Race Program Development - 5 Steps To Success In '08

Double-check your setup every week, just to make sure that nothing has changed from an accident.

Develop a checklist for tightening every nut and bolt on the car, so that you can ensure not only your setup but also your safety. I watched a situation unfold last year where a loose bolt on a carburetor cost a racer an entire car when his throttle hung wide open and the car slammed the outside wall the first lap of practice.

The toolbox also should be checked before each race to make sure you have the proper equipment for the race weekend. It is annoying when you have someone repeatedly come into your pit stall to borrow tools. Don't become this person.

The trailer will also need to be gone through to ensure that you have every part you might use on the car. Our team goes through the trailer before every race to make sure we have every spring we believe we might use and each gear as well. If you make preparation a priority, you can avoid a lot of the annoying issues that can plague you at the racetrack.

There is something to be said for helping a new company or person in the class or series you are racing. But the individuals who have had success in whatever racing you are doing are the people you want to be associated with. This extends to more than just your crew chief or the team you choose to hang around with while at the track. For example, let's say you are trying to find someone to rebuild your shocks, and you have the choice between a few different companies that specialize in this. Take a couple weeks (if possible) and walk over and talk to the winning team and ask, "Who builds your shocks?" If it is done in house, trust me, they will be more than glad to tell you they build them. However, most teams turn to a shock specialist and are more than glad to give the company or person more business. The same principle will apply when researching engine builders or chassis manufacturers.

By associating yourself with individuals who have had success, you are setting yourself up for success. I experienced this with my own team when I first started racing in the Hooters Pro Cup Series. I had a crew chief who at the time was a decent guy and had some Late Model success on his resume. However, he had never worked on the Pro Cup cars and at our first race it became increasingly evident that he was struggling with the transition. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but we had to sever our ties with that crew chief and search for someone who had already experienced success in these types of cars. We ended up finding exactly what we were looking for in Mardy Lindley, a former driver and a multiple winner in the series. We went from barely making the field at our first race to qualifying Top 5 in our second start.

This can extend to your crew as well. You need to have a crew that, first of all, loves to race, but also has an incredible work ethic. They are hard to find, but if you can find that crewmember who is dedicated and loves to work on racecars, he or she is the person you want and need to keep on your team. But you also need a crewmember with experience in the series you are racing in, one who has worked on the type of cars you are racing. This is a particular advantage if a situation arises and you only have a certain amount of time to fix a problem. The crewmember with experience will know what he is working on and fix it quickly.

Sponsorship dollars are no doubt great, but if you are racing in a division where you can afford to race every weekend, sponsorship dollars become less important. Sponsorship or not, you can save a lot of money by doing as much as you can in your shop instead of hiring someone else to do the work for you.