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Tag: Steve O’Donnell

  • The White Zone: NASCAR’s ‘total culture change’ goes beyond penalties

    The White Zone: NASCAR’s ‘total culture change’ goes beyond penalties

    If you weren’t convinced that NASCAR was serious about going in a new direction, Monday’s announcements should do the trick.

    NASCAR announced on Monday that if the race winner fails post-race inspection, he/she will be disqualified and dropped to the bottom of the running order. That includes the win, the trophy, the points, the money and even the roast beast.

    This is a departure from a longstanding philosophy in which NASCAR wanted the people who left the track to know that whom they saw win the race did indeed win. This probably made sense at a time when newspapers were the only reliable way of following the sport on a weekly basis. But the rise of the internet and social media made the aforementioned philosophy out-dated.

    Furthermore, it’s glaringly obvious that, no matter the deterrent system, teams didn’t take the penalties seriously.

    “I think for us, we’re really looking at a total culture change,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We’ve been through a deterrence model where we’ve really worked with the race teams at the track and probably been more lenient than we should in terms of the number of times teams can go through inspection and pass, fail and there’s almost incentive to try to get something by NASCAR, so we want to really reverse that trend.

    “We’re going to put it on the teams to bring their equipment right. When they come to the track, we’ll be much less lenient as they go through technical inspection with stiffer penalties in terms of qualifying, and then ultimately during the race, obviously we want everyone to be racing straight up.”

    The key phrase in that quote is “total culture change.”

    In this instance, O’Donnell is referring to the culture of cheating in the NASCAR garage. But it also can be applied to NASCAR as a whole since the events of Aug. 6, 2018, the day former NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated (DWI) and 7th-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

    SEE ALSO: Brian France takes indefinite leave of absence following intoxicated driving arrest

    Given that it came less than 24 hours after Chase Elliott, the sport’s most popular driver, scored his first career victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, many in the NASCAR community, including myself, were rightfully angry that his arrest was the mainstream news story.

    SEE ALSO: The White Zone: It’s time to remove Brian France from the reigns of NASCAR

    I don’t bring this up to bash France, as I hope he gets the help he needs. I bring it up because it’s a microcosm of his time as the head of NASCAR. There was never a sense of direction under him, or that he was even interested in running the sport.

    Rather than be at Watkins Glen International to watch the new face of his family’s sport win for the first time, he was partying in Long Island.

    In his many press conferences over the years, he seemed aloof and barely understood what was happening in the sport. One in particular was his press conference at Richmond Raceway, on April 30, 2017. Chris Knight and I were up in the press box that afternoon. When it ended, he got up and said “Well that was a bunch of nothing.”

    And he was right. It was a conference of fluff. Now it didn’t help that nobody asked France a serious question. But even when someone asked him one in his other conferences, he often tap danced around it. Particularly when it came to the 13-year decline in television ratings and viewership (which I’ve gone into much greater detail about in a previous column).

    SEE ALSO: The White Zone: The light at tunnel’s end is growing dimmer

    While the sport remains in the control of the France family, with Jim France taking over as (Acting) Chairman and CEO, the public leader is NASCAR President Steve Phelps.

    In his first press conference as president back in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Phelps demonstrated that he had a sense of the direction in which he wanted to take NASCAR, particularly in regards to the 2019 aero package.

    “I think the rule package was put in place because we want to have the most competitive racing we can,” he said. “We believe the 2019 rules package is just exactly that. What effect it has on ratings or what effects it has on other things that are outside of our control, I can’t say.

    “I can say that we do believe that this racing, which today arguably is the best we’ve ever had, is going to get better. We have a promise to our fans, and that promise is about close, competitive, side‑by‑side racing, and we believe that this 2019 rules package will give us exactly that.”

    To be fair, this package was probably well into development before Phelps became president. But it was refreshing to see the sport’s public leader address topics with substantive answers. And while he kind of danced around the declining ratings, it was better than Brian France’s “changing tastes” nothing answer he repeatedly stated.

    And this “total culture change” at the top has trickled down to the other executives.

    Last November at Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR came out and admitted that it dropped the ball on sending Jimmie Johnson to the rear of the field, when it shouldn’t have happened.

    O’Donnell said it was unacceptable and can’t happen again going forward.

    Compare that to the year prior at Richmond Raceway. NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller walked out of a media scrum, because we pressed him on the stopped ambulance at the entrance of pit road, when cars were coming in to pit, that took Matt Kenseth out of the race.

    SEE ALSO: Ambulance ruins Kenseth’s night at Richmond

    Bob Pockrass turned to Kurt Culbert (the (former) liaison between the media and the NASCAR executives) and said, and I’m paraphrasing, that “NASCAR stepped on its own dick, tonight,” and needed to acknowledge that.

    When moments like the aforementioned one at Richmond was what we usually got from NASCAR, it was a total shock to everyone that it came out and admitted that it made a mistake.

    In short: The “total culture change” referenced by O’Donnell, in regards to penalties, can be applied to NASCAR as a whole over the last seven months, and there’s truly a sense of direction from the people at the top for the first time in a long time.

    I won’t be hypocritical. I’m still skeptical about this new aero package for a myriad of reasons. But I understand where NASCAR is coming from on it, and the direction it’s going.

    Time will tell if it’s the right direction, but right now, I like the “total culture change” that’s happening in NASCAR.

    That’s my view, for what it’s worth.

  • NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell ‘Pleased’ with First Test of New Format at Daytona

    NASCAR’s Steve O’Donnell ‘Pleased’ with First Test of New Format at Daytona

    The 59th running of the Daytona 500, with first-time winner, Kurt Busch, included eight cautions for 40 laps and saw only 15 drivers complete all 200 laps. Was this typical restrictor-plate racing or a result of the new race format that NASCAR implemented this season?

    Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer for NASCAR, shared his thoughts on the new format which features stages and addressed the multiple accidents and the five-minute clock which limits the amount of time a team has to make repairs.

    His first impression of the race was, “I’d say, overall really pleased.” He added, “We saw a lot of great, hard racing. Everybody knows that every driver wants to win the Daytona 500. We saw drivers up on the wheel all day long racing hard and that’s exactly what we expected from the format.”

    When asked about the reason for the number of wrecks that plagued all three series this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, his answer was simple.

    “I think people wanted to win,” he said.

    O’Donnell continued, “People want to win (when they) hit Daytona. We wanted drivers racing up front, racing hard for wins. That’s what we expected. In terms of good, hard racing, that’s what you saw all three days.”

    He also thought that the five-minute clock worked well.

    “Obviously that’s going to be a work in progress as we go”, he explained. “It was NASCAR working with the race teams. When you look at the positives of that, no one exceeded that clock on pit road. The winner of the race was part of that policy. So, if you look at a car going beyond five minutes, usually their day’s done anyway. If we had a line of teams here saying we’ve got to do something we would, but we didn’t have one of them. They all knew that their day was done. It’s unfortunate. But that’s Daytona; it’s a tough place to race.”

    O’Donnell went on to discuss the complexities of restrictor-plate racing at Daytona and said that Atlanta Motor Speedway would essentially be their “first experience with the new rules package.”

    “I think Daytona brings out, you never know what’s going to happen. If you make a mistake here, it’s usually a pretty tough one and it’s a pretty tough day. But,” he maintained, “the stages did produce strong racing.”

    He pointed to another favorable aspect of the race at Daytona, stating, “It also gave some drivers who competed in those first stages who normally would have gone home with one or two points; they were rewarded for running up front early.”

    Several drivers also weighed in on their experience with the revised race format, characterizing the race as “wild,” “the extreme of the Daytona 500,” “aggressive” and “fun.”

    Ryan Blaney, who finished second in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford,  said, “It was one of the more wild 500s I’ve been in, a lot of wrecks that took out a bunch of good cars, which you hate to see. There were only a handful of cars out there that looked OK at the end.”

    AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 47 Kroger Clicklist Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing, who finished in third place, shared his perspective.

    “I mean, I think Daytona and Talladega are going to be extreme,” he said, “because, you know, it comes down to trying to get your track position. You see people lay back. Now with the stages, there’s points on the line. I think Daytona is the most amped up. It kind of changes how people race.

    “To me, I don’t think any of the other 32 races that we’re going to go to, we’re all driving as hard as we can every lap anyway. Yeah, you get a caution with eight to go before the stage ends, there’s going to be strategy. Maybe guys on old tires and that might make some difference when it comes to the stages. I think it’s the extreme of the Daytona 500 and these plate races, the way we have to race. Now with stages, with points being on the line, things are going to happen like that.”

    Jimmie Johnson’s race ended on lap 128 in a 17-car accident. He summed it up, saying, “Just a lot of aggression way too early, in my opinion.” His No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy finished in 34th place.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. who led eight laps in his No. 88 HMS Chevrolet before he was caught up in a wreck and only completed 106 laps and finished 37th, had a different viewpoint.

    “I really enjoyed the whole week; we had a lot of fun. Everybody’s support, to get back to the racetrack, meant a lot to me. Sorry, we weren’t able to deliver a better result today for all our fans.” He concluded by saying, “At least we went out leading the race.”

    While opinions vary, restrictor-plate racing is known for its volatile nature. The true test of the new format may be the upcoming Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway next week.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ on Twitter for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Pure Michigan 400

    With the new high drag package creating some high anxiety, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Pure Michigan 400 from the speedway nestled in the Irish Hills.

    Surprising:  With Matt Kenseth’s win in the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota, his manufacturer reigned supreme in Michigan. And with the trip to Victory Circle, Toyota received the Michigan Heritage trophy, initiated in 2013 to celebrate the winning vehicle manufacturer.

    Toyota gets to hang onto that coveted trophy until the next race at Michigan International Speedway in June 2016. This was Toyota’s fifth Cup win at Michigan and the manufacturer’s ninth win of the season.

    Winning Coach Joe Gibbs summed it up best as far as the partnership he has enjoyed with the manufacturer, with his Toyota team winning five out of the last six races.

    “Well, the first thing is it’s a team sport all the way,” Gibbs said after the race. “We’ve got great partners, thanks to Toyota, all the hard work they’ve done over the last year and a half.”

    “You really need to enjoy it because about 10 races back, we were struggling trying to get there, and you just hope now that we’ll be able to hold some momentum here and head into the Chase.”

    Not Surprising:  To tinker or not to tinker, that has been NASCAR’s question and the sanctioning body provided some answers after the Michigan race.

    As for the high drag rules package used at MIS for race day, Steve O’Donnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, acknowledged that it did not achieve the passing at the front goal as evidenced by the dominance of the No. 20 car.

    NASCAR, however, decided not to do any further tinkering, especially with any rules package changes during the Chase for the Championship.

    “We’re going to stay with the 2015 package,” O’Donnell said. “We’ve seen some good things with that package.  A lot of work has been done by the race teams already leading up to the final 10 races and feel like that’s the best decision for the sport.”

    “Excited about the Chase, excited about the package and what’s to come in the Chase, especially when you look back to last year.”

    Surprising:  Kyle Busch not only overcame having to start in the rear due to a practice crash in his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota but also demonstrated his best ‘Carnac the Magnificent’ skills with his prediction that there would be a crash in the first lap of the race.

    Busch was so convinced of his prediction that he hung back almost half a lap from the field during the start of the race, only to have David Ragan spin, fulfilling Busch’s prediction.

    Busch went on to finish 11th, moving himself up to 29th in the point standings.

    Not Surprising:  For the driver who came in runner up, yet again, the Pure Michigan 400 was a one-off in his opinion.

    “I would say we didn’t really learn anything today,” Kevin Harvick, the driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet, said. “Not only is this racetrack nothing like what we race on in the Chase, it’s just kind of a unique animal, and then you have the rules package.”

    “Today was really just about trying to win a race, and it’s really not going to lend itself towards anything that we do in the last 10 weeks.”

    Surprising:  Martin Truex Jr. is not only locked into the Chase but he continues to break records in his quest for the Championship. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet finished third, scoring his 16th top-10 finish in the first 23 races of the 2015 season.

    This tied a team season record, set in 2013 when Kurt Busch piloted the No. 78 for the Colorado-based race team.

    “It was a good day for everybody on the Furniture Row team,” Truex said. “We had a good car from the get go.  We made some adjustments throughout the race, but overall the No. 78 was a fast hot rod.”

    Not Surprising:  Team Penske drivers may have had a rocky start with their splitters being confiscated by NASCAR prior to the race, but both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski recovered to both finish in the top-10.

    “My team did a good job and we executed fairly well,” Logano said after finishing seventh. “We had a couple bad restarts but a good one there at the end to make up for it. I would say we finished about where we deserved.”

    “We made the most of our day in every way we could,” Keselowski said after his ninth place finish. “We just needed to be faster, for sure, especially down the straightaways.”

    Surprising:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the best of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers, finishing in the 10th position. Teammates Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson finished 15th, 17th and 39th respectively.

    In fact, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet had a miserable day, cutting a tire down early in the race, overshooting his pit stall, and spinning through the grass which destroyed the front end of his race car.

    Johnson finished an uncharacteristic 10 laps down.

    Not Surprising:  There was no doubt that Aric Almirola felt like a winner with his top-15 finish. The driver of the No. 43 Armour Ford overcame a stomach virus as well as a 30th place qualifying position to take the checkered flag in the 14th spot.

    Almirola also won in the point standings and now sits just 23 points behind competitor Clint Bowyer in the battle for the final playoff spot.

    “We may have finished 14th today, but it felt like a win after the weekend we had,” Almirola said. “Everyone worked really hard to get the car where we needed it.”

    “We made the best out of our situation and made up some good ground in points. We started the year with a goal to be consistent and just scored our 12th Top-15.”

    Surprising:  One young gun showed the field that having fun and performing can indeed go hand in hand. Austin Dillon, in his No. 3 Dow Chevrolet, had a career best finish in fourth place and yes, also had a little fun along the way moving from the back to the front.

    “We had some circumstances where we had to start at the back and had to figure out a way to get our track position back,” Dillon said. “Slugger (Labbe, crew chief) and the engineers did a good job coming up with a plan.”

    “The first 20 laps was no fun for us because we had to ride around and try and stay in front of the leader, but we saved gas and decided to not come down pit road on that first competition caution for fuel, and it worked out,” Dillon continued. “It showed that our car was fast enough to stay up there.”

    “We pitted, drove back up to where we needed to be, and it was a fun day for us, the Dow Chevrolet was fast, and I felt like I passed a lot of cars, also, getting into fourth.”

    Not Surprising: With his mentor Buddy Baker being laid to rest after losing his battle to cancer, Ryan Newman did him proud, scoring his eleventh top-10 finish, in spite of some damage incurred after a collision with the race car of Clint Bowyer. The finish was essential to the driver’s championship hopes and he moved up to the 12th spot in the standings.

    “I am so pleased with this top-10 finish,” Newman said. “It was an awesome team effort. It was a good day for us and a good points day for us.”

    “I’m looking forward to Bristol and I just found out that it will be my 500th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. I had no idea, so I’m hoping it will be another good weekend for us.”

     

  • Hot 20 – If it was something we could not see, was Fontana truly debris free?

    Hot 20 – If it was something we could not see, was Fontana truly debris free?

    Nothing gets NASCAR fans hotter than the possibility their conspiracy theories might actually be true.

    Is NASCAR using phantom debris to manipulate the outcome of races through the use of late cautions?

    “That’s a preposterous allegation,” says NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell. Actually, it is those cautions that many fans are finding preposterous. With debris shown in only one of three late instances, fans are left to wonder. With bad boy Kurt Busch apparently heading to victory, how fortuitous that a caution was called to open up an opportunity to alter the outcome of the race at Fontana. That should be easily enough addressed, one would think. Show us the debris, and it better be something more substantial than a hot dog wrapper. Either that, or give Michael Waltrip his money back.

    Of course, it is preposterous that some fans fail to understand just how transparent NASCAR now is. Anyone know what the attendance was at Fontana? Oops, sorry, I forgot. Some information is as tough to get made public as a Hillary Clinton e-mail or a Richard Nixon taped conversation.

    As for our Hot 20 heading to Martinsville…

    1. Kevin Harvick – 2 Wins (225 Points)
    33rd at Martinsville last fall, first or second after each race since.

    2. Joey Logano – 1 Win (197 Points)
    If the damn tire stays in the box, maybe NASCAR should stay out of it.

    3. Brad Keselowski – 1 Win (163 Points)
    NASCAR loves me. They really love me.

    4. Jimmie Johnson – 1 Win (159 Points)
    After all the restarts left him finishing ninth, I need to ask Jimmie, “What does NFG stand for?”

    5. Martin Truex Jr – 192 Points
    Five events, five Top Tens. That works.

    6. Dale Earnhardt Jr – 164 Points
    Zero for 23 at Fontana, but 1 (last October) for 30 at Martinsville.

    7. Ryan Newman – 162 Points
    If he had sat out the Daytona 500, would only slip to 8th in points.

    8. Kasey Kahne – 159 Points
    If 17th is the worst he can do (Phoenix, Fontana), you will find him here each week.

    9. Paul Menard – 152 Points
    Crew chief Justin Alexander’s magic helped massage a Top Ten on Sunday.

    10. Aric Almirola – 138 Points
    His boss won 15 times at Martinsville. Guess who wants a clock of his own.

    11. A.J. Allmendinger – 137 Points
    Thinking of Martinsville, dreaming of an Indianapolis-Charlotte double.

    12. Casey Mears – 132 Points
    His uncle won the Indianapolis 500 four times.

    13. Matt Kenseth – 127 Points
    Great pit stops, just one too many at Fontana.

    14. Denny Hamlin – 125 Points
    Gibbs cars lead 100 laps, none finish among the Top Dozen.

    15. David Ragan – 124 Points
    Upset Gordon at Fontana, but still sits a dozen points ahead of him in the standings.

    16. Carl Edwards – 120 Points
    Turned his foot long into a six-inch sub in practice and still searching for first Top Ten

    17. Jamie McMurray – 120 Points
    Yet to finish in NASCAR’s Top Ten. Is this the year?

    18. Austin Dillon – 116 Points
    With four Xfinity starts, tied with Larson for most visits to the kiddies table this year.

    19. Kyle Larson – 116 Points
    Now, NASCAR, THAT is what I would call debris.

    20. Clint Bowyer – 115 Points
    Martinsville changed its hog dogs, but this hot dog has endorsed ‘em as being just as good.

  • Tony Stewart Will Return to Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Tony Stewart Will Return to Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Tony Stewart will once again be behind the wheel of the No. 14 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway for Sunday night’s Oral-B USA 500.

    Stewart has missed three NASCAR Sprint Cup races after being involved in the August 9 fatal sprint car accident at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York that claimed the life of 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr.

    The accident occurred after an on track racing incident between Stewart and Ward after which Ward got out of his car, walked onto the track amid the oncoming cars and was struck by Stewart’s car.

    The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting an investigation into the accident and no charges have been filed to date.

    Stewart issued a brief written statement on August 10 following the accident, stating, “There aren’t words to describe the sadness I feel about the accident that took the life of Kevin Ward Jr. It’s a very emotional time for all involved, and it is the reason I’ve decided not to participate in today’s race at Watkins Glen. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and everyone affected by this tragedy.”

    He has not spoken publicly since the accident but is scheduled to meet with the media Friday at 1 p,m. ET at the track in Atlanta.

    Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, released the following statement concerning Stewart’s return to racing.

    “Tony Stewart has received all necessary clearances required to return to all racing activities, and therefore is eligible to compete this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. NASCAR has remained in constant contact with his race team, and we will stay very close to this situation as Stewart returns to competition.”

    NASCAR President Mike Helton will participate in a media availability in the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center on Friday at 2 p.m. ET. NASCAR will have no further comment until that time.

    This availability will be streamed live on www.nascar.com/presspass. A transcript will be available approximately one hour after the availability.

     

     

     

     

  • NASCAR Unveils the Deterrent System

    NASCAR Unveils the Deterrent System

    In NASCAR, penalties are always inconsistent and there is always controversy surrounding each call. In an effort to make the process more transparent or more black and white, if you will, the powers that be have come up with a new system – the Deterrent System. Infractions are now classified on a scale from warnings to P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6. They have informally handed out warnings in the past but now, they will be tracked and made public. NASCAR reiterated that they will not, under any circumstance, take wins away. They want fans to leave the track knowing who won the race.

    NASCAR also has a new Chief Appelant Officer. Bryan Moss will replace John Middlebrook and NASCAR stressed that the decision to make a change was not due to Middlebrook going against NASCAR in multiple appeals last year. Race manipulation is not included in this new system though, perhaps because it will be treated as a separate entity. Along with organizing the process more, this system slams repeat offenders. For a detailed look at the new penalty scale, click on the chart below…

    Via NASCAR
    Via NASCAR

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    NASCAR Executive VP of Racing Operations Steve O’Donnell

    “NASCAR’s Deterrence System is designed to help maintain the integrity and competitive balance of our sport while sending a clear message that rules violations will not be tolerated. “This is a more transparent and effective model that specifically spells out that ‘X’ infraction equals ‘X’ penalty for technical infractions. At the same time, we believe the Appeals process allows a fair opportunity for our NASCAR Members to be heard, and have penalty disputes resolved by an impartial, relevant group of people with the ability to handle the complexities inherent in any appeal.This system has been tailored specifically to fit the needs of our sport.”

    The appeal process itself will continue to have two levels. The first is a three-person panel, called “The National Motorsports Appeals Panel.” The team involved then has the option to go to the Chief Appellant Officer Bryan Moss. All alterations to the penalty system will be implemented immediately.

  • NASCAR Singing in the Rain with New Air Titan

    NASCAR Singing in the Rain with New Air Titan

    NASCAR-Air-Titan-1-track-dryer
    Photo Credit: Mike Meadows/ISC

    After thirty hours of rain delay and one colossal jet dryer flame out during last year’s Daytona 500, NASCAR vowed to find a new way to dry wet race tracks.

    And they have done just that, unveiling the new Air Titan, which will not only dry tracks quicker but also help ensure that NASCAR will be singing in the rain if it happens to interrupt this year’s Daytona Speed Weeks festivities.

    “NASCAR is really excited to officially introduce our track-drying technology, which we are naming NASCAR’s Air Titan,” Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations, said. “Having the first Daytona 500 rained out certainly put more of an emphasis on the importance for the fans attending and those watching.”

    “Everyone knows the time it takes to dry a track and the impact it’s had on our fans attending an event and those watching us on television is really the main reason our chairman Brian France tasked the folks at the R & D Center to come up with a solution to reduce drying time,” O’Donnell said. “And what we look at is an 18 to 24 month process to get us to Phase 1, where we were able to design, develop and test the Air Titan and have it ready for Speedweeks in Daytona.”

    “It’s been a thoroughly-tested scientific process.”

    O’Donnell advised that the ultimate goal of Air Titan is to reduce the track drying time by 80 percent or down to about thirty minutes.  And its first true test may be if the rains come at anytime in the next two weeks at Daytona International Speedway.

    So, how will this new Air Titan help NASCAR sing, instead of sigh, in the rain?

    “We’ll have basically two sets of identical equipment on opposite sides of the track that will move in the same direction and do one complete pass of the race track,” O’Donnell said. “The system basically works by having compressors feed air at a high rate of speed through a hose to the Air Titan modules.”

    “The Air Titan is able to blow air in narrow, highly pressurized sheets over the race surface down onto the apron,” O’Donnell continued. “Then on the apron we’ve got a regenerative air vacuum truck, which obviously absorbs the water.”

    “And then we’ll have jet dryers behind each cycle, we’ll have five of those, that will move at a rate of speed of approximately 3 to 5 miles per hour.”

    O’Donnell admitted that this new Air Titan technology is brand spanking new and will really be put to the test at Daytona before being rolled out at other tracks.

    “Daytona will really give us the first chance for us to see it work,” O’Donnell said. “Speedweeks historically has a lot of product on the track.”

    “So we’re going to use this as a test,” O’Donnell continued. “We’ve still got some work to do there for the other tracks, so we’ll look at options in the future, but Daytona will just be Phase 1.”

    O’Donnell also admitted that powering the new Air Titan might just be one of NASCAR’s most significant challenges, especially given its green commitment.

    “We’ve still got some work to do from powering the Air Titan,” O’Donnell said. “There’s still some challenges there and some logistical challenges depending on where we’re racing.”

    “I think we’re able to power it right now, but you’ll see how many air compressors it takes to power the Air Titan,” O’Donnell continued. “When you see the air compressors, there are a number of them.”

    “We’re going to have 17 of them out on the track,” O’Donnell said. “We have to look at how do we reduce that, how do we look at how they’re powered, are there greener technologies we can use.”

    “So we’re really excited about actually having the Air Titan out there and the fact that it works and excited to now just focus on that power aspect of it moving forward.”

    While NASCAR knows this is groundbreaking technology when it comes to track drying, O’Donnell also acknowledged that jet dryers and other equipment will still be needed, at least in the short term. But in the long term, jet dryers may be singing in the rain at junk yards instead of race tracks.

    “I think the way the system was developed really for Phase 1 was in combination of what exists today, i.e., jet dryers, vacuums, the Air Titan, and using a combination of all of those to have the most efficient means possible to dry the track,” O’Donnell said. “I think moving forward would we love to have an all-in all in one system?”

    “Absolutely, that’s the ultimate goal if we can get there.”

    “I think if everything works where we see it going in the future, you could see jet dryers being a thing of the past,” O’Donnell said. “You could see that model where the tracks have gone out and purchased jet dryers that they now are purchasing the Air Titans and having their own air supply at each track because obviously they host more than just NASCAR events.”

    “So I think that model that’s existed in the past will continue; we’ve just got to work through some of those things to get it where it needs to be.”

    While NASCAR may be singing in the rain over its new innovation, the main focus of the leadership of the sport is to get the fans singing as well in spite of any rain. And to also get the television broadcasters and the sponsors signing in the rain will be the ultimate goal.

    “When fans come to the racetrack, they’ve invested a significant amount of time and money to come to a race, and understanding now that they may have the opportunity to see that race happen that day we think is huge for the industry,” O’Donnell said. “We also think it’s huge for our television partners.”

    “We know that when a red flag comes out, that’s a challenge, and so speeding up any downtime we think is a win-win for the entire industry, the tracks, the drivers, the race teams, the fans,” O’Donnell continued. “That’s the goal is to get this down to as short a time as possible, and if we do that, we think it’s a benefit to the entire industry.”

    “We know it’s imperative for us to innovate every day,” O’Donnell said. “One of those is the Air Titan.”

    “At the end of the day we feel like we’ve got the best story to tell.”

    So, thanks to the new Air Titan, let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place, NASCAR has a smile on its face because they are just singin’, singin’ in the rain.