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Ford Racing invited Los Jalops on a NASCAR immersion trip this past Friday. At first we were skeptical, considering the big oval hasn't traditionally been our beat, but we've never been ones to shy away from bringing you the gift of knowledge, particularly when the odor of burning Sunoco 260 is involved. Since Wert's mouth was deemed "too purdy," yours truly popped a pinch 'twixt cheek and gum and headed over to Michigan International Speedway during practice laps for the LifeLock 400 to see what the fuss was all about. Five surprising revelations after the jump. More »
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While some descendents of Visigoths may argue that German precision triumphs ber alles, a number of doctors have been learning from American and Italian pit crews. Way back when, the Wood Brothers revolutionized the pit stop, and ever since, their techniques have been adapted to racing series all over the world. And when Tom Kelley, general manager at design firm IDEO, suggested recently that hospital teams could learn from pit crews, a couple of hospitals on either side of the pond had actually already put theory into practice, developing ready-made solutions for common scenarios both in the ER and ICU, leaning heavily on the coordination tactics of both NASCAR crews and Ferrari's Formula One team. And people think that we gearheads are good for nothing. Sheesh. [Thanks to Haller for the tip.] More »
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Most of the readers of this blog can quickly glean that we're less-than-ecstactic about today's NASCAR scene, especially because there's such a rich history in the sport that's simply been trampled in the name of profit. Once upon a time, the Wood Brothers team absolutely revolutionized how pit crews worked in racing, whereas today, they're perennial also-rans. That said, their fielding two Cup cars this season, two Buch teams, and two Craftsman truck teams, and have just moved into a new facility. We're givin' 'em this week's Never Say Die award, complete with an autographed copy of one of Black Sabbath's two worst Ozzy-era albums. We won't mind if they trade it in for Master of Reality. Really. More »
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