"By the power of Greyskull!" (HF)

I got called off the bench this week- the #70 race car was out along with the #76. Some people may think two cars is not that much different than running one car. Whatever you do to one car, you do to the other, right? Uh, not exactly.

After a practice day, the TVM race team brought home two cars, one of which was clanking. The clank was the new rear end, and it happened to be the #76 car (gunning for a NASCAR State Championship). Since the practice was on a Friday, not all of the team could be there; and with two cars work actually doubles at the track. There is no economies of scale in racing. Buying in bulk doesn't work in the racing world unless it is rags from Costco or Sharpies from Staples.

Friday night was spent re-decaling the #70 car, decaling the #76, fixing some little things on the #70, fixing some BIG things on the #76, and getting enough sleep to be able to function on Sunday.

Saturday morning I picked out some tires to race and practice on. Put some finishing touches on the #70 car and loaded for the track. The #76 was still on jackstands. The team pulled out a set-up change out of the hat and threw everything but a new steering wheel at the car.

At the track it felt like old times when I first crewed on a late model car. At the track it was usually Roger, Steve (crew chief), me, and Roger's buddy Scott made most of the races. This week it was Jeff, Eddie, Dan, and me. We made two practice sessions, which was valuable seat time for Jeff. He was able to build from Friday's practice and race against some folks in practice.
About 35 minutes before practice ended, the #76 car rolled in and unloaded and made the final practice. A few crucial laps were all that was needed for Roger and the team to feel confident in the car.

For those first minutes when the #76 arrived, a minor chaotic storm brewed as everyone was hurried to get the #76 car on the track. It was the first real race where two cars needed to be prepped, set-up, supported and managed by the team. I made some observations about our work flow, as I've always dreamed about overseeing a multi-car operation. I've also kept in mind that TVM is fairly young as a team, with some racing veterans.

This might be long-winded, as my posts often are, but it struck me as we were getting ready to qualify. Running a two-car team, one veteran and one rookie, is going to be a whole lot like starting a new church. But I'm saving that one for later.