Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/42057
or at least personality, can somehow spark a struggling squad. Does it work? Usually not in the short term. None of the five teams involved in the chief firings experienced an immediate turnaround. It's not fair to judge a crew chief change on a short-term basis. Rebuilding — or even just perking up — a struggling team is a complex process. Any real payoff will come next year, after everyone has had a chance to regroup over the winter and put a new plan, and probably more new people, into place. Exhibit A is Ragan's UPS- sponsored team, which went through two crew chiefs in 2010 before Roush Fenway Racing brought in Drew Blickensderfer, a proven crew chief and owner of NASCAR's most "Scrabble-tastic" last name. He won multiple races helming Matt Kenseth's team, but was let go after Kenseth missed the Chase in 2009. With Blickensderfer on board, Ragan finally found Vic- tory Lane at Daytona this summer. Blickensderfer is a hero now, but the hatchet will fall on his neck again, maybe sooner than later. That's no knock on him; it's just the cold, hard truth about a job that is without a doubt the most thankless, pressure-packed and complex in all of motorsports. What's really behind the spate of firings this summer is that the overall competition is closer now than at perhaps any time in Sprint Cup history. It is because NASCAR has reduced the so-called "gray area" in its technical regulations to the point where there is very little room left for crew chiefs to innovate. As recently as a decade or two ago, clever crew chiefs could find little places on the racecar to tweak and gain a small but decisive — and temporary — advantage. No one did it better than Ray Evernham, who won three championships with Jeff Gordon thanks to his abil- ity to push the envelope just a little further and more frequently than his competitors. That envelope has gotten a whole lot smaller in the current Car of Tomorrow era, though, and Evern ham's type of innovation is a lot more difficult. Teams still tinker as much as they can, but the rewards are less and the penalties for getting caught are greater. With so much else being equal now, at least among the big teams, the real difference makers are game planning and people skills. A crew chief who can get the most out of his driver, put together a talented and motivated crew, and then develop and execute an insight- ful and flexible strategy can enjoy a long and happy career. And if he can't excel at those things? Well, no doubt his owner already has some replacement can- didates on speed-dial. Kay Bell is an Austin, Texas-based writer. When she's not yelling at her television during NASCAR races, she blogs about taxes and other financial topics at www.dontmesswithtaxes. typepad.com. Circle 288 on Reader Service Card or visit truckersnews.hotims.com OCTOBER 2011 TRUCKERS NEWS 37