Suspending crew chiefs, what's the point?

Question

It's almost certain that Kanaus and LeTart will be suspended for several races. How effective is it really to "suspend" the crew chief. Seems about as inaffective as putting a driver on probation. With all the communication tools out there (cell phones, text messageing video over IP. The the crew chief is essentially at the track.

If they want to suspend the crew chief, then they should keep him from being able to perform his duties once the cars reach the track. Then he would not be able to perform his tasks as crew chief.

Give me some ideas on how you think suspension should be implemented.

Answer 1

If a crew chief is suspended, I think there should be no communicaton at all between himself and the team. Let the replacement do the job.

Answer 2

You may have a point about the verbal communication but, this is the next best thing and if you are going to keep him from being there with out 100% veiw of things then that does hurt.

I guess what you are saying is make the whole team sit out for what the crew cheif did. Well that might work but then there will be a bunch that says that ain't right why punish the driver? All he does is drive. Case in point where Dale Jr got fined for what his team did, he is just the driver.

The money thing isn't going to work because these teams have so much money. Now if someone like kirk Shelberdine who struggles to run a couple times a year would get hit with one of those fine it would probably end his carrer.

I think they have created this monster with out any means to controll it.

I do believe this Kanaus charator needs to get some sort of spanking. He seems to always be pushing the rules to his favor. Don't miss understand me though that is a sign of a good chief he just seems to get caught a lot.

Ok well here is what I think.
How about the first time you get caught it's just the normal slap in the face like they do now.
The next time you get caught you DON'T actually lose your points but you get moved out of that rediculous top 35 are in the race deal that they came up with.
If you do it again the teram sits out.

I'm not sure if you wanted more sever penelties or no pentelties but this is as good as I can come up with for now. I don't understand half the things NASCAR does today anyway. The last 6 years they have been weirding everything up so bad.

Answer 3

15 or more years ago, this was a easy penalty to implement, as communication technology was at a point, where if a crew chief wanted to still give orders while away from the track, he probably would have to be outside the track with a walkie talkie or something like that.

Today, if a crew cheif is sent home, all he has to do is get the NASCAR Hot Pass, and keep on calling the team from home if he sees something wrong with the car.

I think for the penalty to have any bite, the crew chief should have no contact when the cars are out on the track, period.

Answer 4

Seems consistent with other penalties handed out this year. The only difference I have seen from this year and last year is that the car cheif is also suspended along with the crew chief but also they are suspended indefinitely whereas last year I believe the suspension for crew chief was for six races Should not hurt Brian Vickers a whole lot in the point since he is already in the top 35 and has pretty much been a fixture at or near the top fifteen the whole year.

Answer 5

You are right, it's not really punishment because there is ways to communicate. But I think when it is race time and there is a suspended crew chief, there is little contact between the team and him. And yeah, driver probation is like a slap on the hand. It's really nothing. I haven't ever seen a driver get completely cut off. But I don't ever see a driver getting cut off and not being able to race. Nascar is all about the ratings. They may put drivers on probation and say that the drivers need to chill out, but what they are saying is that nascar loves controversey. Nascar is driven by money and ratings. If there is controversy, there will be more money. It's not about the racing anymore.

Answer 6

Just the same as when engineers draws up the perfect plan on paper, until it is put into play and on hand to visually see how it works out, you really don't know 100% of the out come.
Although you have a superb point. If a crew chief is suspended,
it should be just that. No communication period.

Answer 7

It is still hard to make calls at certain times not being at the track. they do get a feel for what they do there at the track and not just sitting in the lazy Boy at home making calls. Most of the calls they make, are split second at the moment reactions they can't make if not there. Also not being able to see the whole track at once and have that split second communication to the driver themselves really plays a bigger part than you give it credit for.
If you have a scanner or trackpass at home, you do realize that 10 second delay it has; Really adds up to more like ten minutes trying to communicate from home.
You think an offensive, or defensive football coordinator could call plays for a game from his lazy Boy at home, without the actuall intensity that's right there on the field with them, or things they can see forming in front of them? Just another way to think about what effect suspension does have with the crew chief not there in person, to call the plays.

Answer 8

I think they have to do something to punish the teams that cheat (on purpose or not). Since the crew chiefs are pretty much the manager/coach of the teams they get the punishment. As far as making it so they cannot communicate to their crews, now thats harder to control. Nascar allows the crews freedom to use what they want as far as Internet, weather radar, own personal real-time data, so to keep track of who is talking to who would be pretty difficult. While the chiefs can still communicate with their drivers, they cannot be as affective as they are when they are at the track.

I guess the only way to prevent the crew chiefs from communicating with their teams during the race is to lock them all in a room and make them watch the race. You could hold this "Nascar Jail" at the race track, or in Charlotte, NC. It would be kind of like detention! lol

But also remember that when baseball managers get tossed from a game, many just stand down in the tunnel and tell their coaches what to do.

I have to agree with you in saying "whats the point" but they have to do something to punish the chief. I have to think it puts the teams at a disadvantage even if they are still communicating through text some how.

Answer 9

I think you guys are giving way too much credit to modern technology. Sure, he can communicate with his driver. But it is nowhere near as effective as being there in the pits with the rest of the crew. The crew chief is not essentially at the track, and it would be insane for a team to let a person who isn't right there at the track call the shots.

Answer 10

With as many people that work for an organization there is always someone to step in should the need be there. However, when you become accustom to one person it can be difficult to just switch mid-stream. I think Jeff and Jimmy will be fine, without their regular chief. Remember a few years ago when Evernham just up and quit mid-season. Jeff won his first race with a different chief. The chief is important, but not the whole show.