NASCAR GARAGE AWAKES

It’s hot and breezy Saturday morning as the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams are scurrying around making ready for the 4:30 PM local time start of the Subway Fresh 600 Race at Phoenix International Raceway. It’s already 79 degrees F at 11 am and the flags are stiff in the wind. It’s all about the tires and car preparation.

It’s early yet so there are no traffic jams in the NASCAR garage. For now, it is blessedly quiet, no engines running Later that will change and excellent ear protection would help muffle but not block off the mechanical din.

The fans and pit tours have not yet arrived and descended en masse. Tires are spread out everywhere, lined up for sorting, building walls between haulers making it seem like a tunnel to get to the hauler door. Outside the Goodyear garage, even more tires are spread out awaiting pickup.

The teams have the cars up on jacks getting the race set up just so. Although the NASCAR Inspection Station is set up, there are no customers and won’t be for another two hours or so.

Then it will become like an Oklahoma land rush with the cars queued up around the corner waiting their turn for the thorough template and measurement process.

In the pit lane, the mini-condos for the teams are being installed and made ready. They are a far cry from the old days of the crew chief sitting on top of the tool box to watch and direct the race. The Pit Boxes are more and more elaborate, with satellite dishes, several TV’s, lots of computers, and ergonomic chairs for the privileged few to sit on top.

Outside the track, the traffic had already started to get heavy by 10 am. With at least one main access road still under water after the recent heavy snow melt and flooding, it will only get worse. Huge parking lots now are lakes or like quick sand and unusable.

The drivers are all sleeping in. Their Driver-Crew Chief meeting isn’t for another three hours. Arizona never changes from Standard to Daylight time, so the race is starting an hour earlier. In order to finish in the dark as it would in November when the whole country has reverted back to Standard Time, the kilometers were increased from 500 to 600. This in effect adds an hour to replace the hour loss from the time zone situation.

If this all makes sense to you, go to the head of the class.