Most of the casual NASCAR fans assume that you must possess the fastest car to win. In many instances this has proven the case. All drivers and teams toil for countless hours throughout the week hoping to formulate the magic setup in order to have fastest car possible when they reach at the track the following weekend. As has been witnessed again and again by NASCAR news affiliates, there are no guarantees. Of course, not every vehicle can be the fastest so racing teams are investigating new plans to find the one that will help them win.
Driver David Reutimann won the 2009 Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway following the decision of crew chief Rodney Childers to keep the car on the track while the lead drivers entered the pit. The race was beyond the half-way point, and precipitation was falling. The question was whether the race would continue or be canceled by the rainfall on the track. Reutimann, and two other drivers, Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon, betted on Mother Nature.
At about 6:30 p.m. EST, NASCAR officials were obliged to cancel the race, giving Reutimann his first Sprint Cup win. When a victory was due to weather-shortened circumstances, there has always been this proverbial asterisk placed next it. Fans typically bemoan a win like that, perhaps referring to it as a lucky break. The opinions of some fans often find their way on
NASCAR news channels. Still, NASCAR is a highly competitive sport, if not the most competitive type of auto racing on earth. A win is a win, and every driver on the track would be happy to perform the 'rain dance' if it meant that they were going to make the coveted trip to victory lane. Representatives of
NASCAR news sources have been there to document the outstanding results of quite creative racing strategies.
Strategy was absolutely a key ingredient in Reutimann's win. The crew chief monitored the weather updates, and decided that it would be in the best interest of
a better move for his driver to remain on the track. If the showers had stopped, and the other drivers reentered the track, then they would have went to the pit, but according to Childers and Reutimann, they would have made necessary repairs to increase automotive performance. Such reconfigurations would have taken too long. As a result, they would have lost their position on the track if they had pitted with the lead vehicles; as a consequence, Reutimann opted to wait out the weather. This proved to be a winning strategy for the team.
Driver Kyle Busch had maintained the lead for 173 of the 207 laps that were paced, while the winner Reutimann had just gained lead position for five laps and had held fourteenth position at the time the precipitation began.
NASCAR news reported similar events involving Jeff Gordon. In 2007, Gordon used almost the same strategy to win a race at Pocono. Although his car was no longer in shape to compete, his team believed that rain was coming, and it paid off big. What's amazing is that if the rain had started five seconds later, Gordon would have came in second. Ryan Newman was in the middle of passing Gordon when NASCAR displayed the caution flag because of the rain.
It may be that the stars themselves may need to align to achieve a victory on the track. Other strategies to help a racer win without needing the fastest vehicle deal with fuel mileage and tire strategy.
In 2003, Newman and his Penske Racing team were renowned for stretching fuel mileage with a smaller carburetor. At least four of his eight total wins during the 2003 season could be contributed to fuel mileage.
In the past, some drivers have taken a two-tire pit stop to get a good track position late in the race, so they could go for the win. In a number of occasions, the strategy has worked in the driver's favor.
No matter how it was achieved, a win is a win. It makes no difference how the trophy was gained, the driver will take it every time.
