Should NASCAR limit crews at race track?

MIKE HARRIS

Thursday, Oct. 22, 1998 | 12:58 p.m.

NASCAR is considering a limit on the size of race-day crews in a cost-cutting move that critics say won't save a penny or change the balance of power at the track.

The proposal would limit the "Weekend Warriors" to eight per car. There currently is no limit on crew size.

Since one second on a pit stop can mean the difference between winning and losing, or even a top-10 finish, the crews have taken on added importance in recent years.

"I'm glad NASCAR is mindful of our need to save money," said Ty Norris, director of motorsports for Dale Earnhardt Inc. "Keeping the cost of racing down is a major concern for all racing teams.

"But I don't know if limiting the number of crew members on Sunday fixes the problem or creates a whole new set of problems."

NASCAR officials began to scrutinize the crews in the last few years, when teams such as that of reigning champion Jeff Gordon hired a full-time pit crew coach and began bringing in race-day specialists to help pit the cars or perform other work.

Most of the Weekend Warriors fly in early Sunday on a charter or private planes owned or leased by the teams. They fly home that night on the same planes. Each year, the numbers have grown.

"Right now, we send eight mechanics to the track to work on the Pennzoil car on Fridays and Saturdays," Norris said. "Then, on Sunday mornings, we fly seven more people to the track.

"Only two of the race-day guys go over the wall (on pit stops). But the other five have very important roles, such as setting up the pits, gluing lug nuts, setting up the computers and television monitors."

Norris says all of this takes a tremendous amount of time, and would be difficult to complete Sunday without the support group.

Although many Weekend Warriors are volunteers who simply love being involved in the sport, it still costs the teams a fair amount of money to bring them in. And there are smaller teams that can't afford the costs, accentuating the disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

But setting a limit on the number of crewmen allowed to work the races might not be an answer, either.

Gone are the days when just any mechanic or engine builder could also change tires.

Nowadays, pit stops are choreographed and videotaped for later study. That aspect of racing has become too important to change.

Instead of keeping the teams from using specialists on race day, the big-dollar operations will simply look for people who can do the work in the shop during the week and at the track on the weekend, to keep everything on the same high level.

The top teams already are scouring colleges and universities for engineering students who also are athletes - particularly football players - and have an interest in racing.

Such individuals, who can find high-paying jobs outside of NASCAR, would undoubtedly raise the bar on crew salaries.

Bill Wilburn, a tire changer and mechanic who works for Team Penske, says car owners are going to have to start paying specialists more money.

Now, a top mechanic or engine builder makes $50,000-$75,000 per year. The top Weekend Warriors might make $500 per race.

"I'd be looking at salaries between $150,000 and $200,000 for good mechanics who are also good going over the wall," Wilburn said. "It's going to raise the price for good men."

Norris agreed.

"If we are limited to only eight people, which is the number I've heard kicked around, I believe it will drive costs up," he said. "In that situation, a person who is a good mechanic or engine tuner, who can also jack a car or handle a pit gun is going to be the most expensive guy in the garage.

"We might not have as many people, but we will have more-expensive people, so the salary portion of the cost-savings approach will eventually cancel itself out."

Norris said another concern is burnout for the crewmen who will be working longer and harder than usual at the races.

"Those eight guys will have to start at 5 a.m., do everything that 15 people are doing now, fly home by 10 or 11 p.m. and be in the shop the next morning," he said.

There's always the possibility of a race-day emergency, too.

"At Martinsville, we found a motor problem race morning and had to change it, Norris said. "The car was being pushed through inspection during the national anthem. With eight guys, we would have missed the start of that race."