Absent Crew Chiefs and their Technology

As if we didn't suspect this one!!

Technology helps absentee crew (chief) members stay in touch with their team, and be able to still have input and feedback!

Evident by Tony Eury Jr.'s tech-savvy setup in his motor coach last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, the crew chief was anything but silent.

"I stay in touch with things like NASCAR TrackPass and the cell phone. I keep up with the practice lap times and instant message back and forth with our team engineer, H.A. [Mergen]," said Eury, who will return to the pit box this weekend in Daytona after serving a six-race suspension for improper brackets used to attach the rear wing to the COT of the No. 8 Chevrolet.

According to NASCAR rules, suspended crew chiefs are not permitted to communicate with their crews via team radios, however, NASCAR is not in a position to monitor all outside communication that may take place, such as cell phone calls, instant messaging or text messaging.

Also, crew chiefs are not allowed to enter the garage areas so most -- including recently suspended Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte -- set up shop in their motor coaches just outside the track and utilize AM/FM Pi Antennas to monitor radio traffic.

(Would this explain the overly chatty Jeff Gordon on his com at NH last weekend?)

No matter the level of communication, NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp said the suspensions still serve their purpose. (Bull...., take the primary pit crew staff off of pit stops and now we'll see the impact.. ya can't call that in!!)

Read the entire article at www.nascar.com