Whirlwind of a Weekend for NASCAR’ Head Engineering Technician

Wednesday, April 23--Climbing into his Mitsubishi, Carl Wolf points it toward Charlotte, North Carolina. If traffic allows, he'll pull into the airport in 35 minutes--a quick trip from his home in Concord. He looks forward to the weekend. As head engineering technician for NASCAR, he works the 10th race of the season--at California Speedway, a state-of-the-art, two-mile D-shaped oval similar to Michigan Speedway. Built on soil that once held the mighty Kaiser Steel plant in Fontana, Roger Penske's newest track is a favorite with Winston Cup drivers, and with Carl, too. It's a challenging, high-speed oval, demanding lots of horsepower to run up front. As his plane touches down at the new Ontario International Airport terminal, Wolf briefly reviews NASCAR's schedule.

G pump gauge and other precision equipment. He also makes a mental note: no restrictor plate race here in California, no vacuum reading needed. There is still plenty else to check--cubic inch displacement, compression ratio, temperature, and more. NASCAR tech officials will inspect each manifold, carburetor, fan, air box, and filter. Each car will be gone over with extreme scrutiny--from front hubs to the rear spoiler--104 checkpoints in all.

It is well-known that Wolf has an eagle eye; illegal engine parts that he's found in the past are now on display in the Darlington museum.

Thursday

Gray clouds hover over the speedway. With three races on the weekend roster--Winston West, Busch Grand National, and Winston Cup--there will be masses of inspections. Fortified with a hasty breakfast, he remains on call, helping out with the Winston West and Busch inspections whenever needed. "Our officials help out those other inspectors whenever they ask," says Wolf. "We share our techniques, and also learn from them." The Winston West mounts are in practice from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., then the BGN haulers arrive. At 3 p.m., a long line of Winston Cup haulers begin snaking through the west-side tunnel and into position near the garages. Again, when needed, Wolf and his crew help line them up so their team cars can be in the garages for an early 7 a.m. inspection.

As Wolf works, NASCAR official Rodney Wise writes the figures on the team's inspection cards. Engine tech Gene Sanders alternates with Wolf, each doing two cars at a time--in and out, in and out of the rows of Winston Cup mounts, garaged in order of championship points. Working diligently but quickly, they carefully step over tools and other paraphernalia lying between the cars. "We want to get all these specs done before practice time starts," Wolf states, as he hurries to his next checkpoint, "and have all these cars within the rules." "Carl and I have been working off and on together since last year," says Wise during a brief break. "No matter what he does, he does it to a 'T.' He's always on the go; you never see him resting much. He's knowledgeable, dedicated, a good leader, and a person you can talk to about problems. He listens. The best word to describe Carl is 'perfectionist.'"

Friday

"I don't know about that," laughs Wolf, "but there's a very serious responsibility here, not only to the fans, but to NASCAR, the competitors, and the sponsors, so I try hard to give them something that fits in with the rest of this racing arena. Above all, NASCAR's first priority is safety." Gary Nelson, NASCAR's Winston Cup Series director of competition, explains Wolf's selection to monitor engine specs. "What we were after was someone who was meticulous and could work well out in the field. There are lots of engine builders who are very good at what they do, but that's when everything is perfect. They have the workbench, dyno, proper tools, all those things lined up just right in a shop. Although that's what we do out here in the garage--we have the bench, the proper tools, and set them up in a nice way--in this sport the wind is blowing a lot of the time, or it's cold, or hot, and working conditions vary.

G pump, a crew member kicks over the starter, and Carl pumps his gauge. Out comes the metal device, a new one is screwed into the cylinder head, then pistons are cranked to top dead center. Swiftly, he checks for a reading--by NASCAR rules, a maximum of 12. Next--cubic inch displacement. Again, Wolf checks for a specific reading: 44.5 cubic inches x 8 cylinders = 356 cubic inches. "We give them a variance of 350.000 to 358.000 c.i.d.," he explains. "As their block wears, the cylinder bores get larger, then they need a shorter stroke and crankshaft." A final check of their carburetor, all is okay, so on to the next team.

"Our conditions aren't workshop or engine-building, but at the same time we still have to get precise measurements. Carl has the experience, the temperament, and the ability to work well with less-than-perfect conditions, and still come up with those proper numbers. He's done such a great job that we put him in charge after a very short time. We usually keep men three to four years before giving them that much responsibility, but in a matter of months, Carl was our head man." Wolf responds, "To do what we do here takes a certain amount of trust. I feel that I had to do a good job to earn that credibility." Following him around the garages during his rounds almost requires roller blades; this guy moves in double-time. "When I first started this job, I almost didn't make it all the way around the garages," he says on his way to the next car. "I thought my legs would fall off, they were so tired." Now, to keep fit, he walks 2.9 miles daily in a park near his home.

Saturday

M's mount. All are okay, and heading out to practice. A new question, from Kurt Busch's Winston West crew: "Where's the right oil drum to dump our used oil?" Wolf is off and checking, soon back with the answer, escorting them to the right location. A quick journey into the garage where Kyle Petty's car is housed, checking "real time" on their computer monitor, then back out again. On his radio frequency, he takes a sudden message from the tower: Irvan's car is on-track and appears to be smoking.

With no qualifying that day, race engines are rapidly installed for Sunday's contest. More engines, more checks and re-checks, the pace picks up even faster. During the Busch and Winston West races, and with Happy Hour approaching at 2 p.m., it becomes a mad rush. Each team hurries for that one last chance to test their race engines before practice closes at 3. Once a race engine is down on its motor mounts and the battery cable connected, it is inspected and stats are entered into NASCAR's books. Teams not ready go to the bottom of the list; their engine check will be done later or the next day. Before Saturday closes, Wolf also has discussions with engine builders on where intake manifolds are to be improved for the future, forthcoming rules, and how they'll address them. Other discussions ensue with five major parts suppliers. "We pay special attention to suppliers, so they understand our rules," he says. "That reduces the chance our competitors will have future problems with their parts. These discussions are a never-ending dialogue; sometimes they get intense."

Another engine checked, the last in the row. In the tech inspection area, he takes a brief pause--taking quick bites of a candy bar to keep up his energy. Three minutes later, he is off and running again. Moving swiftly through the garages, he notes the cars that are still not cleared on his pad. Then, it's on to the NASCAR trailer to check the car numbers on his pad against those on the checkout sheet so none will be missed. He is then off again. As the rain continues, he rolls his equipment through the wetness to the other garage, where more cars are waiting. Moving down the rows, he takes more time with the Realtree entry of Dave Marcis. At the Winston West car of Butch Gilliland, the starter is not yet connected. Wolf patiently waits a moment or two. It is finally kicked over, he checks out the engine stats, Wise notes them, they move on. The rain pours down steadily all day. NASCAR finally issues their edict: no qualifying on Saturday. All Busch and Winston Cup drivers are placed on the grid in order of their current car owner points. For the last eight cars, it will be by postmark of their entry. This hasn't happened since Richmond, Virginia, in the spring of 1997.

A real crunch for Wolf and his crew. Fifteen Winston Cup cars need engine checks and tech inspection before rolling out for the 11 a.m. start. One team has problems with their electronic ignition, another with debris in the oil line and tank. Finally, all 15 are engine-checked, fully-teched and on the grid. During the 500-mile contest, there is as much action in the garage area as on the track. Wolf and the other NASCAR officials hastily remove barrels and banners from the area, check engines on cars that go behind the wall to see if they can safely return to the race. Six drivers--from Mark Martin to Jimmy Spencer--have engine problems; none will return to competition. In rapid order, inspection carts and tables are set up in a remote northeast corner of the garage area. It is there Carl and his crew do their final teardown inspection. Jeff Gordon takes the checkered flag, Jeff Burton a close second. Under NASCAR rules, first- and second-place cars are scheduled for teardown. At random, a third car is also chosen--in this case, the No. 12 Ford of Jeremy Mayfield. As the sun slowly drops low in the western California sky, Wolf and his crew are still hard at work. He checks the stroke and bore of the engines, the combustion chambers on the blocks, even checks gasket numbers, brands, thickness, and diameter.

And the toughest part of his job? "Rainouts!" he says, without hesitation. "If there's a small bit of drizzle, then there's hope. But when it rains hard, like this past Friday, it forces us to make major changes to the schedule. Rain destroys everything, even our patience." Coming from the affable Carl Wolf, that's quite a statement. For Relaxation, Wolf Takes To The Skies.

Randy Gillis, sales engineer for JE Pistons, knows the importance of dialogue with Carl and other NASCAR inspectors. "What we try to do is coordinate with Carl to keep everything on a legal basis," said Gillis. "Compression ratio is a critical factor. We try to keep that and our c.i.d. spot-on in their specs as much as possible, so nothing appears illegal. Everything we manufacture must fit within NASCAR's guidelines. "And for the most part," Gillis adds, "Carl's job entails more than just the weekend. What he actually does during the week is to tell the teams how NASCAR's going to inspect their engine parts, even offering them the opportunity to buy the same tools NASCAR uses to inspect them. When racers bring their cars to the track, they have no fear of being thrown out for some minor technicality. "He even goes that extra mile by traveling to various race shops. The whole point of his work is to prevent sensationalism, like there was in the old days, when a team would have to sit out a race. Today, no corporate sponsor wants to lose valuable television and race time by an infraction that may seem to be a misunderstanding. That's where Carl makes everything work really, really smooth."

Wolf reports he'll check it out when Irvan comes in. Johnny Benson's Cheerios machine rolls into the garage. Wolf's been alerted it is leaking oil and reports that to the crew. On their next practice run, he notes it is no longer leaking oil on its return; the crew has repaired the problem. Practice is now winding down, cars are coming back in at a fast clip. Wolf asks Geoffrey Bodine's team when they'll be ready for engine check; their response: 12:15 p.m. "We'll be styling and smiling," they tell Wolf with a grin. He notes that time to return.

Sunday morning

"Those numbers documented on our final teardown sheets are within .1000 of an inch, and within one-tenth of a cc.," says Wolf, "and each of those teams gets their own copy. If there would ever be a problem or question with those numbers, we'd be accountable, so we try to remain infallible. It's a tremendous responsibility. There are things that could embarrass the competitor and their sponsor, so we must be absolutely sure what we put down." Finally, the sun nudges the horizon. NASCAR's work is finished, equipment stored away for the upcoming GM testing at Charlotte. Wolf is now so tired all he wants is his nice, soft hotel bed. Still, he claims he wouldn't change his job for the world. "My work is exciting, never boring, always challenging, and, especially from a technology point of view, where something new is always coming up. NASCAR is the greatest organization in the world, and we officials all work together as a team--that's the only way this can be done effectively. We also get to work with the best race teams in the world, who are always trying to find every advantage to do better."

When Carl Wolf can carve a day or two out of his busy schedule, he doesn't spend it in a rocking chair reading a book. Far from it. Sometimes you can find him in an airplane, a chute strapped to his back, waiting to sky-dive one more time. And what sensation does he get when he leaps out that airplane door? "Freedom," he says. "And respect. The freedom of falling through the air, and respect of the basic laws of physics and knowing that, beyond that, the Lord is in charge. There's a certain rush or high when that parachute opens and I know it's working properly. Then I can relax and enjoy the final minutes I'm coasting down by looking at the scenery, or turning my chute around. It's fun. Everything else is left behind. It gets my total attention." Wolf Goes The Extra Mile.