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September 21, 2008
Wrecking Already!
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
The race had barely run three laps when Kurt Busch got into it with David Gilliland’s No. 38 and mashed up his car’s rear clip. It looked like it was going to be bad for Kurt as he ended up a lap down after the stop, but Patrick Carpentier spun just a few laps later, clipping Carl Edwards and barely missing Jimmie Johnson. Kurt Busch scored the "lucky dog" from the ensuing caution, meaning he was advanced back up to the lead lap. I was in the No. 02′s pit box when Kurt brought it in for on-the-fly repairs. Here’s the view!
On The Starting Grid at Dover
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
Out on the track, the cars were lined up and wearing their little heat-repelling space blankets. Following driver introductions, the drivers hung out by their cars for a bit before climbing in. Some were chatting with fans—Hot Pass-holders weren’t kicked off the track until right before they fired up the engines. See more pics from the starting grid below the jump.
Sprint Cup Garage During Practice: Controlled Chaos
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
The drivers only have a limited amount of time to get out on the track and to run practice laps during any given session, and with so many 850-horsepower racecars coming in hot for quick adjustments, then shooting out again, the garage area feels like hell in a very small place. In such close quarters, it’s kind of a miracle that crew members don’t get hurt more than they do, but they’re clearly experts in staying out of the way, just as they are in the pits. Another curiosity was that a handful of fans were milling around with garage passes—whether they got them through connections, contest giveaways, or some other means I’m not sure—and they had to be carefully herded behind a line on the pavement to keep them from getting nailed by incoming or outgoing cars. Meanwhile, cars in practice were shooting by on the track directly behind us, and the air was full of that rich, strangely roasted-chestnut smell of burning race gas. Click below the jump to watch and listen as the whole garage full of cars empties out at the beginning of practice!
In the final practice, the fastest car was Carl Edwards’ Ford, followed by Greg Biffle’s Ford and Jimmie Johnson’s Chevrolet.
Continue reading "Sprint Cup Garage During Practice: Controlled Chaos" »
September 20, 2008
Pre-Race Jitters
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
The Dover 400 isn’t until tomorrow, but gearing up for their practice sessions today, the Sprint Cup teams already seemed pretty nerved up. A lot of them were doing minor suspension tweaks, but everybody claimed to be steering a pretty conservative course with their adjustments. Jeff Gordon said yesterday at the press conference that he was happy with the way his car was running, and his crew said they were adjusting shocks and bump stops ever so slightly only to keep the car from bottoming out on the track. Kevin Harvick’s crewman Timmy Petty said they were setting the car up in anticipation of changing track conditions, but weren’t doing anything to jeopardize what’s already a good-running car. Jimmy Johnson’s team appeared to be adjusting shocks, though they weren’t too keen on me taking a lot of pictures of ‘em. After the jump, see more pics of the cars and the drivers getting ready to go out on the track.
Top NASCAR Drivers, With Rides
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
I’ve never been one for wanton groupieism, but I was struck with a mild case of starry-eyed surprise earlier today when I saw the Sprint Cup drivers lined up on pit row waiting for their turn to qualify. And yes, their presence made it kind of difficult, at times, to get the whole car in the shot. Hey, cut me some slack—just because you do this for a living doesn’t mean you’re not human, and when my dog Clint got to within about a foot of me, I couldn’t help but go a little wobbly. If you’re curious to see some candid shots of NASCAR’s big guns alongside their race-winning rides, check them out below the jump.
From The Sprint Cup Garage
By Jen Dunnaway
Editor
I hung around the garage area earlier today and watched the Cup cars go through their inspections. The process seemed quite a bit more assembly-line than Nationwide inspections yesterday, as the cars passed through a number of stations in close succession. First, an overall check, including underhood, suspension setup, and ride height. Second, the cars went on the scale to get weighed. Third, the teams rolled the cars outside into a tent for body templates. Finally, the cars went on what looked like an alignment rack, where they checked camber settings, toe, and the like. It was loud, because the Nationwide cars were doing their practice session while this was going on, and for the most part, I tried hard to stay out of everyone’s way. But I managed to snap a few pics of the cars and the activity in the garage area. Look!
