Before practice starts, each spotter checks in with NASCAR official Lynn Olsen, again establishing that each driver has representation on the spotters' stand. At 9 a.m. sharp, the first trucks take the track for a practice that will last just under two hours.
Bickle's Billy Ballew Motorsports team is fielding two trucks in this event, with a second entry piloted by Johnny Sauter. Because it is a small team, resources are stretched to the limit as the two teams share equipment and parts such as scales, cool-down units, springs, and rearend gears. Eventually, both trucks hit the track about 10 minutes after practice starts.
The extra time gives me a chance to gauge the new track, and I quickly see it's lightning fast-nearly 20 mph faster than in the past. Additionally, I study the speeds of the trucks on the track compared to those driving off of pit road. It will be critical once Bickle is ready to practice that I find him a space by himself to shake down the truck. Early morning practice is all about finding out what you have, not racing somebody.
On the new Miami track, that means I have to have Bickle rolling on the access road when the next truck at speed is in the middle of turns 3 and 4. That will give him time to get up to speed and blend his truck into a hole by itself. This will be especially critical later when all the teams do a "sticker run"-on new tires and in qualifying mode-at the end of practice. Misjudge finding your driver a hole and you ruin the data you have for your qualifying setup. Also, if you pull up in front of another car and knuckle the driver's sticker run, you're more than likely going to anger someone.
Now, out on the track for practice, we quickly establish that our truck is loose on entry into the corner. It's easy to see the back of the truck wobble as Bickle pounds it into the first turn. He's chasing control of the truck and not able to get back on the gas as quickly as he'd like. A quick check with some other spotters indicates that, for the most part, they are experiencing the same condition, so everyone has work to do.
While Bickle is in the pits, I mingle with the other spotters, take some corner speed times of the other trucks, and generally relax. This is as close to downtime on the spotters' stand as it gets. For Brendan Gaughan's spotter, Bill Holbrook, it's a chance to take a nap in the Florida sun after Gaughan's Dodge loses an engine early in the session.
The spotters form an eclectic group. Most spotters in the Truck Series are team members, but there are a few "hired guns" like Mike Calinoff, Matt Kenseth's spotter in Cup, and me. A top-flight guy like Calinoff will easily get in excess of $500 to spot Friday's race for Andy Houston. While that seems like a lot of cash, it pales in comparison to the $1,000-plus expenses some guys get for spotting a Cup race. Most of the guys up here today already get paid by the team or will cash in for $200-$300 when we're done Friday. You have to love to race, because you won't get rich doing this job.