Up Close and Personal at a NASCAR Race

"It's a "Porch-uh"" (ikazuchi) 03/25/2014 at 11:35 • Filed to: NASCAR

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I don't normally watch racing, or really sports in general. I like "doing" versus watching other people do stuff. That being said, I'm a motorsports guy and I plan on attending at least one event of every major racing series. I've checked off F1, MotoGP, and NHRA, and just this weekend was able to check off NASCAR.

As a sports car guy I used to be like many of you, thinking of NASCAR as a "hick" sport. They have trouble making right turns (insert Zoolander ambi-turner meme here), their technology is from the 1950s, and the only excitement is when they crash. As I got into my 30s, I mellowed out about most things and decided NASCAR was just fine, but I never looked into why it's now the second most popular sport in the US (NFL is #1). F1 is cool because of the amazing technology, Sports Car racing because they're using actual car chassis, and Top Fuel drag racing because of the physics-bending power they generate. It was a sold-out crowd at Auto Club Speedway, so NASCAR had to have some appeal, but what was it?

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Auto Club 400 by Roush Fenway Racing (yes, Mr. Jack Roush) to check out their setup, talk with the teams, and watch the race from their pit box. When they told me "pit box," I was expecting one of the nice VIP rooms that overlook pit lane. Oh no, this was the mobile box that the team sits at to communicate with the drivers and run pit stops. Yeah, we'd be right behind the crew as they hop the wall to fuel and change tires. This revelation turned it from a nice way to watch a race to being part of the action. It was intense.

That's me in the green shirt. We would be hanging out with Ricky Stenhouse Jr and his crew. Stenhouse was cool to talk to in the few minutes we had (he was understandably busy on race day). I asked all kinds of ridiculous car questions (setups, different tracks, engines) and took a bunch of pictures of the cage and interior. Before everybody lined up on the grid I got to bend the ears of the crew, talking to the guy who does the suspension (they have cabinets full of shocks and springs), the engine (I wanted to "borrow" their spare), and the guy who trains the pit crew (big fellow, crushing grip).

Holy crap, the noise. F1 screams. NASCAR roars. Top Fuel just assaults your ear drums. 40+ 800HP+ V8s at full-tilt is a helluva sound. There were a lot of cautions this race, but I didn't mind since each time the safety car pulled off you got to hear everybody jam on the throttle. It was glorious. Crank up your volume.

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Even just the cars sitting on the hot pit lane before the race was great to hear. Oh, that lumpy idle of a high-lift cam in a big-bore V8. I really want to get my 944 sold so I can start building a LS motor for my next car.

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Watching a pitstop up close was crazy. These guys bound over the wall with cars flying in, surround it, yank the tires off, put new tires on (one side at a time, I'm assuming they have a limit to the number of crew members out at once), adjust the suspension, fuel, windshield tear off, scrub the grill (it gets gummed up with tire chunks), and get out of the way.

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It was interesting to learn that they actively recruit college athletes for the pit crews. They had several ex-college football stars on the team, which I guess you need to quickly and precisely move around 80lbs+ wheels and tires. The jackman was Richie Williams, who was the '05 National Championship QB for Appalachian St and former CFL QB. That guy could move.

Another thing I learned was how they change wheels so fast with 5 lugs to take off and put back on per wheel. I asked why they didn't use a central center-locking nut like sports cars and F1. The answer, of course, was NASCAR rules. Wheels waiting to go on the car had all the lug nuts glued into place on the rim so when it's placed on the hub, all the lug nuts pop off the wheel and sit at the ends of the studs, waiting to get tightened down. The danger is that the "Wheel Carrier" crew member could place the wheel at a wrong angle, catching the nut and sending it flying into pit lane. They have spares stuck to their helmets, but grabbing one and placing it on loses precious seconds. Shockingly, many of the lug nuts being taken off end up in pit lane anyways. Both lanes were littered with them. I'm not sure how I never saw one get kicked up and thrown into another car or into the pit boxes.

As part of the deal, I got to listen in on the communications as the crew chief talked with Stenhouse. They would constantly give him updates on where other cars were and he would talk about the car setup. I later learned that Auto Club Speedway's surface was pretty bad (last paved in 1997) and the teams were struggling with tires and suspension setups. I watched the cars bounce along the front straight and wondered if most tracks were like that (they're not). The surface is wavy and covered in tar snakes, something I never really notice when I drive the track because I never break 110mph.

Over the radio I could hear Stenhouse talk about the suspension setup and changes to make each stop. They run qualifying and practice different times of the day from the race so the track surface is completely different and they have to adjust on the fly to come up with a winning setup. They would adjust the track bar (or Panhard bar - I just learned what that was and how it works) and the springs, moving each up or down to tighten or loosen the grip. Teams were blowing tires left and right, causing the high number of yellows and lots of finger pointing.

Many teams and drivers were saying it was Goodyear's fault, while Goodyear was saying it was the teams' fault. Because of the crappy surface conditions, many teams were running lower than recommended tire pressures to increase grip. Problem is, you run too low and the tire overheats. Another issue this year is that NASCAR wasn't dictating the camber rates, so teams could be more or less aggressive with their setups. Some teams ran more aggressive camber and would wear through tires faster.

I'm sure the up-close access helped, but it was an exciting event to attend. The tire issues caused a lot of places being swapped. Jimmie Johnson, who was out front, or near the front most of the race ended up in 24th. Kyle Busch, the winner, had been running between 10th and 15th most of the time. By the end of the race, one of my co-workers, who is not into cars or racing, said he was into it and would probably watch the next race on TV.

I certainly discovered the appeal by attending a race. The sounds, the action, the amount of support, and effort applied are all outstanding. F1 is just as much a spectacle, but in a different way. It's not better, just different. If you're a F1-elitist, McLaren (yes, that McLaren) supplies the spec fuel electronics for each car. Also, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (you can't argue with that, it's a true fact).

The appeal also has to do with the series. A bad setup one weekend can put you more than a second off the leader, but you get it right the next weekend and you're on the podium, and that's what the NASCAR rule makers want. They just changed the rules so that you need to have a win to get into the championship series ("The Chase for the Cup") so that you don't have drivers and teams holding back to cruise in on points alone.

So if you're into racing, and not into NASCAR, give it a chance by seeing a race in person. It's quite the experience.

Besides, how many Tudor or F1 races will you see Terry Crews and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! at?

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > It's a "Porch-uh" 03/25/2014 at 09:10

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Kinja'd...

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 03/25/2014 at 09:15

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*Australia'd

crowmolly > It's a "Porch-uh" 03/25/2014 at 09:16

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Great post and pictures, thanks for sharing! Really seems like you had a nice time. That HOT pass must have been really bad ass to have. I've been to a few races in the stands and also in the VIP boxes but never with a HOT pass. Looks like it really adds a lot to the experience. Regular tickets in the stands don't get you that up close and personal, sadly.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 03/25/2014 at 09:19

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Now that I think about it, *Orlove'd...

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 03/25/2014 at 09:20

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No, you can see daylight and not ditch.

tromoly > It's a "Porch-uh" 03/25/2014 at 09:42

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Good read, sometimes I forget what it's like to be at the races as a fan.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 03/25/2014 at 10:03

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I guess ditches don't love Nascar...

jgreen11 > It's a "Porch-uh" 03/25/2014 at 12:11

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Great write up. I know that I gained more interest in Indy Car after I attended races, and was able to get up close and personal, not to the level that you were able to here, but close enough to pique the interest.

My only problem here, is that I have tried to watch NASCAR before, especially now that I understand more about it and have grown up some. But I still can't get it. And I don't really feel like Hot Passes or the special access is what should make the sport appeal to it's viewers.

It's a "Porch-uh" > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 03/25/2014 at 13:32

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Funny, it showed up that way when I was creating the post, but then shows up fine for me when I saved it. Are they all that way?

It's a "Porch-uh" > crowmolly 03/25/2014 at 13:37

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The down side was that you had a very limited view of the on-track action. I could only see a section of the main straight. Though the issue is just as bad on road courses, where you usually have a small section of track you can view. I think that might be one of the appeal of oval courses is that you can see the whole track from the grandstands.

It's a "Porch-uh" > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 03/25/2014 at 13:38

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citizennick > It's a "Porch-uh" 03/27/2014 at 19:11

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Love both series, but as far as sound goes, 2014 NASCAR > 2014 F1.

Nevertheless, great read! It was a great race to watch on tv.

Axel-Ripper > It's a "Porch-uh" 03/27/2014 at 19:45

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Another issue this year is that NASCAR wasn't dictating the camber rates, so teams could be more or less aggressive with their setups. Some teams ran more aggressive camber and would wear through tires faster.

Not entirely true. There is a maximum camber teams are allowed to run (3.5 degrees in the rear, I forget the front). I think a bigger problem was overloading the sidewalls due to the rough surface and increased aero of this year's platform. Plus, if it was a camber issue, you wouldn't have seen as many cars going down as did happen (7 cars in 2 laps?), it would have been concentrated on one or two teams.

richwl > jgreen11 03/27/2014 at 20:19

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Have you gone to a race? I really do not watch on TV. But we go yearly to Daytona and it is a blast! The author is correct the sound is furious! We do cave-man camping and being able to walk around to various locations to see the race unfold is wonderful. Of course it rained like hell this year on race day but at least we had the Bloody Mary's pouring!

Phathead > It's a "Porch-uh" 03/27/2014 at 21:14

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I've been lucky enough to go to two races as guests of the #27 team and the first time I went I didn't have any ear plugs while I was next to the box. The vibrations alone after ten laps were enough to make me nauseous.

The second time they let me go with the spotter the first half of the race above the track which was insane. I moved down to the box for the last half because we were in contention for the win. The last pit stop of the day we were in P1 and I've never seen a group of guys so jacked up.

What did you think of the garage area? I thought the access there was pretty school, especially watching the teams prep. Although it's a little ear splitting when they start warming the rear gears...

jgreen11 > richwl 03/27/2014 at 21:34

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I have not. Don't think I ever really will. If I am going to pay to go to a race, I will be going to something that I know I already enjoy and am looking forward to.

It's a "Porch-uh" > Phathead 03/28/2014 at 12:23

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Yes, ear plugs are a must!

By the time we got there, the cars were already out on pre-grid, so I didn't get to see them in the garages. Touring the trailer and talking to the mechanics was pretty cool though.