Post by dalejrfan on Apr 29, 2006 0:21:35 GMT -5
Inspection failure makes long day, short practice
Four-time winner Gordon musters only 16 laps in first practice
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- When the family car goes into the body shop for repairs, it could be days before it's ready. Time is money, especially when the labor charges start adding up.
When every minute of time on the track is precious, Nextel Cup crews don't have that luxury. That's especially the case at Talladega Superspeedway, where the minutest of changes to the car's aerodynamics can mean major decreases in speed.
At least four cars -- Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Robby Gordon and Stanton Barrett -- sported hasty repairs during Friday's practice sessions. Barrett's car, which needed major alterations to the rear roofline, made its first practice lap with four minutes to spare.
How important is it to get it right? Case in point: Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet.
With the first practice scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET, crew chief Steve Letarte and his crew roll the car into tech inspection with minutes to spare, only to find out that the template over the center of the front valance and hood doesn't fit.
In addition, the top left and right corners appear to be slightly higher. After an animated discussion with the Nextel Cup official, the No. 24 is rolled back to the hauler.
2:30 p.m.: While other cars roar out of the garage area to begin practice, two of the Hendrick Motorsports crew members begin mixing a light-blue body filler solution while another sands down the top of the valance and tapes around the area.
Using a plastic putty scraper, they begin to apply filler just under the grille opening. At intervals, they stop, check the template, then decide to add a little more. In addition, they put a slight amount on the crown of the hood. Once they're satisfied, they sand down the filler and begin the process again
2:44 p.m.: This time, success. The template fits close enough for Nextel Cup officials to sign off. The car rolls easily through the roof template stage, then is backed out of tech and heads for its stall.
2:47 p.m.: Jeff Gordon walks across from his hauler while the crew quickly but methodically prepares the car, making sure the lug nuts on all four wheels are tight, checking electronics and polishing the entire car.
2:49 p.m.: Gordon climbs in and gets final instructions from Letarte.
2:53 p.m.: The engine fires, Gordon puts it in gear and the Chevy rolls slowly out of the garage.
2:58 p.m.: Gordon is the 46th car to record a lap, timed at a speed of 182.63 mph. He'll make a total of 16 laps, with a best of 191.585 mph. That's only 31st out of the 49 cars entered.
An hour later, the team tackled the day's second practice and wound up fifth-quickest.
Just another day at the office for the world's fastest body shop.
Four-time winner Gordon musters only 16 laps in first practice
TALLADEGA, Ala. -- When the family car goes into the body shop for repairs, it could be days before it's ready. Time is money, especially when the labor charges start adding up.
When every minute of time on the track is precious, Nextel Cup crews don't have that luxury. That's especially the case at Talladega Superspeedway, where the minutest of changes to the car's aerodynamics can mean major decreases in speed.
At least four cars -- Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Robby Gordon and Stanton Barrett -- sported hasty repairs during Friday's practice sessions. Barrett's car, which needed major alterations to the rear roofline, made its first practice lap with four minutes to spare.
How important is it to get it right? Case in point: Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet.
With the first practice scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET, crew chief Steve Letarte and his crew roll the car into tech inspection with minutes to spare, only to find out that the template over the center of the front valance and hood doesn't fit.
In addition, the top left and right corners appear to be slightly higher. After an animated discussion with the Nextel Cup official, the No. 24 is rolled back to the hauler.
2:30 p.m.: While other cars roar out of the garage area to begin practice, two of the Hendrick Motorsports crew members begin mixing a light-blue body filler solution while another sands down the top of the valance and tapes around the area.
Using a plastic putty scraper, they begin to apply filler just under the grille opening. At intervals, they stop, check the template, then decide to add a little more. In addition, they put a slight amount on the crown of the hood. Once they're satisfied, they sand down the filler and begin the process again
2:44 p.m.: This time, success. The template fits close enough for Nextel Cup officials to sign off. The car rolls easily through the roof template stage, then is backed out of tech and heads for its stall.
2:47 p.m.: Jeff Gordon walks across from his hauler while the crew quickly but methodically prepares the car, making sure the lug nuts on all four wheels are tight, checking electronics and polishing the entire car.
2:49 p.m.: Gordon climbs in and gets final instructions from Letarte.
2:53 p.m.: The engine fires, Gordon puts it in gear and the Chevy rolls slowly out of the garage.
2:58 p.m.: Gordon is the 46th car to record a lap, timed at a speed of 182.63 mph. He'll make a total of 16 laps, with a best of 191.585 mph. That's only 31st out of the 49 cars entered.
An hour later, the team tackled the day's second practice and wound up fifth-quickest.
Just another day at the office for the world's fastest body shop.