Copyright 2010 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com News from Motor Racing Network en-us Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0400 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:50:06 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57321 This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Sunday's Emory Healthcare 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, Motor Racing Network brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 325-lap event. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:00:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57321 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57354 Aaron's, Inc. will sponsor driver Michael Waltrip at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 31 as part of its 55th anniversary celebration. The two-time Daytona 500 champion and former Talladega winner returns to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driving the No. 55 Toyota fielded by his Michael Waltrip Racing organization. Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57354
Waltrip drove the Aaron’s 55th anniversary paint scheme at Talladega in April in a Toyota fielded by Prism Motorsports. He started last but led laps 31-34 before a multi-car crash ended his race. Waltrip also finished 18th in the 2010 Daytona 500.

“If the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series raced every weekend at Talladega and Daytona I’d still be driving full-time,” laughed Waltrip. “That’s how much I like those tracks and restrictor plate racing. The only place better than sitting in the stands or watching a restrictor plate race on television is behind the wheel of the Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota.”

Aaron’s sponsorship of this race program is designed to develop awareness of Aaron’s 55th Anniversary Super Sweepstakes with scratch-off chances to win every month through November 2010 and grand prize drawings in December including multiple chances to win a Toyota Camry Hybrid. People may pick up a game card each month at any of Aaron’s 1,700+ stores. And they should register their game cards each month at Aarons.com/55.

“We could not be more pleased having Michael racing the No. 55 Anniversary Dream Machine at Talladega,” said Aaron’s Chief Operating Officer Ken Butler. “His experience at superspeedways is like no other and we are confident that he will be at the front of the pack contending for the win.”

Aaron's, Inc. entered NASCAR racing in 2000 when it agreed to sponsor the Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Waltrip agreed to serve as spokesman for the race in a television commercial, and Aaron's agreed to sponsor Waltrip's Nationwide team then housed in the backyard of his home.

As Butler, Waltrip and Aaron's became more visible through television commercials during race broadcasts, the Aaron's race car began to develop a public identity of its own and become synonymous with the number 99, Michael Waltrip and Aaron's.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57344 With two wins in the last three Sprint Cup Series races held at Atlanta Motor Speedway Kurt Busch has to be considered a strong favorite in Sunday night's Emory Health Care 500. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:05:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57344
Both of those triumphs came in the track's annual spring race including Busch's dominating performance last March when he went to victory lane in the Kobalt Tools 500.

But it was a different story in last year's first-ever Labor Day weekend night race at the 1.54-mile Atlanta track when Busch struggled and finished 38th.

He's looking to put that behind him Sunday and take the success he's enjoyed in the spring to help put together another solid effort.

“We’re definitely coming back into Atlanta hoping to enjoy the level of success we have in recent races there,” said Busch, who sits 10th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings. “But, when you look at the record, you’ll see that we have had our good runs during the day races there and last year’s first night race definitely didn’t turn out like we hoped."

Busch will concentrate on what has worked for him in the past at Atlanta where he has three career Cup victories.

"We expect to do well and look to be really competitive this weekend, but we know it will be a challenge," he said. "Winning the two spring races-in-a-row at Atlanta definitely puts a little more confidence into our step coming back in there. But, we’ve seen week in and week out this season just how much things can change from the first race to the second. We understand the challenge that we’re up against."

Busch can lock up a Chase spot Sunday night and his Miller Lite team already has an eye down the championship road. A recent test at The Milwaukee Mile to hone the team's plan for upcoming Chase stops at New Hampshire and Phoenix demonstrated the commitment to preparation.

“We had all three drivers and teams there and brought up our R & D guys, too,” said crew chief Addington of the entire Penske racing stable. “It was time well spent and will hopefully help us quite a bit on down the line. One of the unique things we did was to put Kurt, Sam (Hornish) and Brad (Keselowski) in and out of the same car for 30-lap runs. We got some great feedback from all of them and it will certainly be useful in deciding what direction we head in determining what cars that we bring to the races when the Chase kicks in – when all the marbles are on the line."

But first things first and that's a good run Sunday under the lights in Georgia during the newly-added end-of-summer weekend event.

"It’s fun to go there Labor Day weekend," Busch said. "It's hot out, it’s a whole different setup. That track is really greasy in the summer time.”]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57341 Kasey Kahne brings the best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks this season into Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and will look to use that to his advantage to successfully defend his Emory Healthcare 500 title. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:45:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57341
Although he has yet to win on a 1.5-mile track in 2010, Kahne is the only driver with a single digit average finish (7.2) in the five races that have been contested so far on intermediate tracks.

Atlanta is one of Kahne's best tracks on the circuit. His victory last September is one of two wins there and his eight top 10s is most among all the tracks he's competed on in the Sprint Cup Series.

"For me it suits my driving style," Kahne said about the 1.54-mile Atlanta track. "It's fast, it's a little bit rough, real line sensitive, and you can move around and find grip at the same time as far as you can go from the white line to the wall. If you keep searching, you can always find something that helps your car. That's kind of how I've always raced on dirt tracks. You're always looking on the next lap for something different. Atlanta really suits me because of that." (Audio)

Speaking of dirt tracks, Kahne hopes to keep the winning momentum going after he spent the last Sprint Cup off weekend of the year putting his 360 sprint car in Victory Lane at Skagit Speedway in the Sage Fruit Showdown.

A victory on Sunday could help Kahne's chances in the Race to the Chase. He currently holds the record for the biggest margin for getting into the Chase with two races to go. And although he is currently 46 points up on his 90-point margin he overcame in 2006, Kahne says he's not ready to give up just quite yet.

"Hopefully we have a good shot," Kahne said. "I mean, it's tough right now because everybody is running so well. "You kind of earn your points position with many races in. You're in that position and it's tough to make up a lot of points.

"Two good tracks for us. I know we can go fast at both of them. If Clint (Bowyer) has any type of a hiccup, we'll be right in the middle of it." (Audio)

Even with the announcement three weeks ago that Kahne will drive a Toyota for Team Red Bull in 2011, he still remains focused on getting the No. 9 Budweiser Ford back into Victory Lane.

"I know I got 12 races left, that's where I'm at," Kahne said. "I don't want to be done winning in a Ford, I don't want to be done winning for Budweiser or Richard Petty Motorsports. Hopefully we can find some spark to that.

"If we don't make the Chase, hopefully we can show up to the racetrack each week and contend. If we do make the Chase, we can do the same thing, contend. I feel we should have a really good shot at winning a race or two regardless if we make it or not." (Audio)

Kahne showcases a slightly different Budweiser paint scheme that will also feature RPM sponsor Valvoline when he takes to the track for the first time on Saturday for practice. Qualifying for the Emory Healthcare 500 will be held at 4:40 p.m. (ET) that afternoon.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57334 Kevin Conway, the leading 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year driver, and ExtenZe Racing will be teaming with Robby Gordon Motorsports for the balance of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:08:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57334
For Sunday’s running of the Emory Healthcare 500, fans will find Conway behind the wheel of the No. 7 ExtenZe Racing Toyota. Conway heads into the Atlanta race weekend leading Terry Cook in the Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie Standings by 154 points (192-38) and looks to better his 31st-place finish at Atlanta earlier this year.

Prior to making this announcement, Conway had one start for RGM at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this month and 21 starts this year for Front Row Motorsports, capturing 21 straight Raybestos Rookie of the Race awards and giving FRM its best finish since its inception in 2005 with a 14th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway on July 3rd. He also became the first Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25th since Jamie McMurray did so in 2003.

“I am thrilled to finally be able to announce our signing with Robby Gordon Motorsports,” says Conway. “The Bristol race a couple weekends ago came together very late and gave everyone just a quick peek at what was possibly to come. Now that everything is in place I can’t wait to take to the track this weekend in Atlanta in the No. 7 ExtenZe Racing Toyota.

“I am very thankful for this opportunity Robby has given me and ExtenZe. I’m looking forward to helping keep the No. 7 in the top-35, gaining more seat time and finishing races while reaching my ultimate goal of claiming the 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year title with RGM,” added Conway.

“Moving our racing program with Kevin over to Robby Gordon Motorsports was a no brainer really,” said Robert Wilhovsky, Director of Motorsports Marketing for ExtenZe. “Robby has a great organization with very good equipment and a car locked into the top-35 owner’s points that will allow us to get Kevin more seat time and help him continue to grow as a driver.

“We look forward to the remainder of the year with RGM and are glad we get to have him and his organization join Kevin’s quest to be crowned the 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year driver,” added Wilhovsky.

“We are excited to have ExtenZe Racing and Kevin Conway join Robby Gordon Motorsports. This is an excellent opportunity for everyone involved, and I am excited to have Kevin behind the wheel of the No. 7,” added Robby Gordon. “I hope that we will be able help Kevin bring home the Rookie of the Year Award while expanding our team and his on-track experience.”]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57330 David Reutimann's second-place finish at Bristol didn't pay the dividends in his fight to make the Chase that he would've hoped for. He only gained 10 points on the 12th spot in the standings as a result of his fifth top-five finish this season. Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:58:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57330
With only two races remaining until the Chase field is set, Reutimann is ready to get back on track at Atlanta this weekend and try to make up the 155-point deficit he faces in his effort to make his first career Chase appearance.

Reutimann is optimistic about his chances of chipping away at the standings with a return to a night race on a 1.54-mile circuit.

"I feel like at the fall night race last year we had a really strong run and we felt like we found some things at that point. Rodney (Childers) and the guys came up with some stuff that really seemed to work well there," Reutimann said. "I just think that we continue to build each time we go there."

The No. 00 team brought home a fourth-place finish in Atlanta last year, and had a strong car in the spring race this year that ran within the top 10 early in the race before being sidelined by mechanical issue.

Reutimann and his team have been consistently strong on 1.5-mile tracks over the last few years. In the last 12 races on 1.5-mile race tracks, which includes Atlanta, Reutimann has captured both of his career NASCAR Sprint Cup victories, posted four top fives, five top 10s and nine top 15s and has led 60 laps.

"I think Rodney (Childers) and the guys, (engineer) Dax (Gerringer) and the guys, have a really good feel for what makes our cars good at those places," Reutimann said of his team's 1.5-mile effort. "I also just like the 1.5-mile racetracks as a driver, so if you combine all that stuff I think it just ends up being a better fit for us."

Reutimann is also looking forward to running a night-race this weekend. He owns top-15 finishes at each of the six 2010 races held under the lights.

"Night races are just a whole different feel. They're just a whole different vibe. It almost takes you back to when you started out racing," Reutimann said. "Almost all of us, at least at one time or another, raced local short tracks on Friday or Saturday nights. It almost takes you back to having that same feel. That same vibe that I did when I was growing up. I think that's one of the things that I like so much about it. It takes me back to my earlier days of racing."

Saturday night's Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is set for a 7:30 p.m. green flag.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57316 Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon have already locked up spots in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup and a number of drivers have the chance to join the field after this weekend's Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:58:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57316
Sure Things?
There’s no such thing as a sure thing. But these guys are as close as it gets. Below are the finishing positions each driver would need to guarantee a Chase spot this weekend, regardless of how any other driver finishes:

Kyle Busch
40th or better, no laps led
42nd or better, at least one lap led
43rd or better, most laps led

Carl Edwards
21st or better, no laps led
23rd or better, at least one lap led
25th or better, most laps led

Denny Hamlin
20th or better, no laps led
22nd or better, at least one lap led
23rd or better, most laps led

Likely Candidates
Here are a few drivers who have a better than average shot at clinching this weekend:

Tony Stewart
19th or better, no led
21st or better, at least one lap led
23rd or better, most laps led

Jeff Burton
17th or better, no laps led
19th or better, at least one lap led
21st or better, most laps led

Matt Kenseth
15th or better, no laps led
17th or better, at least one lap led
19th or better, most laps led]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57289 This is the fourth and final story in the four-part series dealing with how the pit stop has evolved in stock car racing over the past 60 years. Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:28:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57289 This is the fourth and final story in the four-part series dealing with how the pit stop has evolved in stock car racing over the past 60 years. Presented by TUMS, the number one antacid in America, award-winning motorsports writer Ben White chronicles the changes that have made a pit stop an art form and the people responsible for that transformation.

In today’s intense motorsports world known as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing, starting grids are comprised of 43 drivers competing in 36 points-paying events on 22 short tracks, road courses and superspeedways across the country. The level of competition is closer in 2010 than at any other time in NASCAR’s 62-year history.

NASCAR drivers are considered some of the most talented. They put their skills to the test lap after lap in hopes of gaining an edge on the race track. So equal are the Toyotas, Chevrolets, Fords and Dodges in Sprint Cup racing that in many cases, a team’s best way of gaining positions comes down to seconds gained from precision stops on pit road.

From where do these special individuals who perform those incredible 12-second stops come? Mostly from family backgrounds that span generations, college degrees in mechanical engineering, professional sports, and past careers as short-track drivers and crewmen. Through those doors entered the people that hold jobs in NASCAR’s most coveted arena of racing.

Unlike stock car racing's previous eras, today's crew members are highly specialized at their jobs. The No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing crew showed their best work recently when they helped David Reutimann score a victory July 11 in the TUMS Toyota at Chicagoland Speedway.

In NASCAR, the crew chief is the leader of the pit crew and viewed as a head coach of sorts, as all decisions pertaining to car construction, chassis set-ups and race strategy is his responsibility. He also is in contact with the team's pit crew coach regarding the pit stops, the crew members' nutrition and their workout programs.

The car chief is in charge of scheduling day-to-day car preparations at the shop prior to the race weekend. He also makes certain the car being used on any given weekend meets all of NASCAR’s inspection requirements and oversees changes to the car requested by the crew chief or team engineer.

The jackman slides the jack under each side of the car to lift it high enough so tires can be replaced. He also pulls off the old right-rear tire after the rear tire changer loosens the lug nuts. When the stop is complete, he drops the jack to signal the driver to leave the pit.

The two tire carriers bring new tires over the pit wall and guide each wheel onto the studs on the hub. They must stay in contact with the old tires as they are being taken to the wall. The front-tire carrier is usually responsible for pulling the front fenders away from the tire if necessary. He may also be responsible for cleaning the car's grille and adding or removing tape from it during a pit stop in order to adjust the car's front end for more down force or to help lower engine temperature.

The rear-tire carrier may also make changes to the rear track bar and/or wedge unless done by the catch can man.

Don Marvel, the rear-tire carrier for the No. 00 TUMS team, has his eyes constantly moving during a stop, because there’s a lot to do in a very short amount of time.

“I run out with the rear tire, put the right rear on the car, take off the right rear that’s already on the car and bring it back to pit wall,” Marvel says. “Then I go to the left side and put the left rear tire on. I also take care of chassis adjustments with a wedge wrench. I might also serve the driver water or an ice pack if it’s a hot day.”

The front- and rear-tire changers remove the lug nuts and the old tires and tighten the new tires' five lug nuts to hold the wheels in place.

Eric Maycroft, the team's rear-tire changer, prepares for race day long before the green flag waves.

“The main preparation for actually changing tires comes during the week,” Maycroft explains. “We practice four times per week and we look at film on Mondays and work out on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. That’s when we get the bulk of our workout. Ten or 15 minutes before the race, we have a (stationary) hub (mounted to the pit wagon) that we hit (for practice).

“Track position is everything. If you get behind one or two guys, that’s one or two spots you can pick up on pit road. That just gets us that much closer to the front. Seeing spots gained on pit road gives you the best feeling. That keeps the driver’s confidence up and keeps the team pumped up.”

NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett always enjoyed great pit stops when he was driving.

“If you can pick up one or two spots, you can conquer the world,” Jarrett says. “You show a different side driving and the crew gets excited. So that makes the next stop better. It's such a huge boost to your confidence and mental attitude if you come in fifth and you can hold that spot or gain one. So it's kind of like a revolving door where you can continue to improve and move forward.

“On the other side of that, if you work your tail off on the race track and maybe you’ve worked hard to get to fifth and you go back out 10th, you realize how close the competition is. In that situation, you’re going to use up your car getting back to where you were. So it can go both ways.”

Rounding out the pit stop, the gasman fills the car with 18 gallons of fuel; while the catch can man catches any fuel overflow in a small container. He also holds the empty can while the gasman secures and fills the car with the second gas can while the left-side tires are being changed. When the catch can starts to fill, the catch can man signals the jackman there’s enough fuel in the car.

“It’s very rewarding when you have a really good pit stop,” says Jeff Seaberg, catch can man for the No. 00 TUMS team. “When the car leaves the box, you know right away if it was a good stop or not. You’re sort of depending on everyone else on the team. We all count on each other to get at the right spot at the right time. We know who is where and what we’re doing. We sort of have a playbook.

“The thrill of going over the wall is just the accomplishments of pulling off the perfect play. If the driver behind us goes long, I would be the guy to get hit because I’m standing between the two race cars. But that’s the last thing on your mind when you’re out there because you’re concentrating on the stop. I catch access fuel, but I also make physical adjustments to the race car. I’m also worried about being positioned so I can turn rounds on the track bar or doing wedge adjustments left or right depending on what we need. For me, my surroundings are pretty much irrelevant. Once you go over the wall, you do your job. We train and run through this so much; your internal clock tells you where you’re at.”

Finally, NASCAR regulations dictate that only seven individuals can go over the wall to service a race car during a pit stop. Crews are allowed only two impact wrenches, one jack, and two cans of gasoline on pit road. Other tools may be used if needed, but in the event major work is needed, the car must be repaired in the garage.

NASCAR occasionally allows an eighth man over the wall to help with special circumstances pertaining to the driver, but he may not make any other adjustments on the car.

Ray Evernham, former crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports and former Sprint Cup team owner, has seen pit stops evolve into the art form that exist today.

“The Wood Brothers sort of had the patent on making a fast pit stop,” Evernham says. “Those guys really came up with the idea. What we did at Hendrick Motorsports was improve on that and take it to the next level. What the teams have done in 2010 is take it to the next level again.

“Now they’ve taken that idea well into the future. Everyone has a trainer. Everyone has someone in sports medicine. They watch all kinds of film. They’ve got computer layovers. They can count the number of steps with people and they have back-up teams. Now the technology and the tools and the development of the human body just keep making those pit stops get faster and faster. And it's way more critical now because the cars are so closely matched and so closely competitive.”

TUMS is synonymous with speed. Just as the pit crews’ success is measured in seconds, TUMS goes to work to provide heartburn relief in seconds.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57269 This is the third in a series of four stories about how the pit stop has evolved in stock car racing over the past 60 years. Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:27:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57269 This is the third in a series of four stories about how the pit stop has evolved in stock car racing over the past 60 years. Presented by TUMS, the number one antacid in America, award-winning motorsports writer Ben White chronicles the changes that have made a pit stop an art form and the people responsible for that transformation.

When Jeff Gordon tried his hand with the heavier NASCAR machines, the California native and Indiana transplant knew an opportunity to race stock cars would open up a new world of possibilities.

In 1991, Gordon moved south to drive for Bill Davis Racing in NASCAR's Busch Series [now Nationwide]. Driving cars for Ford Motor Co., Gordon would gain experience in the Busch Series, and then he and the team would move up to the Cup series together.

It was Speedweeks 1992, however, when a fateful meeting between Gordon and Ray Evernham would change everything and eventually turn into one of the most successful unions in NASCAR history. Evernham, a smart out-of-the-box thinker was a former Modified driver. He'd met NASCAR driver Alan Kulwicki while working as a mechanic with the International Race of Champions. Kulwicki wanted Evernham to work with him and finally the New Jersey native relented and moved to North Carolina. However, when the two reached Daytona in February 1992, a heated disagreement between the pair resulted in Evernham leaving the team. Evernham walked out of the garage and was headed home when he encountered Ford's NASCAR representative, Preston Miller, who guided Evernham to Bill Davis Racing and introduced him to Gordon who was 21 at the time.

Gordon’s ability to adapt to stock cars and his tremendous talent quickly fueled his name as NASCAR's next hot commodity. Midway through his freshman season in the Busch Series, team owner Rick Hendrick discovered Gordon wasn’t under contract. He quickly signed him and as part of the package brought Evernham into the fold. Hendrick realized he had a driver-crew chief combination that was as close to perfect as a racer could get.

Also, a primary sponsorship from DuPont Automotive paints and a blue paint scheme accented by rainbow colors on its quarter panels would lead to the “Rainbow Warriors” moniker that stuck among media members and fans alike.

Gordon and Evernham became fast friends, something that’s not always the case between drivers and crew chiefs.

“We hit it off right from the beginning,” Gordon said in the 2004 book, Twenty Years of Hendrick Motorsports. “I could tell right away he was a sharp guy. He was excellent on a chassis and is a former race car driver himself, so when I said, ‘Oh, it's doing this or that,’ he knew what I was talking about. He was somebody I could relate to. He was someone who knew quite a bit about a race car.”

Over the next decade, Gordon and Evernham won 52 races and three of Gordon’s four NASCAR championships in Hendrick’s Chevrolets. The first title came in 1995, his third full season of competition. With Evernham at his side, he also claimed titles in 1997 and 1998.

Evernham was always thinking, always looking for the advantage in the rules by studying the obvious, but seeing what other drivers, team owners and crew chiefs didn’t see. He had found something that proved to be the key for building a lightning-fast pit crew: Capitalize on the mental and physical strength the crew members bring to the team. He also developed specialized positions.

“When we decided to start the team, we decided to look at it like it was its own little separate sports team,” Evernham says. “I couldn’t let them concentrate on being a good mechanic or good fabricator during the day and still be able to concentrate on being a good athlete on pit road. When the crew guys were initially assembled, they knew everything they were going to do was going to be different.”

At the start of Gordon‘s rookie season in 1993, Evernham called upon Andy Papathanassiou, a former football player from Stanford University who had spent many years training for and playing various positions on the football field. His job was to put an athletic way of thinking into the minds of car guys who would rather watch a football game than train as if they would play in one.

Evernham knew he had his work cut out for him.

“We went about the whole thing differently,” Evernham explains. “At that time, we didn’t have a lot of money to pay people and the pit crew guys. They weren’t making six figure salaries, but these guys were good. They sacrificed and wanted to do it. I think they knew they were doing something that was unique and being rewarded for their efforts. They got to be a part of Hendrick Motorsports and a part of the No. 24 team. We had a great driver and a great team. It was a good, close-knit team.”

Just as a running back is fast on the field and a lineman blocks for his quarterback, Evernham wanted people in positions that fit them according to their size and ability.

“What made them fast was the fact we did look at it like a sports franchise,” Evernham continued. “We worked on physical conditioning, worked on flexibility. We picked people by size and by physical stature per position, whether that was a tire changer or jackman or whatever the position was. We also worked on speed drills, vertical leaps and things like that as part of the training program. We event had special hand-and-eye coordination drills. We measured body fat and got well into the pit crew conditioning before many of the other Sprint Cup teams did. We reviewed videos of pit stops and we were one of the first to do that, too. The guys worked and acted like a team.

“We weren’t the first ones to go into the physical fitness angle and expand on that because there were other teams doing it. We just took it to a more organized level. It wasn’t fragmented. It was part of the daily regime for those guys.”

Evernham smiles when he thinks back to all of the races during that eight-year span where the Rainbow Warriors pulled off race-winning miracles in the pits.

“I can’t pick one race where those guys came through in the end because to be truthful, they did for Jeff Gordon and for myself so many times,” Evernham says. “When the pressure was on, they would really step up. We could make calls that other people just couldn’t make. We could count on our guys. We just knew we were going to gain on pit road and not lose.

"They might not agree, but I think they had their best, yet toughest day when we won the Southern 500 at Darlington [S.C.] Raceway (on Aug. 31, 1997); the day Jeff won the first of three career Winston Million bonuses."

That day, Gordon had to fight a poor handling race car due to some chassis set-up miscues that resulted in numerous pit stops to fix the problems. There was little hope of winning until the Rainbow Warriors put him in position to take the checkered flag.

“Jeff drove his butt off that day,” Evernham said. “We pitted like 16 times trying to fix that thing. We had spring rubbers going in, spring rubbers going out, sway bar hooked up, sway bar unhooked. They held their own on pit road and kept us in position to win that race.”

Gordon knew first hand just how smoothly the Rainbow Warriors performed on pit road. He directly benefited from every move they made and on many occasions, the end result was champagne and confetti showers in victory lane.

“That was something that Ray and Hendrick Motorsports really did a lot with,” Gordon says. “By tuning up our pit crew, those guys became known as the best. (Other teams) feared them.

“I would come down pit road and I knew they were either going to get me out first or they were going to pick up two, three or four spots on pit road every time.

“I think the Rainbow Warriors is why the sport has come so far. Back then, you could look at an area and focus on that area and see a dramatic increase in performance. These days, everyone is so focused in all areas it's so hard to make any big gains or find an edge.”

In 2001, Gordon won his fourth NASCAR championship with crew chief Robbie Loomis. Evernham had left Hendrick Motorsports in late 1999 to form his own Sprint Cup team with Dodge. Now, he is a television analyst with ESPN, but he feels the union he shared with Gordon and the Rainbow Warriors was a very important piece of NASCAR’s storied history.

“That was just an incredible, incredible time,” Evernham said. “I honestly can’t count the times when it came down to the money stop that they got us right out and in position to win. There were a lot of those. Whether it was great coaching by Andy Papa or just that the team jelled. Those guys had a ton of confidence and they got it done for us. The Rainbow Warriors put me and Jeff in position to win a lot of races.”]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57263 Furniture Row Racing announced today that Regan Smith has signed a contract extension through the 2012 season to drive the team's No. 78 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:40:00 -0400 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=57263
Smith, the 2008 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, is currently in his second season driving for the Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing team. Last year he competed on a part-time basis, entering 20 races. The 26-year-old native of central New York is running a full schedule this season and will do the same in 2011 and 2012.

"Regan is a young, talented driver with an outstanding future," said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing general manager. "He has done a great job as our athlete and also as a spokesperson for our organization. The contract extension does indeed express a serious commitment by both the race team and driver."

Garone added, "We have a team of proven employees, state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated partners. We are producing increasingly positive performances and strongly feel that we're on the right path to become a contending team."

Smith, who has competed in 83 career Cup races since his debut in March 2007 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, also feels the energy and spirit of Furniture Row Racing's commitment.

"I am both happy and humbled about the contract extension," said Smith. "Furniture Row Racing is a team on the move. I feel we've made some big gains this season and we are all encouraged about the future. I really admire the behind-the-scenes work ethic and commitment of each and every member of this team. They want to win as bad as I do and I am proud to be their driver."

Along with his 83 career Sprint Cup starts, Smith has also competed in 102 Nationwide Series races and 23 Camping World Truck Series races. His first NASCAR start was in the truck series -- Sept. 21, 2002 -- at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va.]]>