Races are often determined in the pits and Sunday's romp at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was no exception.
Since the new gas cans were incorporated into NASCAR pit stops with the introduction of an ethanol blend this season, crew chiefs -- and pit-crew coordinators -- predicted game-changing moments on pit road.
On Sunday, Roush Fenway Racing’s pit-crew coordinator Andy Ward‘s greatest fear became reality when Greg Biffle ran out of gas while running third.
“Nice one guys, nice one,“ Biffle said over the radio. “I guess we need to work on a fuel deal a little bit.”
Biffle had one of the most stout cars last weekend. He qualified fourth and led twice for 11 laps. But on Lap 146, Biffle ran out of gas and had to coast from the backstretch to pit road.
While NASCAR teams work all year round at perfecting pit stops, this season the effort has stepped up to prepare for the changes on pit road. Still, over-the-wall miscues proved costly on Sunday for Biffle despite having one of the best crews on pit road.
“We have some problems,” Ward said. “We’ll correct, coach and move on. When we’re racing, things actually become real. There’s a lot of performance anxiety and you can’t recreate that in the parking lot. Now put the guys in the spotlight with the pressure of the media, fear of the crew chief and a driver that doesn’t like to wait in the pits. It’s a new game.
“Think of the basketball player that practices free throws. On the practice court, he hits every one. Now put him at Cameron with 8,000 Duke fans waving their arms and jumping up and down. The hoop is the same. The ball is the same. But the atmosphere is different.”
With the new closed loop system on the gas cans, fuelmen have to line up the nozzle precisely to the car. The procedure is nothing like the old days where if a guy was strong enough to hoist the can up, he and the catch can man could slosh enough fuel in the car to make a run.
“The technique along with the quality of the plug can change the flow,” Ward said. “The system is closed, so it recirculates. We fully comprehend what the problem was and are working to correct it.
“The game has changed. It takes a lot of precision to do (fuel the car) in addition to physical ability. I’ve lost sleep over this -- long before Sunday night.”
Before the season started, many pit-crew coordinators and crew chiefs assessed what body styles of crew members would best suit the fueling position. There were also crew chiefs that have recruited two different types of athletes for that role.
While Ward would not comment on gasman Billy Manchester’s status on Tuesday, don’t be surprised to find a new athlete is that position come Bristol.
