> http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%...

Interesting article.  I can’t say I agree with them totally, but it WAS
very interesting.

As for penalizing drivers for hitting crew members, I don’t think they
should unless it was intentional.  I can only imagine how incredibly
difficult it must be to do a pit.  Imagine driving down the freeway at
55 mph and coming to a complete stop in a tiny little box between two
other cars all while a bunch of pedestrians are running around
everywhere.  Accidents are going to happen.

Now, if the driver is being reckless, does it intentionally, or is not
following the rules (i.e. speeding on pit road), then that’s another
story entirely…

And I’m sure the crew members themselves are sometimes to blame.  I’m
not saying they deliberately put themselves in harm’s way, but they can
be just as careless as drivers and may wander into the path of the cars.
  I’ve seen lots of them working outside the pit box.  I’ve seen them
running down pit road chasing tires.  I’ve seen them flat out get in the
way.  So maybe there should be some rules about WHERE the pit crew can
go and where they can’t.

I happen to agree with the comments about widening the pit boxes.  If
you’ve ever seen one up close and personal, you’ll have to agree they’re
not very big.  It’s incredibly miraculous to me that the drivers manage
to park in it at all.  I mean, we’re talking not much larger than a
regular parking space, and they are parallel parking in it without ever
backing up!  There’s not much room left over for the crews, and they are
often outside of the pit box while working.

>>>       … "With all the weather that we had at Darlington, the
>>>       schedule was shortened,"
>>>      Jeff Gordon said. "With all the changes that we had to make in
>>>      practice,
>> I’m not sure what kind of problem he means.
>Probably that the change in the weather meant they had to change
>a bunch of stuff (springs, shocks, etc) on the car, more so than
>usual, and that delayed them.  I think he’s asking for a little
>slack to be given, on those occasions when teams might be expected
>to have more than the usual amount of work to do.

You may deliver me a dope slap upside the head the next
time you see me.

Of course that’s what he meant!

My bad.  :o(

"I can see clearly now, the clouds have gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way."

                                Marty

> On 14 May 2005 18:30:16 GMT, "Crusader" <cr…@comcast.net> wrote:

>>I don’t think i’ve ever heard of this NA$CAR penalty before, u?

>>   …   Late arrivals lose practice time

> Nope.  It’s new to me.  (Of course, that doesn’t mean much.  I
> can be monstrously inattentive when I wanna be.)

New to me, too.  I’ve heard of them holding a team out from practice
at a race for various indiscretions at _that race_, but not to carry
it onward to the next race.

>>       … "With all the weather that we had at Darlington, the
>>       schedule was shortened,"
>>      Jeff Gordon said. "With all the changes that we had to make in
>>      practice,

<snip>

> I’m not sure what kind of problem he means.

Probably that the change in the weather meant they had to change
a bunch of stuff (springs, shocks, etc) on the car, more so than
usual, and that delayed them.  I think he’s asking for a little
slack to be given, on those occasions when teams might be expected
to have more than the usual amount of work to do.

John

>I don’t think i’ve ever heard of this NA$CAR penalty before, u?
>   …   Late arrivals lose practice time

Nope.  It’s new to me.  (Of course, that doesn’t mean much.  I
can be monstrously inattentive when I wanna be.)

>       … "With all the weather that we had at Darlington, the schedule was shortened,"
>      Jeff Gordon said. "With all the changes that we had to make in practice,
>      we lost a lot of time and we paid the price big time for it.
>      I understand what NASCAR’s doing. They need to keep the inspection line on time,
>   ***but I think when you’ve got 11 or 12 cars, and top teams, that are
>      late to the inspection line, there’s obviously a problem there beyond just
>      the teams lagging behind."

I’m not sure what kind of problem he means.  Traffic?
Delay at the gates?  Parking problems?  Something else
that is NASCAR’s fault rather than the teams’ fault?

Sounds like another shot across the bow in the war for
good behavior.  

                                        Marty

I imagine he means things like "Yes, sir."  "No, sir."
"You’re right, sir."  "Never again, sir."

>"You get your point across quickly because the mother
> hand is on top and by no means did we escape anything."

LOL!  This is right up there with "all your base belong
to me."  "Mother NASCAR is watching!"

>"This place is really cool to qualify if you’re right
> and we were just right on the pins and needles of just
>hitting a turn here or a turn there and slipping a tire,
>but we stuck it pretty good."
>…  pins and needles?  HUH? Cue the Aflac Duck, eh?

AFLAAAAAC!

                                Marty