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The Journey To The NASCAR Winner's Circle

By: Gary B. Roberts

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Most of the casual NASCAR fans assume that you must possess the fastest car to win. In many cases that is correct. Both the drivers and the teams are working extended hours during the week to create just the right vehicle set up to provide the fastest possible speed before they reach the track on the weekend. As reported by NASCAR news sources repeatedly, there is no such thing as a guarantee. Not everyone can be the fastest, which is why teams study a multitude of strategies in order to find ways to win.

For instance, David Reutimann won the 2009 Coca Cola 600 when crew chief Rodney Childers told him to skip the pit stop as the leaders were entering. The race was more than half over, and precipitation was falling on the raceway. Should the rains have continued, the race would have been cancelled. Not only Reutimann, but two other racers, Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon, made a gamble on the weather holding off.

At about 6:30 p.m. EST, NASCAR officials finally cancelled the race, giving Reutimann his first Sprint Cup win. In the past, when a victory was due to weather-shortened circumstances, there has always been this proverbial asterisk placed next it. Sometimes, these wins, cause complaints from fans who consider the win as a mere fluke. NASCAR news is definitely filled with such press. Still, NASCAR is a extremely competitive sport, if not the most competitive type of auto racing on earth. Winning is still winning, no matter how it is accomplished and all drivers would certainly do the 'rain dance' if it led to a trip down victory lane. Representatives of NASCAR news sources have been there to document the outstanding results of quite creative racing strategies.

A solid plan contributed to Reutimann's victory that day. The crew chief monitored the weather updates, and decided that it would be in the best interest of
a better move for his driver to remain on the track. If the rain had ceased, and the cars headed back out on the track, then they were going to have to pit, but according the Childers and Reutimann, they were going to make some important adjustments so they could improve the performance of the car. Adjustments such as these are rather time consuming. As a result, they would have lost their position on the track if they had pitted with the lead vehicles; as a consequence, Reutimann opted to wait out the weather. Their strategy was the winning strategy.

Driver Kyle Busch had maintained the lead for 173 of the 207 laps that were paced, while the winner Reutimann had just gained lead position for five laps and had held fourteenth position at the time the precipitation began.

NASCAR news reported similar events involving Jeff Gordon. Gordon had used the same trick to win at Pocono in 2007. He did not have a car that could contend for the win, but his team sensed that the rain showers were immanent, and it paid off. In fact, if the rain would have come just five seconds later than it did, Gordon would have finished second. Ryan Newman was in the process of passing Gordon when NASCAR displayed the caution flag because of the rain.

Sometimes, the stars must align perfectly in order to get the victory. Tire strategy and fuel mileage are other methods that can allow a driver to win a race without having the fastest car.

In 2003, Newman and his Penske Racing team were renowned for stretching fuel mileage with a smaller carburetor. Perhaps half of his eight wins in the 2003 racing season were due to fuel mileage strategy.

We have seen drivers in the past use a two-tire pit stop to gain track position late in a race, allowing them the opportunity to go for the win. In a number of occasions, this method has worked in the driver's favor.

No matter how it happened, a win is a win. Regardless of how the trophy got in their hands, a driver is going to accept it.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

I, like many others, am interested in the experience of NASCAR racing and keep up on NASCAR news items when I can. Writing about NASCAR offers some added dimensions.

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