Things You Should Never Do In A Race Car (Or Truck)

Don't Look Down

A common mistake I see new drivers make is failing to look far enough down the track. They look down, or right in front of the car, which may be OK on a 3/8- or maybe even a 1/2-mile track where it takes a certain amount of time to get from point A to point B, but when you get on the bigger tracks you get there a lot faster. You really have to look up and look deep into the field to see what's going on. Don't fall into the trap of just looking at the guy in front of you, because if an accident develops several cars in front of you, you are going to run right into it.

I've seen inexperienced racers drive right into a wreck because they weren't looking any farther than the car in front of them. It can be difficult to do because when you are trying to pass a car, it does require a lot of your attention in order to get around him without wrecking both of you. At the same time, you can't stop paying attention to what's going on 10 or 12 cars ahead.

It's tough, but you really do have to be aware at all times of everything from the car directly behind you-because you don't want to let him pass you-all the way forward to 10 or 12 cars ahead of you. Nowadays, spotters are allowed in many racing series, and if you can have a radio and a spotter, then use them. If you have a really good spotter you can trust, that can really help you out. You still have to be aware of everything going on around you, but the spotter can help reduce that load. He can let you know what's going on in the next turn so you can pay a little more attention to those cars directly in front of and behind you. How are you going to pass that car in front of you? What's his weak spot? Is it going into the corner or coming out of the corner? Is he pushing or is he loose? You have to concentrate on how he is driving so you can identify his weak spot and pounce on that. Sometimes it will take a lap or two of watching him before you can spot his weakness.

But again, you cannot rely completely on your spotter, either. A lot of times you can see things from the racetrack that he can't see from the stands. The greatest part of your concentration should be on what's going on directly around you, but that will shift throughout the race. You just have to be able to develop an awareness of what's happening all over the racetrack.

Don't Drive Too Hard

It's important not to develop the habit of overdriving the race car. Overdriving means different things on different tracks with different cars, but as a general rule it's not a good idea to be on the brakes and the gas at the same time. That rarely works out well.

If you are dragging the brake while you are still on the gas, that overheats the brakes quickly. It's also hard to get a truck or a car-whatever you are racing-to rotate and turn if you are on the brakes. The car actually needs to be off both the brakes and the gas for a second to allow the suspension to set so the car can rotate. I think if you allow the car to roll through the turn, it may feel slower, but it will turn better, be easier to drive, and overall make you faster.

In Late Model cars with restricted carburetors, you have to overdrive the car, but when you get to the Craftsman Truck Series and many other touring series, you have so much horsepower available that overdriving the car does more harm than good. In Late Models or other restricted-power race cars, you have to overdrive the things. You have to keep pushing them until you do something wrong, and then you fix it. In the Truck Series or with more powerful cars, you have so much horsepower and brakes available that you have to be careful how you use them through the turns or you can upset the suspension. When you don't have a lot of power available, it's all about maintaining speed through the turns. When you are in a more powerful race car, it's faster to stop, let it roll free so it will turn, and then pick up the throttle and head back the other way.