the restart. But it's not that simple. First, they need to qualify near enough each other to get 2 decent pit stalls next to each other. Then they have to hope that neither driver gets stuck with an idiot in box in front or behind them. Then all this planning can go away on pit exit.
 
FenderBumper said:
CC's consider who they are pitting next to all the time, and try to keep 2 cars together. I'm pretty sure JJ and Jr picked pits near the back last year for this reason. Last year, we saw guys checking up coming out of the pits to put someone between them and their partner so they could line up bumper to bumper for the restart. But it's not that simple. First, they need to qualify near enough each other to get 2 decent pit stalls next to each other. Then they have to hope that neither driver gets stuck with an idiot in box in front or behind them. Then all this planning can go away on pit exit.
Click to expand...

Yes but I don't thing you will see tandum racing like in the past.
Not Until the last lap.
Ride around for 450 then try and get set up.
 
fastfordfan said:
Yes but I don't thing you will see tandum racing like in the past.
Not Until the last lap.
Ride around for 450 then try and get set up.
Click to expand...

Like Edwards and Biffle in '09 and this year? Harvick did it last year, along with a bunch of other guys. JJ and Jr got screwed by that strategy, along with a bunch of others. That's not to say the stay together strategy can't work. I just don't think it has yet.

It's a crap shoot. A great strategy could get you a win, or get you screwed out of a good finish. I like the guys who head to the front and race all day. If it's a crap shoot, go out and have some fun while putting on a show.
 
My prediction.

The pod racing won't start until after the money stop. Then all hell will break loose.
 
MOEJOE said:
My prediction.

The pod racing won't start until after the money stop. Then all hell will break loose.
Click to expand...

It could get REAL messy. Very warm day = steam engines. Guys jumping in to push without practice will probably lead to the big one and a GWC finish.
 
FenderBumper said:
It could get REAL messy. Very warm day = steam engines. Guys jumping in to push without practice will probably lead to the big one and a GWC finish.
Click to expand...

Or all the cars will blow up and Morgan Shepherd will take the checkers!
 
i'd tell my driver to quality as high as he can. too much strategy just confuses things and is a crapshoot to work out the way you want.
 
I gotta wonder how much this non communication really matters. They seemed to have mastered the two-car tandem quite well during early Daytona testing a few short week ago. Unless some drastic changes were made after that test I can't see where we're going to see anything different than we have been seeing. I think these teams will hook up early and continue to do so throughout the entire race from green to checkered. If they aren't then they aren't racing. If they know that they can go faster in a two-car tandem vs. a huge pack then why would they want to run in a huge pack where the risk for catastrophe is much greater? I don't get that logic. This weeks Bud Shootout is nothing more than a glorified test session under race conditions. That's probably part of the reason that the field was increased to the size of almost an entire field of cars.
 
Tandem got out of hand, in some opinions, when the 16 channel radios started showing up. That's when guys started running the whole race like that.

There is no way anyone can tandem the whole race with the new cooling rules. NASCAR was so agressive with the change, cars were blowing water while running in the pack during testing. They then opened the air vent and raised the pressure, but teams will be locked into the smaller radiator and overflow. You may see engines blow if the pushing begins with 4 or 5 to go.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I gotta wonder how much this non communication really matters. They seemed to have mastered the two-car tandem quite well during early Daytona testing a few short week ago. Unless some drastic changes were made after that test I can't see where we're going to see anything different than we have been seeing. I think these teams will hook up early and continue to do so throughout the entire race from green to checkered. If they aren't then they aren't racing. If they know that they can go faster in a two-car tandem vs. a huge pack then why would they want to run in a huge pack where the risk for catastrophe is much greater? I don't get that logic. This weeks Bud Shootout is nothing more than a glorified test session under race conditions. That's probably part of the reason that the field was increased to the size of almost an entire field of cars.
Click to expand...

The Shootout is no litmus test as far as the 500 goes. It's night time, and it has the potential to be much colder. We could be looking at a 20 degree difference here. That's not peanuts.

And I thinks NASCAR is telling people to not pod race. Otherwise , people will be pod racing.

FenderBumper said:
Tandem got out of hand, in some opinions, when the 16 channel radios started showing up. That's when guys started running the whole race like that.

There is no way anyone can tandem the whole race with the new cooling rules. NASCAR was so agressive with the change, cars were blowing water while running in the pack during testing. They then opened the air vent and raised the pressure, but teams will be locked into the smaller radiator and overflow. You may see engines blow if the pushing begins with 4 or 5 to go.
Click to expand...

IMO, we are going to see cars crab-legging eachother. The car in the rear will be way out on the right side of the rear bumper of the car in front. We saw this in testing and they we're successful in keeping dang near all the radiator opening hung out for some good clean cold air. If you make it smaller, the guys will push water when on Pit road, and perhaps in the pack, we saw that with Burton during the January test.
 
Several cars were blowing water in the pack, including the #2 car. Then NASCAR made a slight adjustment.

I would go with a regular cooling system and smaller openings and lower pressure, just to be safe. If Daytona turns out to be warm, it's easy to adjust. I really think that the bumper, radio rule and lower pressure with a smaller opening was more than enough to get what they are looking for. With the way the weather has been, it could be 80 plus during the 500. IMO, that would be a disaster. Maybe the duels will take the hit and NASCAR will have time to adjust things for the 500.
 
Yes, I forgot about having the duels to test at. Ok, now I can relax.
 
FenderBumper said:
Several cars were blowing water in the pack, including the #2 car. Then NASCAR made a slight adjustment.

I would go with a regular cooling system and smaller openings and lower pressure, just to be safe. If Daytona turns out to be warm, it's easy to adjust. I really think that the bumper, radio rule and lower pressure with a smaller opening was more than enough to get what they are looking for. With the way the weather has been, it could be 80 plus during the 500. IMO, that would be a disaster. Maybe the duels will take the hit and NASCAR will have time to adjust things for the 500.
Click to expand...
hope it isnt 80 plus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom