Good afternoon, Dave. It's nice hearing from you. I pay attention to you and another gentleman here as I know your credentials. I am sorry that I have missed you at the two previous RR events. I think we might have some good conversations.
Just as general input I would add that like in the Danica / Denny mishap, appearances can be deceiving. If you start the race with your car setup for forward bite off the turns, you are more than likely to be aero 'light' going thru the trioval. As the race progresses, temperature changes, grip increases/decreases, and tire wear, etc., a driver has his hands full even keeping control of his own car and has NO ability or anymental telepathy to know anything about how these changing conditions has affected any other drivers car. A 'bump' draft is normally welcome by the front driver as it benefits him by an increase in momentum. It does not help the 'bumping' driver in any significant way. If you have never driven a car in high speed / aero conditions it is VERY difficult to describe the effects that aerodynamics has on the stability of that car, especially at Daytona and it's racing surface. Again, the driver in the rear has NO WAY of knowing, nor is he responsible for the way/condition that thecar in front of him is set up, or is currently handling as a result of decisions made by others in the pits. Crew Chiefs are always making decisions of speed vs handling. Additionally, it always seems to be the driver in the rear that is blamed when another driver is hit in the butt! Think about this: Speed is affected by the 'square of the change' in horsepower and by the 'cube of the reduction' in the drag coefficient.
What I am trying to say is that if the driver in the front even slightly lifts his foot off the accelerator, it will result in the same reaction as stepping on the brakes. Obviously, there are no brake lights on these cars, so how would you judge the rear drivers ability to account for that? Neither of the 'front' drivers in those two incidencesshould beconsidered a seasoned veteran.
You are welcome to stop by any time that I am at home. I travel some each month as I am helping a gentleman in Tennessee restore some very rare Bugatti's and a Rolls Royce boat tail speedster (NOT race cars, LOL).
Here is a link to my website that might give some perspective of my humble current shop. It is about 45ft x 65ft and was built from an old horse barn, and bears no resemblance to my old racing environment.
http://www.mantiquesresto.com/aboutus/aboutus2.html
I have gotten away from race car 'stuff' as well as the Model A 'stuff' and am now concentrating on metal shaping and building aluminum body panels. After having spent so many yearswith the NASCAR rulebook, then the Model A restoration guidelines, I am really enjoying the freedom from printed 'rules'.
Here is a link to the 'stuff' I have been working on in the last few years. Only the speedster remains in the shop at this time. It is not racing stuff, but if you are still interested, I would enjoy having you here.
http://www.mantiquesresto.com/Projects/Projects2.html
Again, you are welcome, and feel free to bring anyone that you wish to invite.
Nice to hear from you Tim, you are a large reason that I check in from time to time. I apologize for not knowing more about your background, but from my perspective you have a cleaerr view of the 'inside stuff'. Would have liked to have spent more time with you at the RR. The invitation of a visit to my shop to you, andothers, is still open.
I don't get any of the concerns expressed here. The people that own the series set the rules. ALL the drivers and team owners knew the rules at the start of the season. ALL the drivers entered and ran ALL the races to the best of their abilities, and ALL the pit crews attended to their carsevery time the driver pitted. Just as in life, atthe start of the season each team and driver was guaranteed equal OPPORTUNITY. NONE wereguaranteed equal RESULTS.
Whoever wins the championship, will win under the same guidelines provided for EVERYONE, and deserves the results WITHOUT an asterisk. As far as 'choking' is concerned, what was/is observed as 'choking' was actually donein the midst of competition, not the cool side of a TV.
I gave Gordon his first job in NASCAR in the early years, bringing him up from Florida.He was an outstanding worker, contributed a great deal to the ideas jigs and fixtures thatwe built along the way for both front and rear clips, etc. He had a keen mind for simplicity, logic and could see thatevery detailwas completed in any project we undertook. He will be sorely missed among the NASCAR community. RIP my friend.
Add this to the pit stop, whip hose collection.
Jeff, Tim, Daveand others that I have not met.......... I think Jeff's comments are right on the money and to the point, but it is unfortunate that they have to be spoken at all.
One of the reasons that I do not post more is my concern for the way I am received without the benefit of my facial expressions. I love life and have had a great one and want to make those around me enjoy life as well, but I am certain that my spoken/written words are not always taken in their intended context without the benefit of my smile, eye movement and nod of the head. I had a GREAT time at the RR in Hillsboro where face to face was readily available.
It is also hard for me to interpret some of the things I see here because having lived thru some of it, I cannot fathom where some of the thinking comes from. My Cup career was modest at best,but the press treated me EXTREMELY well, and I attribute that to the fact that the press at that time actually travelled to the races, often eating with us and occasionally helping us with minor projects at the track. They were aware of the hours worked, the miles driven, the late nights and the all-nighters.
When I see comments made about something someone saw on TV, told to them by analysts high atop the grandstands It is hard for me not to bristle a little bit. No one on TV nor the analysts can judge a decision that was made and not take into concern the possibility of what might haveinfluenced that decision. I have made tire decisions based on the fact that I had a lug nut jammed and did not want NASCAR to know about it, or crewmember was on loan to another team that was running ahead of us. Decisions based on the weather forecast as seen on TV are not as reliable as one from a Doppler installation technician, is everyone on the NASCAR radios on the samechannels?, etc.Many decisions can and are made based on contingency payments from sponsors, etc. Each of the folks making these decisions have made commitments to dozens of supporters, suppliers, the income, safety and welfare of the entire team are often have to be accounted for. All this in 105 degree heat, a raging headache, fresh stitches fromearlier pit incident while monitoring fuel mileage, tire staggerand track conditions. NASCAR and TV folks have the same type of issue at play LIVE, not AFTER the race, not reading it in the papers. I can speak with authority, that I surely did NOT make all good decisions under those conditions, but you learn to make them as best you can. Making a decision with that type of pressure in front of 150,000 folks watching seems to me, somewhat different than typing the next morning.
Monday morning quarterbacks are paid EXACTLY what they are worth!
I did not intend to ramble, nor are my comments meant to change anyone's mind or to confront any one else'scomments, but merely gently presenting my perspective. Everyone is entitled to present their opinion, just as those receiving it are entitled to respect.
I am looking forward to the possibility of a RR trip to the HOF, and am looking forward as well to the next RR at Hillsboro. After the last visit, I came home with a renewed enthusiasm to finish and old Model A / dirt car 'replica'.
here is a link: http://www.mantiquesresto.com/Projects/Projects2.html
click on one of the two top pictures on either side of the wording.
Tim, as I mentioned earlier, I would be interested if it were on March the 8th. If that turns out to be a potentially good date, I would like toinvite those in attendance to stop by my shop in Rock Hill if anyone were interested. It is a smaller shop than the race shop used to be, but I have some metal shaping equipment, old pictures and some Model A stuff, an aluminum speedster body that I am buildingand I can always round up coffee and donuts.
The shop is in Rock Hill and about 35 minutes south of the HOF.
