Impound Race

Impounding is used to discourage teams from investing time and money in developing setups solely for qualifying. When a car is impounded, if work is needed to be performed, the car is moved to the rear of the field for the start of the race. Otherwise, adjustments need to be made during the race, creating more on track activity that could make the race more interesting.

An impound race usually features two Friday practices and Saturday qualifying instead of the traditional Friday qualifying and Saturday practices.


Impound rules:

Following qualifying for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event, the cars will be escorted to their respective garage stalls by a NASCAR official (with the exception of the top five cars, which will be placed in a designated area for post-qualifying inspection). Once the car is pushed to the garage stall, only two crew members will be allowed to remain in the garage.

The following work list will be allowed:

1. Shut off electrical switches and master power switch
2. Remove radio
3. Check air pressure in tires
4. Cover the car
5. Crewmembers exit garage and garage doors close

Pit road selection will be immediately after the last car has qualified.

Procedure for race day for NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams:

Garage Stall: A maximum of two crew members per car, accompanied by a NASCAR official, will be allowed in the garage stall. Below are the procedures that will be completed in the garage stall:

Teams may:

1. Plug in oil heater (if teams use a generator, it must remain outside the garage)
2. Open hood
3. Prime oil system
4. Back car out of garage to start
5. Turn master switch on
6. Open oil cooler bypass valve (optional)
7. Start engine
8. Close hood
9. Set tire pressure
10. Torque wheels
11. Install radio and water bottle
12. Remove or repair tape on front of car (i.e. grille, valance, brake ducts.)
13. If applicable, BST or Pi Research may replace equipment batteries under NASCAR supervision.

Teams may not:

1. Enter the garage without a NASCAR official present
2. Jack up any part of the car
3. Add water or pressurize the cooling system
4. Climb inside the car
5. Adjust wedge bolts, shocks or sway bars
6. Add fuel, oil or brake fluid
7. Remove air box
8. Adjust fenders, spoiler or any body components.

Fuel pumps: A maximum of three crewmembers per car at any time, escorted by NASCAR officials, may go to the fuel pumps. For tracks 1 mile and under, a maximum of two gallons of fuel will be added. For tracks 1½ miles, a maximum of three gallons of fuel will be added. For tracks above 1½ miles, a maximum of four gallons of fuel will be added.

Height platform: A maximum of three crewmembers per car at any time, accompanied by NASCAR officials, may escort the respective car to the height platform.

Teams may:

1. Adjust front and rear wedge bolts: A maximum of one turn for front bolts. A maximum of 1½ turns for rear bolts.
2. Adjust track bar at frame end adjuster. No maximum on track bar adjustment.
3. Adjust external shock bleeds.

Teams may not:

1. Change any components.
2. Add spring inserts.

Scales: A maximum of three crewmembers per car at any time, accompanied by NASCAR officials, may escort the respective car to the scales. Any car that does not meet required weight specifications may be subject to penalty. After completion, the generator will be reconnected to the car and pushed to pit road. Generators will be permitted out on pit road with the car.

Source: NASCAR

FOX Television Coverage of Subway 500

I've always been a little fascinated by the "Heidi Game" where the TV network terminated coverage of a football game because it was time for a movie to air. During the remaining 65 seconds of the game the Raiders made two touchdowns and came from behind to win the game. It was the eventual fallout that proved this should not have happened and as a result, contractual agreements were made so that this situation would not occur and NFL games would be shown in their entirety regardless of circumstances that may cause them to run longer than there scheduled block of time.

Tonight's race coverage on FOX followed a Yankees and Red Sox baseball game that was delayed for rain. As a result FOX had their pre-race show, but interrupted it to return to the baseball game when the rain delay ended. The coverage of the baseball game continued until the exact moment the cars crossed the start/finish line to start the race. Unfortunately, the baseball game was at a critical point with two out and a full count on the batter. If the third out occurred without a score, the game was over.

I'm not a baseball fan, but if I'm watching a sporting event, any sports event, and now that it is a critical point then I need to see how it works out.

The baseball game was shifted to the FX network, but the handling of this disappointing. The network should have had better contingency plans and separately covered both events in their entirety between both networks when it became evident that they could occur at the same time. A scroll on FOX could have notified viewers looking for the game that it was on FX or vice versa. Even if there were reasons not to handle this in this way, how the hand off would occur between the two shows should have been better communicated in advance of it actually occurring.

Is the start of a race really that important to give it priority? Likely this was based on a contractual agreement. However, once NASCAR decided that it is more important to show full screen advertisements instead of continuous coverage using split screen, they conceded that a broadcast could be accomplished using replays if something important were to occur. As a race fan, I'd have understood if the baseball game coverage continued with either a split screen or a scroller that alerted that the race had started and what was happening.

My disappointment with FOX is, as professionals, they should have known better and have a better way to handle this. While its unlikely there will be anything like the football game fallout, hopefully FOX will look into what happened and take necessary steps to make sure they handle a similiar situation better in the future.

Races - April 2008

Cup Races


April 6, 2008 (Sunday)
Samsung 500

Texas Motor Speedway
Track Completed : 1996
Seating: 159,585
Course Length: 1.50 mile
Type: Quad-Oval

Laps: 334
Distance: 501 miles (806 km)

Time: 1:30 PM
Television: FOX


April 12, 2008 (Saturday)
Subway Fresh Fit 500

Phoenix International Raceway
Track Completed : 1964
Seating: 76,800
Course Length: 1.00 mile
Type: Tri-Oval

Laps: 312
Distance: 312 miles (502 kilometers)

Time: 8:00 PM
Television: FOX


April 27, 2008 (Sunday)
Aaron's 499

Talladega Superspeedway
Track Completed : 1969
Seating: 143,231
Course Length: 2.66 miles
Type: Tri-Oval

Laps: 188
Distance: 500.08 miles (805 kilometers)
Restrictor Plate Race

Time: 1:30 PM
Television: FOX

Series Races


April 5, 2008 (Saturday)
O'Reilly 300

Texas Motor Speedway
Track Completed : 1996
Seating: 159,585
Course Length: 1.50 mile
Type: Quad-Oval

Laps: 200
Distance: 300 miles (482.8 km)

Time: 2:30 PM
Television: ESPN2


April 11, 2008 (Friday)
Bashas' Supermarkets 200

Phoenix International Raceway
Track Completed : 1964
Seating: 76,800
Course Length: 1.00 mile
Type: Tri-Oval

Laps: 200
Distance: 200 miles (321.9 kilometers)

Time: 9:30 PM
Television: ESPN2


April 20, 2008 (Sunday)
Mexico 200

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Track Completed : 1962
Seating: 70,000
Course Length: 2.518 miles
Type: Road Course

Laps: 80
Distance: 201.44 miles (324.32 km)

Time: 1:30 PM
Television: ESPN


April 26, 2008 (Saturday)
Aaron's 312

Talladega Superspeedway
Track Completed : 1969
Seating: 143,231
Course Length: 2.66 miles
Type: Tri-Oval

Laps: 117
Distance: 311.22 miles (500 kilometers)
Restrictor Plate Race

Time: 2:30 PM
Television: ABC

A Note About Pit Stalls

Nascar seeks to keep racing competitive and equal and therefore strategy takes on increased importantance when attempting to gain an advantage that will ultimately provide a win. Pit strategy beings with selecting a pit. In some racetracks, the size or layout of pit stalls means selecting the right pit stall could provide a real advantage.

Teams select pit stalls in the order that that the car qualified for the race. The fastest qualifier not only starts the race in the pole position (the inside of the first row), but also is the first to select a pit stall.

If qualifying is canceled (rained out) then race order and pit selection is determined by owner points. When the race is one of the first five of the season, owner points from the previous year are used. Teams who are in the top 35, based on the owners points being used, that have been entered for the race and attempt to qualify are ordered based upon points. Remaining teams can make the race and be ordered based upon various scenerios. Additional information can be found here:
http://www.jayski.com/teams/qualifying-rules.htm

Typically, the first pit stall offers the advantage of being able to exit the pit stall without needing to clear another car, merging with pit traffic, or managing speed before crossing the pit road exit line. When pitting during caution laps, the race off pit road (to the exit line) determines a car's order for the restart.

As selections are made, decisions have to be based on other factors. Some pit stalls have additional space around them, such as openings for access to the garage area. The rules could be a factor, for example if a pit stall is behind the start finish line, the car must reach that line before the lead car reaches that same line on the track to keep from losing a lap to the leader. Cars pitting in front of the start finish line need to pass the pit road exit line before the lead car reaches that same line on the track to keep from losing a lap to the leader. Being close to these lines enable teams to get out of their stalls at the last possible second without losing a lap. Also rules for pushing a stalled car must be considered.

Sometimes, guesses about the performance of teams that have selected pits before and after remaining pit stalls should be considered. Pits inbetween these teams may yield similiar advantages if the team is out of the race early or not able to pit at the same time, such as when lead lap cars pit first. The distance of a pit stall to resources which may be needed during the race could also be a consideration.

Ultimately, pit selection is just one of many decisions that may help or hinder a team's chance for a win.

Information About Nascar

2008 Nascar Fan Guide

Locations Visited

There are plenty of shops in North Carolina, and last year I started to visit them. Here is a listing of the shops I've been to so far, in the order of entertainment value I feel I received from each:

1. Bill Davis Racing - This shop offers the greatest opportunity to walk through and potentially interact with shop employees. If you can only visit one shop, this is the one I'd recommend regardless of which teams you openly support.


2. Richard Childress Racing - RCR has a museum (in the old shop) that shows off the setup of a shop, but also is a true museum of RCR history including Dale Earnhardt. The museum has an admission fee. In addition to the museum, the shops can be viewed either from an overhead fan walk (Cup shop) or right inside a doorway (Series shop). The museum features scheduled pit crew practices.


3. Roush Racing - Has a museum, which includes a mini auditorium (film) and various displays of cars and sponsors. Shops are viewable through small fan walk areas.


4. Evernham Motorsports - Three separate buildings. One with a display of cars and memorabilia, one with a store / museum / a fan walk of windows looking into the shop for two cup teams.


5. Hendrick Motorsports - Combines a museum, with displays and fan walks for the shops. A pit crew practice is accessible behind the Series shop, just follow the sounds of the air guns.


6. Joe Gibbs Racing - Has a small overhead fan walk of the Cup shop accessed by walking past display cases of team memorabilia on the way to the large gift shop.


7. JR Motorsports - Enter the small shop store and pass through displays of collectibles near to Junior's heart. In this area, a fan walk allows viewing the shop.


8. Kevin Harvick Incorporated - A new shop with a fan walk past pictures, posters and framed memorabilia, a concession stand store, and up a flight of stairs to an open air balcony overlooking the shop floor.


9. Robert Yates Racing - This shop's lobby contained trophies and some memorabilia along with a small fan walk area to view the shop happenings. This shops now houses the Petty Enterprises shop.


10. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated - Displays of memorabilia (some likely being changed out periodically) and the store, with a fan walk area looking into an area with cars displayed. No view of the working shop was available, but special events (such as Santa at Christmas) were more prevalent than at other shops.

In addition, a visit was made to Lowes Motor Speedway (not during a race week) and Pit Instruction and Training, which offers pit crew training. Also, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 years ago, not during a race week, but while the track was being used for NASCAR testing), a NASCAR car you can sit in at the Greensboro Children's Musuem, and the NASCAR Speedpark in Charlotte. I'll be providing more detailed information about each site.

Things To Know Before You Go

Some personal observations about visiting NASCAR shops that you may find helpful if you haven't been to a shop before:

• Price of Admission - Most shops have opportunities for fans to visit and see both memorabilia and shop operations for the price of zip, zero, nothing. The exceptions I've found are the admission fee for RCR's museum, the Petty museum, and track tours.


• Timing Your Visit - I've indicated that some visits were made on Friday's before a race weekend and found shops that don't have displays had little to view and see. On the other hand, this also could be a good opportunity to chat with shop employees while things are not busy. Hours of operation will vary from shop to shop, and some may close down completely at lunch time. The hours to view the operations may differ from the shop/museum hours and hours may be extended if a race is being held nearby. It wouldn't hurt to call the shop and confirm its hours before heading out. Also, when races are held at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice a year, a lot of local garages use this opportunity to hold Fan Appreciation events. These events offer opportunities to see the drivers and owners, see sponsor displays, get sponsor information and freebies, and see special demonstrations and displays that are unique to this event.


• Openness - I was surprised at how open some shops are. For some shops you walk right into the reception area of the main offices for the team and there is someone there that directs all visitors and answers the phones. Don't expect this person to go out of their way to greet you, but feel free to ask any questions you have about what you can do and where you can go around the shop. Also, this location adds an additional opportunity to run into other individuals that have business at the shop besides the fan tour. Some shops will provide displays to give you a feel for the areas of the shop you can't see, but others may just leave you free to look around and see almost everything that is going on.


• Location, Location, Location - Most NASCAR race shops are within about an hours drive of each other in an area north of Charlotte, NC. In some locations, you can walk between shops or drive to the next closest shop in minutes. This makes it easy to see several shops in a limited amount of time and helps with enjoying the experience despite any change in plans that may occur.


• Pit Crew Practice - Don't be surprised if you hear the unmistakable sounds of a quick tire change being made when you're around a shop. Most shops have a practice on a regular basis at the shop and this can occur throughout the day at shops with a number of teams. Some shops offer opportunities for visitors to get an up-close view of practice, but the majority of shops I've been to have these in areas off limits to the public. Even so, they're usually held somewhere that can be seen from the parking or street. Bring a telephoto lens or binoculars if seeing this appeals to you. This gives a raceday experience during a weekday visit.


• Special Events - As mentioned before about timing your visit, some shops host additional special events that may make the visit more memorable. When planning a visit, search around to see if any events have been announced or where held last year that may be repeated this year. This are wonderful opportunities and, with few exceptions, are also free.


• Tour Packages - Since most shops can be viewed for free, paying to be with a tour group may not sound like a good deal upfront. However, you may find this a terrific chance to be guided by someone very knowledge about racing that can answer just about any question you have and can get you into places or situations that you otherwise couldn't. I haven't taken a race shop tour, but did take a motor coach trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway and PIT Instruction and Training. If I hadn't taken this trip, I never would have known about PIT and certainly would not have gotten the same presentation if I'd walked in off the street. Considering the experience we recieved, this was money well spent in my opinion.


• Shopping - The quality and size of team stores varies considerably between shops. Some offer only a few t-shirts, hats, and trinkets, while others offer a full compliment of just about everything you could think of. In addition you may find some unique items, like used tires and other parts that you would be hard to find available for sale elsewhere. The prices are usually not discounted, but you may find sales items, and I've even found some items that were practically given away when a driver change occurred.


• Other Businesses Nearby - Keep your eyes open on the way to the shop for other businesses that may add something to the trip. Restaurants and other businesses located near the shops may offer opportunties to meet folks tied to racing or cheap souvenirs.

Blog Purpose

Besides attending NASCAR races or watching races on TV, visits to team shops provide fans a great opportunity for looking behind the scenes and seeing displays of the sport's past and present.

This blog will provide information to help fans visit team shops and share their experiences during visits. The hope is that this information will be beneficial for planning visits and knowing what to expect on your visit. Please feel free to contribute any information you feel would help others. However, any information that doesn't contribute to this objective will be ignored.

Thanks for visiting.