Rea White: No rest for the weary during NASCAR's offseason
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Teams will be doing all they can this offseason to end Jimmie Johnson's supremacy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
David Griffin
NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
One wonders just how much of a break weary crews and engineers will get this offseason.
With Jimmie Johnson and his Chad Knaus-led Hendrick Motorsports team once more running away with the title in NASCAR's annual Chase For The Sprint Cup, does the work load for the competition incrementally increase?
Are teams that might have enjoyed a little more relaxing offseason and a chance to relish making the Chase - particularly those who did so for the first time - now finding themselves with a growing list of things to try in the offseason?
After all, drivers are tired of watching Johnson run away with the title year after year, with the constant presence of the Hendrick team on the stage for the postseason awards. They are a competitive lot, these Sprint Cup drivers and crews. So rest, no matter how needed, may mostly be postponed in a concerted effort to move forward in the standings and figure out that slight change that could be the difference in running for the title and winning it all.
The Cup season is one of the most grueling among all sports. Drivers were in Daytona for the Feb. 7 Budweiser Shootout, then raced through the spring, summer and fall months. The season concluded last Sunday, just a few days before Thanksgiving. The top teams aren't done, either, not with the awards ceremonies next week in Las Vegas. Not that they probably really mind having to participate in those.
And then it's back to the drawing board. A short break at the end of December is the only thing that will interrupt the fierce schedule teams are taking into the offseason - and then the season. Which, by the way, it is only 70 days from the first race, the non-points Shootout.
They will test at tracks that don't host sanctioned NASCAR races. They will analyze data from simulators and other tests. They will consider minute changes to cars, to parts and pieces, to driving styles. Nothing is sacred; everything is open to assessment and change.
The mental game for the 2010 season has already begun.
Who will be most prepared for the year? Which team will make that minor change that leads to a strong start to the new season? What change is the right one to make?
It's amazing that drivers and crew members aren't drained by the process. But many seem to feed on the intensity, to thrive in the fierce environment of the racing season.
Professional athletes are a special breed to begin with - NASCAR competitors just seem to take that to a new level.
Even during the holidays and the so-called offseason.
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Comments
7 responses to "Rea White: No rest for the weary during NASCAR's offseason". Post a Comment.
jbbigrod said:
Nov 28, 2009 at 1:08 PMDuh! THAT is WHY they are IN competition. They are that kind of people. THey would be bored to death if they had a desk job. Leave that to the dweebs. As a matter of fact THAT is why it is called "competition".
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» Confirm Abuse Reportjennylind2000 said:
Nov 28, 2009 at 4:17 PMAny boss who doesn't decree at least a few days off - a week or so - is not doing his job. All of the teams need a few days to just relax from the past season and decompress. They will perform better with that time off. Time with family and friends, discussing football games and anything but racing will be good for them. Bet that those who don't take time off will end up not improving next season.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSheilaLovesNASCAR said:
Nov 28, 2009 at 4:24 PMGood point, Jenny. These drivers and crews live and breath racing. But I hope they all get at least some time off. And being in Las Vegas isn't exactly working, is it? We are told that drivers go here and there for the off-season. Do the crews also get that time? I think they should.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportrwilliamhayes said:
Nov 28, 2009 at 8:22 PMthis is when the prep work for next season gets done.BUSY BUSY BUSY
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAndi said:
Nov 28, 2009 at 10:14 PMSheila, the teams do get time off. No they don't get as much time off as the drivers do. And that's because they're the ones who have to get the cars ready for the next season. And I think how much time the teams get off varies from organization to organization, and exactly how much is done already done and what needs to be done. I know that the 48 team has their Fontana and Las Vegas cars already done, and that was as of Homestead. The most common thing that I have heard from every race team is that the week of Christmas to New Years the shops are closed. There really is no offseason, unless you're a driver that doesn't have a race team and are only a driver. Otherwise, there is work to be done at the shop for the upcoming season, and for the crew chiefs who are also help run the shop they have personnel things and office responsibilities things that still need to be done, like evaluations of their crew guys.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner said:
Nov 29, 2009 at 12:57 PMand just how much off time do we the fans get from work?...the race season is over for the drivers..the behind the scenes guys don't enjoy the same kind of time off....
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» Confirm Abuse Reporttinynascarfan said:
Nov 29, 2009 at 4:48 PMI see drivers talking about the off-season, and then i think about the Frace family saying we dont have the weekends for more races! It makes me sick! how many off weekends were there this season? 3 i think, WHY? because the drivers need time off? oh please! with how much money they are making they should be racing 6 days a week 50 weeks a year at least! It makes me angry when drivers complain about the schedule. 38 weekends a year out of 52 total. that is 14 weeks vacation time. No the crews dont get that but the drivers do. of course the crews dont make the money the drivers do. they just do the hard work! and the drivers just complain about it! I say make the season 50 weeks and it ends the week before Christmas! then the drivers might have something to complain about!
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