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6/21/2010
Well how things can change.
10th at Kentucky and 11th at Road America and top rookie in both races.
Colin had a new crew chief at Kentucky and then another new crew chief at Road America. Rick Vires is now set for the year in the #16 and Colin is really looking forward to establishing that relationship that is so important between driver and crew chief.
As an engineer in Sports Car racing, I am the road racing equivalent of a NASCAR crew chief, and understand how important it is for the driver and crew chief to "click." Here are some of the things Colin and Ricky will have to go thru:
- When Colin says the car pushes, Ricky will have to know what he means. How bad is the push and where is it and when Colin says it's "a bad push" what does that really mean. Is that one round of wedge or three! They will use a number system between 1 - 10 for Colin to rank the push. You may hear this on the radio, and it can give you an idea of how bad things are.
- Ricky will need to learn what Colin likes in a car. When we were karting, Colin had to have a kart that had great front grip. When we gave him that he was very fast. I knew that I need to work on that first, and when I got him the grip at the front he needed we were set. Ricky will have to learn what Colin needs in a NASCAR car. I know he and Colin will be spending a bunch of time in the shop talking this over and going over past notes and all that, but there is no substitute for doing it at the track.
- Trust is a huge factor. Colin needs to trust Ricky in his calls and Ricky needs to trust Colin's feedback. There can never be second-guessing and/or doubt between the two. I had the chance to listen into the radio last weekend at Road America and I can tell you this is already strong. These guys really worked well together and there is a noticeable trust already. Colin really believes in Ricky, and the two have the same goal... to win races. It is not an ego thing or a blame game--it is all about results.
Colin had Mike Beam for 2 years in the truck series as his crew chief, and really hoped to keep that going into the NASCAR Nationwide Series, but that was not possible. Now with Ricky Vires he has the chance to have a long-term relationship with a crew chief that is smart, trusts him and is totally dedicated to winning. Having made my living the last 20 years working with drivers in this relationship, I have a really good feeling on how this one is starting out. Colin and Ricky are off to a great start.
At one point Chad and Jimmie were at this exact point.
Jeff Braun |
