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| | Friday, June 2 Weber opens up his mailbag | |||||
| ESPN.com If there is one thing ESPN auto racing analyst Bill Weber loves more than being down in the pits for a NASCAR race, it's giving the fans the inside scoop. So he's opened up his email to you, the fans, this season. The Winston Cup season is in full swing and Weber is following the circuit -- this week he's in Richmond, Va., for the Pontiac Excitement 400. Before he finds his way to the pits this weekend, Weber took the time to answer a few of your questions. "If everyone gets their fuel out of the same pumps, how can a team have illegal fuel? Additives?" Kevin Viscioni,Birmingham, Ala. Kevin, honestly, I don't KNOW how a team might do it, or what they might do. But I've been told that once you get your fuel, you could add something to it in the fuel can, or perhaps add something to the fuel cell before the race, then fill the cell with fuel. "They mentioned throughout the NAPA 500 that Jeremy Mayfield was being burned by a faulty oil cooler. Where is the oil cooler located and how can he be burned in his seat?" Rick Hufnagel, Pittsburgh, Pa. Rick, the oil cooler wasn't really to blame. The team had to reroute the oil flow because of an overheating problem. The oil cooler is directly behind the driver's seat for several reasons, left side weight, size, the ability to look at a temperature gauge from outside the car. When it got to be 300-plus degrees, the seat simply absorbs the escaping heat. "During green flag laps, I sometimes see a blue flag with a yellow strip going through it. What does this mean?" David Watson, Brandywine, Md. David, that is the "move over" flag, telling drivers that a faster car is coming up behind them. It's kind of outdated today, with spotters, radios and mirrors. It does add a little "color" to the flag stand. I wish they used it on the Interstate here in Charlotte! "What is the story behind Ray Evernham doing play by play?" Joe Wakeman, Iowa Falls, Iowa Ray is actually a "color" analyst for ABC/ESPN. The network was looking for another voice to add to the booth for the ABC races. (Ned has a contract with CBS Sports that prevents him from doing the ABC shows). Since Ray is not directly involved in the sport this season, preparing for the year 2000, the network thought it would be a good idea to help him bring his expertise to the fans. Obviously, I work for ABC/ESPN, but my honest opinion is that he has done a great job, and would only get better if he stayed with it. Instead, he won't be with us next season because he'll be back on top of the pit box working with his Dodge teams. Of course, we don't have the races next year anyway. I wonder if Ray would hire me to sweep the floors? "If I'm doing my math right, if there are say 35 cars on pit road and each has 20 lug nuts, then each pitstop there are 700 lug nuts dropped on pit lane. I see that the pit crew sweeps after the stops, but during cautions don't all those lug nuts cause problems with traction and (or) tire damage? If so, how come it is never discussed during TV coverage. Joe Schafer, Eugene, Ore. Joe, It has been discussed, you must have gone to the fridge. In fact, watch the night race at Richmond on Saturday, after it gets dark, you'll see sparks along the ground when cars leave their pit stall. The sparks come from the tires spinning, pinching the lug nuts on the ground, then shooting them out behind the car. Rarely does this cause any tire damage, but occasionally it will and a driver will return to the pits for a new tire. By the way, good job on the math! "During the NAPA Auto Parts 500 race, Ray Evernham said the top 10 qualifiers had to start the race on the tires they qualified with. This is the second time I've heard him say this. Why is this? And is it fair? We heard this during a commercial break on our Satellite wildfeed station, which we love." Linda Milliken, Lake City, Fla. Linda, peeking in on the old satellite feed, huh? Some of that stuff is privileged information, you know? NASCAR impounds the tires from the top qualifiers in order to make them start the race on the tires they qualified with. It's a safeguard that, in theory, would penalize a team that might have "softened" the tires to get one or two good laps. Of course, that never happens anymore ... "I have noticed that when you go into a garage to talk to a driver or crew chief they are always busy and sometimes they seem like they do not want to talk. Have you ever been kicked out of a garage or pit area?" John Martin, Waukesha, Wis. John, I've never been kicked out of a garage but I've been kicked in other places. Just kidding. Actually, yes, and one of the biggest "kickers" is my ABC/ESPN colleague Ray Evernham, especially during Happy Hour. Todd Parrott is another one. Their garage is their garage, and that, in my opinion, is quite fair. You learn by doing. I keep a record of who doesn't mind you venturing in and who does. The goal is ALWAYS to stay out of the way, which can be tough with one reporter and a three-person camera crew. Certain drivers will talk during a practice session and some will not. I use hand signals to make sure it's OK. "Can you please find out why a man looking for his 8th championship, Dale Earnhardt, never seems to take on two tires for track position late in a race. At Martinsville and California the end result would probably have resulted in better finishes for the 3, thus more points. I agree with them not doing it early in a race, but late race with only about 30 laps to go and lapped traffic coming in to play, it's worth a try. Ask Jeremy! Thanks!!" Troy Lee Downey, Louisville, Ky. Troy, I'll pass along the idea. But remember, Earnhardt wasn't the only one that thought four was a good idea. And at Martinsville, a four-tire stop cost Rusty Wallace the race. But at the time, all parties involved thought "four" was better than "two." "If the rule for running over an airhose is to be sent to the end of the longest line, why wasn't the No. 43 car allowed to restart at 35 without a penalty for stopping on his airhose in California. because he had to finish running over it to exit his pitbox." Mike Daymude, Smithsburg, Md. Mike, the way it was explained to me was that technically, John did not run over his airhose. He stopped on it and when the car was jacked-up, the hose was pulled out from underneath it. I asked the same question. And, just for the record, this weekend I want to check on how many air-guns were used and if there was/should have been a penalty for that. "Do you really think Adam Petty will be ready for full-time Winston Cup next season? The reason I ask this is that he has yet to win a Busch race and he really hasn't had that much success so far." Byron Dailey, Indianapolis, Ind. Byron, did you know I went to college in Indianapolis? Butler University. Oh, you don't care and get to the question, OK. My answer is no, I don't think he is ready but I heard Kyle Petty give a great explanation in Talladega that went something like this: Adam is the future of Petty Enterprises. He wants to race. He's a good racer. His future is in the Winston Cup Series. If we have the means to train him in the Winston Cup Series where he wants to be and where he is going to be, why not start early so when he's 25, 26 years old. He won't have to learn something new coming in from Busch. It could be painful and costly, but it might be a good plan in the long run. "Does NASCAR require a driver physical exam to be able to race, and if so what does it include? I also want to suggest a possible story for you. I think it would be interesting to tour one of the infield care centers at one of the race tracks and to talk about the medical facilities at all the tracks." Marty Petrich, Vancouver Wash. Marty, all drivers take a physical administered by NASCAR prior to the season. The infield care center story is a good idea, but just like hospitals, most doctors consider the care center private ground and off-limits to the media, which is understandable. | ALSO SEE Weber's mailbag: April 27 Weber's mailbag: April 12 Weber's mailbag: April 6 Weber's mailbag: March 29 Weber's mailbag: March 22 Weber's mailbag: March 15 Weber's mailbag: March 8 Weber's mailbag: March 1 Ask Bill Weber | |||||