Backstretch Motorsports

Many outsiders, those not in the side of racing that measures success, may not see the larger picture steps Toyota Motorsports has taken in becoming a convincing player in NASCAR's incredibly competitive NEXTEL Cup Series. Toyota racing teams and TRD, USA (Toyota Racing Development), the technical side of the effort, have seen more than their share of uphill challenges in 2007.

As we learned yesterday with Butch Hylton, crew chief on the No. 88 Snicker/Pedigree Ford Fusion, nothing is as hard as getting a clean lap around the hot, slick and very tight Chicagoland surface.

So we asked other veteran crew chiefs to give a look at the Chicago race and give a few more points of perspective.

Here's the word from Todd Berrier, crew chief for Kevin Harvick's No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet, Paul Andrews, with the No. 43 Cheerios Dodge Charger and Bobby Labonte, and Billy Wilburn, crew chief on the No. 45 National Tire and Battery Dodge being driven by John Andretti.

Todd Berrier No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet:  

Chicago is really slick on sticker tires and the first six or seven laps are a balancing act like no other track. The trade off to get the car to not lose a second or more in that first few laps until the tires come in is it's so tight for the rest of the fuel run, it could be almost undrivable. So, you try to plan for how cautions you might see, how many stops you'll need to make it. Plan for what may play into your hand.

I'm sure there will be hard tire compound for this race and Chicago is known for long runs, total fuel runs and it could come down to gas mileage, having to make that very inconvenient stop with five to go.

With the current car we're running, the way we coil-bind these front ends, set-ups don't vary much from track to track. But being able to make adjustments is key. You got to stay ahead of the track conditions.

We've always had strong cars here. We'll race this race as hard as anybody

Paul Andrews No. 43 Cheerios Dodge Charger:

This time of year, at Chicagoland, the track is incredibly hot. With the heat and hard compound of these tires, the cars are going to be tight even as slippery as the track gets. We wind using some of our practice time to scuff tires as to take that newness off of them. That will make the tire better on the beginning of a run. That's the balance you have to have here, compromise has to be made.  You'll see the whole fuel run. Strategy will come heavily into play.

Sometimes, that's the nature of intermediate tracks. You hope cautions fall your way, but you plan for the fuel runs. 

The Busch race will see guys moving up into a second groove and you'll see some side by side racing on Sunday as well. But the bottom groove is still the shortest way around. This track is aging nicely, I think the surface gets better and better with every race. Both our drivers like Chicago.

Billy Wilburn No. 45 Tire Kingdom/NTB Dodge Charger:

A lap around Chicago from the crew chief's perspective: The car is going to have to have the right attitude, you run soft fronts and stiff rear springs. The car will get tighter as the race wears on  and as you lose front grip. The pace will slow dramatically.  You have to be easy getting into turn one, there's the bump over the tunnel and it can upset your car, and that's something the driver has to deal with, the rest of the track is really smooth. Coming out of turn two you carry a lot of momentum for the backstretch. The backstretch at Chicago not straight, it's still a sweeping turn that gets straightened out as much as possible. It's a fast part of the track and when you get to three and four, they are the easier corners to negotiate and you can get into them pretty hard. You want the car to be pretty free as those turns widen out quite a bit, even more so as the race wears on. Later in the race the groove through three and four is right out against the wall.

With John (Andretti), he's different in his approach to the corner than Kyle (Petty). John drives a deeper line, harder into the corner and tries to keep the car lower where Kyle charges the corner and drives a wider apex… so it's really a matter simple geometry and common sense to get the car working for John's style. You've got to have the adjustability to move as the groove moves up.

We tested at Kentucky a couple of weeks ago and we found some things in the aero package that we feel will work to our advantage with John. We moved the nose around a bit, spent some time in the wind tunnel and we're pleased with the results.

Tires are always big concern here as the front does lose grip very quickly. This track is hot and slick. We will scuff tires for qualifying and few sets for the race. You're still going to lose a second or two at the beginning of the run, but the scuffs will come in faster. This surface is going on eight years since it was repaved and it's seasoned well. It seems to favor the scuffs, where as with say Texas or another track, stickers may the way to go. Now as far as later in the race, guessing a four tire or two tire change, well Dale Jr. won a two tire change a couple of years ago, but it all depends on where you as far as track position. If I'm in the position of leading this race of running up front, I'm not going to shortchange myself, I'll want the best and newest stuff I've got on the car. If I'm running mid-pack, it'll be dictated to a large degree by what the guys behind me do as to what I'll do to get the best track position and looking to improve positions in the race. That will come as we approach the last couple of stops and see where we are on the track. Play the game in the way that's going to give you the best advantage.

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The return to the familiar. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing on 1.5 mile high banked speedways has been the hallmark of series' success. Call them "Cookie Cutter" track if you must, but they are where the current car flourishes. It's "stock car home". The Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. is prime example of why the technology of these cars has led to hard charging, fast racing with close finishes.

It's also why we turn this week to Illinois native Butch Hylton, crew chief for the Robert Yates Racing No. 88 Snickers Ford Fusion. Hylton has a cache of knowledge about racing and set ups that has proved to be making the difference in the Yates program. With Yates fellow crew chief Todd Parrot's experience and knowledge coupled with his own, the Yates program is not only seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, it's getting ready to emerge from it completely, as a racing force to be reckoned with, as it was in past years.

But for Hylton, it's a return to home turf as well. He grew up racing at Rockford, Milwaukee and countless other tracks in the Chicago area. He knows the score, what it takes to be successful and going home has to be plus factor that can't be measured.

Butch , give some insight into Chicagoland Speedway, what does it take have a good run there, is it like Charlotte and Vegas? , other 1.5 milers?

Butch Hylton # 88 Snickers Fusion ..  Yes and no..Chicago , I look at it like Charlotte in it's characteristics, It's a nice wide high banked track, you carry alot of speed off the corners. It's got some bumps you've got to work with, but it's a good surface to run on. We got the chance to test there and we're really looking forward to the weekend.  The track gets slick as the later afternoon portion of the race comes on, the car is going to slide. Lots of heat gets built up in the tires and you want a good balance, you want to be able to adjust on each run. You work with wedge and tire pressures and get your car to slide evenly. And it's plenty wide like Michigan, you can find multiple groves if your car is working right, but you need that track slide space as it gets greasier.

Discuss the Robert Yates Racing program and the progress it's seeing.

We're finding the speed we've been looking for in our program. Todd (Parrot, crew chief, # 38 M&M's Fusion) and I came in here at the same time. We've been disecting the cars and analyzing them. Making changes as necessary to get them right. Ricky ( Rudd) has been so very beneficial in coming in and helping evaluate what we've needed.  All that hard work is paying off. The cars have been running on pace, even our CoT. We're running the Charlotte car this weekend, the car we ran in the 600 and we finished our best finish of the season with it. We're very confident with this car.  David (Gilliland # 38 M&M's Fusion) was quick and keeping right with the leaders as far race speeds at Loudon, we had that pit road speeding penalty that set the effort back a bit. But that was a race that shows the progress we're making. There has been times that we've been caught up in things not of our doing, other people's wrecks, stuff like that. Maybe what we're really capable of hasn't been seen because of it.

Ricky is also beneficial in other aspects of the racing, especially helping David with the outside of the car stuff. There are so many driver appearances, sponsor commitments, TV , press questions at this level. That can become overwhelming to a young driver very quickly. David is already good at handling things, he's very capable. But Ricky is always there for advice. Ricky knows the ropes, he understands the protocol. He's invaluable to the program.

We're really looking forward to next year and putting our stuff out there.

How difficult has it been this season with rebuilding a program and the facing challenges like the CoT?

I've got to compare it to running two seasons at once, running our old school stuff and the CoT. The CoT sometimes acts like a regular car, like we've been used too. Other times it's .. like at Dover, the g-loads were so great in the corners it would load up hard and you had to watch the splitter and that was a major concern dealing with that as different, and then at Loudon getting the car to brake and letting it roll through the corners without losing momentum and be able to get back to throttle…it's been a challenge. It'll be nice to get back to the familiar downforce/ aero/ chassis set-up of the current car we've been used to working with for so long.

How important is going home?

I grew up about thirty minutes from there in Richton Park, Ill, and I've lived in Rockford, so this is really going home for me. I've got plenty of family and friends there. I'm taking my son with me so he can see where I grew up. This is a very special weekend for me.

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The Daytona and Talladega restrictor plate racing has always been a chess game; it becomes a slice and dice mode of operation with dancing partners working to get to the front. The side by side action, inches apart at nearly 200 MPH is a stress laden event for crew chiefs , drivers and fans alike.

But Daytona is markedly different from it's Alabama counterpart.. There’s a distinct handling characteristic to the track. Back with the car of yesterday this time out, the areo and chassis components have to be equally strong. You have to negotiate the corners cleanly, not push, not wiggle around too much. Trusting those around you to make the right moves, methodically working through traffic and avoiding getting hung out to dry. Being at the back of the field means possibly being in position for "the big one", the multi car accident that sometimes, if not always comes with plate racing territory.

How to race it is a key factor, driver and car working in complete harmony, with other drivers and cars working in harmony.. you hope.

This week's crew chief corner , Greg Erwin, Gene Nead and Kevin "Bono" Manion tell us just what and how factors come into play.

Greg Erwin # 16 Dish Network Ford Fusion: Is it the car or the driver that makes the difference at Daytona? "Both are equally important, the driver is working the draft to its fullest, you need good spotters get him where he needs to go and watch for who to go with.. like both the Talladega races and Daytona,  you've got to have the strong aero package and adjustability ,but especially as abusive as this summer race at Daytona is both on tires and equipment , you got to have a smooth handling car and have a driver that works traffic and hopefully , you've got some friends out there.

Keeping your drafting partners with you, no one car by itself can get to the front and it's easy to go from 43rd to first and back to 43rd.. in the same lap.

Kevin "Bono" Manion,  #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet: " Working the draft with partners is most important, and potential partners have to know you have a fast car to work with. They see that and 'tag, you're it'; they're glued right to you. Dale Jr. has always been recognized as a premium drafter, and people go with him.  We're running a bigger fuel cell this time out; fuel runs are a bit longer. So the set up has to be right, you've got to have a car that handles for the length of the fuel run, so you can get to the front. If you've got a car that's push pushing off the corners, you'll never get the momentum built up and you'll go to the back. They'll hang you out to dry.

We had the rookie stripe last year and even though Martin has won Busch races at Daytona and Talladega, he needed more people to see him for what he could do. It'll be different this year. Martin works the draft well."

Where do you want to be at the end of the race? We've seen the late leader hold on for victory and we've seen the leader get swallowed up by the train of drafting partners simply moving the line to get by. It's a crap shoot.

Gene Nead, # 7 Menards MAPEI Ford . "You have to set up your car for long runs, hopefully we'll see some fuel runs.. and at the end of the race I think you're wanting to be in the top five with some good friends.. Meaning you hope your friends are better friends than the other guy's.  Roush Yates motors are second to none as far as having the power to get to the front, but somebody has to stick with you to get to the lead. But coming to the checkers it's every man for himself. You make your car as wide as you can hang on."

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Concord NC ,June 26) — This week's race at New Hampshire International Speedway , the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 presents a new challenge for the most seasoned veteran crew chiefs in the Nextel Cup Series. The CoT on the flat 1. 058 mile oval.

BackstretchMotorsports spoke with three veteran crew chiefs to ask about being able to find the right formula for NHIS.

I spoke with Bob Osborne, crew chief of the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion driven by Carl Edwards and he had this to say about the Roush Fenway Racing team's progress with the next generation car. " We get stronger with each CoT outing, Carl feels a lot more comfortable in it and we had some good tests in preparation for New Hampshire. We took our CoT to Milwaukee along with the No. 17 Dewalt team of Matt Kenseth and we found some things we liked, made some good notes and today, the No 6 , 16 and 26 are there confirming data, testing some new possibilties for set ups. We're doing our homework headed into this one for sure."

The CoT has been a handful for many teams , just getting it to turn. Osborne concurs the CoT is hard to get right in that aspect. " You've got to get this car to rotate smoothly through the center of the corner, you've got to be able to get back to the throttle quickly. That's no secret, you've got to keep working and nipping at it, taking each step as it comes."

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates' Donnie Wingo, crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Texaco Havoline Dodge Avenger is coming off the win at the Sonoma road course with the CoT. A sure shot of confidence for the CGRFS CoT program. Now its back to "business as usual" as the team works to get stronger on ovals. Wingo says he's got alot of confidence in the Avenger."We've done our share of testing with the CoT as well, Milwaukee and at St Louis. We had a very good test at Richmond and had a strong car for that race, but we got got spun early and the car got torn up so we really didn't get to see just where we were. We're confident with where our CoT program is right now and we feel we're headed in the right direction."

Wingo sees another difference in the upcoming weekend, with the new car, braking. "The braking distances are going to be longer for sure, but that's the same for everybody. Its the nature of the CoT. It's a big part of getting this car to turn. You're already using alot brakes here, you'll use more now. Its almost like your slowing down to go faster. Cornering here is the same as its always been, flat corners, its hard to get them exactly right, the driver's finess comes into play. "

Pat Tryson, now with the No. 2 Miller Lite Avenger with Kurt Busch at Penske South sees the same with the CoT on New Hampshire's 12 degree turns. He explains, "The CoT has so much more right side weight, it really loads up and braking is harder. Its tight in, loose in the center, tight off, as it is everywhere. But the CoT program here at Penske is good, we've got something for 'em."

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