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Sprint Cup
CUP: Wilson Returns, Says Crew Chief Must Weigh Risk Vs. Reward
Clint Bowyer crew chief Shane Wilson is back after a four-race suspension...
Shane Wilson (Left) will be back atop the pit box of Clint Bowyer (Right) this weekend at Texas. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Returning from a four-race suspension, a relieved and philosophical Shane Wilson is ready to get back to work as well as not be benched again.
The Richard Childress Racing crew chief, who has guided Clint Bowyer’s NASCAR Sprint Cup efforts since 2009, returned to the garage Friday as he was cleared to work after his suspension for the illegal car that Bowyer drove to the victory at New Hampshire in September.
NASCAR found the rear of the car too high when measured in relation to how the body was hung on the chassis. Bowyer lost 150 points and NASCAR suspended Wilson for six races, a suspension that eventually was reduced to four on appeal.
“Getting suspended, especially in this day and age, kind of wakes you up a little bit to what you can lose, the risk versus the reward,” Wilson said as the team prepared the car at Texas Motor Speedway. “We don’t want to get ourselves in that situation again.
“Could we have not got in that situation? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s a little bit confusing still. You’ve got to be on edge, all the little crumbs have to be as good as the next guy, but it’s just a fine line there. What you can lose nowadays, the 150 points, definitely the infraction wasn’t worth the points. It wasn’t gaining us 150 points. You’ve got to look at it that way.”
Wilson returned to a team that carries momentum off a victory last week at Talladega Superspeedway.
“I was happy for the guys,” Wilson said. “We had been in those situations in the speedway races and always came up short. It was nice to win one.”
During his suspension, Wilson said he paid close attention to how other cars handled in practice and the race.
“I definitely picked up a few things I might try to implement by next year,” Wilson said. “You can pick up little things, different [cars’] attitudes, like at Fontana how bumpy it is. We also get photos and footage of the cars going around there.
“When you’re racing, you don’t have time to look at that stuff. It was interesting, not anything earth shattering but a different perspective.”
What Wilson didn’t do was try to crew chief from home. He communicated with competition director Scott Miller but Miller ran the No. 33 team.
“Scott ran our program like I would do it, but he did the deal,” Wilson said. “That’s the easiest way. You get too many people involved, it just makes it harder for the guys and more confusing. It worked out fine.
“It was good for all the guys. They all had to step up a little bit, but will be glad when it gets back to normal.”
With Bowyer 12th in the standings and 367 points behind the leader, Wilson said he returns to the track looking forward to next year over the final three weeks.
“I was a little angry on how it all went down, but it is what it is,” he said. “I’m glad to be back and start working towards next year. We’ve got a good deal going. We’ve really done a lot of stuff we wanted to do this year.
“Even if we hadn’t lost those points, we’d still be coming up a little short right now. Still, we made progress. We’re able to start winning some races and running better. … If we just keep getting a little more consistent, our speed has been there.”
And Wilson hopes he remains there for the foreseeable future.
“When you do this for a living, when you sit out for a while, it makes you appreciate what you have,” Wilson said. “I’m just glad to be back. You do it so much, it’s such a routine, that staying home on weekends and stuff is just weird.”
SceneDaily.com • Talladega to name press box in honor of NASCAR VP Jim Hunter
The Richard Childress Racing crew chief, who has guided Clint Bowyer’s NASCAR Sprint Cup efforts since 2009, returned to the garage Friday as he was cleared to work after his suspension for the illegal car that Bowyer drove to the victory at New Hampshire in September.
NASCAR found the rear of the car too high when measured in relation to how the body was hung on the chassis. Bowyer lost 150 points and NASCAR suspended Wilson for six races, a suspension that eventually was reduced to four on appeal.
“Getting suspended, especially in this day and age, kind of wakes you up a little bit to what you can lose, the risk versus the reward,” Wilson said as the team prepared the car at Texas Motor Speedway. “We don’t want to get ourselves in that situation again.
“Could we have not got in that situation? Maybe. Maybe not. It’s a little bit confusing still. You’ve got to be on edge, all the little crumbs have to be as good as the next guy, but it’s just a fine line there. What you can lose nowadays, the 150 points, definitely the infraction wasn’t worth the points. It wasn’t gaining us 150 points. You’ve got to look at it that way.”
Wilson returned to a team that carries momentum off a victory last week at Talladega Superspeedway.
“I was happy for the guys,” Wilson said. “We had been in those situations in the speedway races and always came up short. It was nice to win one.”
During his suspension, Wilson said he paid close attention to how other cars handled in practice and the race.
“I definitely picked up a few things I might try to implement by next year,” Wilson said. “You can pick up little things, different [cars’] attitudes, like at Fontana how bumpy it is. We also get photos and footage of the cars going around there.
“When you’re racing, you don’t have time to look at that stuff. It was interesting, not anything earth shattering but a different perspective.”
What Wilson didn’t do was try to crew chief from home. He communicated with competition director Scott Miller but Miller ran the No. 33 team.
“Scott ran our program like I would do it, but he did the deal,” Wilson said. “That’s the easiest way. You get too many people involved, it just makes it harder for the guys and more confusing. It worked out fine.
“It was good for all the guys. They all had to step up a little bit, but will be glad when it gets back to normal.”
With Bowyer 12th in the standings and 367 points behind the leader, Wilson said he returns to the track looking forward to next year over the final three weeks.
“I was a little angry on how it all went down, but it is what it is,” he said. “I’m glad to be back and start working towards next year. We’ve got a good deal going. We’ve really done a lot of stuff we wanted to do this year.
“Even if we hadn’t lost those points, we’d still be coming up a little short right now. Still, we made progress. We’re able to start winning some races and running better. … If we just keep getting a little more consistent, our speed has been there.”
And Wilson hopes he remains there for the foreseeable future.
“When you do this for a living, when you sit out for a while, it makes you appreciate what you have,” Wilson said. “I’m just glad to be back. You do it so much, it’s such a routine, that staying home on weekends and stuff is just weird.”
SceneDaily.com • Talladega to name press box in honor of NASCAR VP Jim Hunter
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