Some thoughts on why bid budget teams do better than the lower budget teams

[flapjack]

OK, aside from the money to buy parts, parts, parts and do R&D/testing, I was thinking they race the entire season, many seasons over, with many cars, so the multiple data they collect for each track, or lessons learned from one track applying to another track is crucial to their success. The lower budget teams don't do a full pull so they don't have the advantage of some much data to analyze.

Just a thought. Discuss amongst yourselves, I'm all verklempt (yes, bad SNL reference for a drag racing forum).

 

[Draw 3D]

What do the lower budget teams full pull?

 

[Rajunz]

One other key component that you missed is being able to hire a rocket scientist. Hey, maybe Wilkerson was a rocket scientist in a previous lifetime? Hmmmm....

 

[Rajunz]

What do the lower budget teams full pull?

Full tour.

 

[Justin@NRE]

R&D, Testing, Talent and LOTS of parts are what the budget buys you. You may be a little more willing to stand on your stuff a little harder or take a risk you normally wouldn't based on your available parts, or if an oildown penalty will hurt your budget. Don't like the way your parts are working or you hear something works better, you buy a bunch of that and shelf the other stuff. Don't like your crew chief? Hire a more expensive one you think will do better.

 

[Usual password less 1]

Another big advantage is getting 4 shots at the track when individual teams only get one. Lets say your first car leaves good and then smokes the tires just before the 330' mark. The other crew chiefs know how that car was set up so maybe they make an adjustment to the timing map or clutch management on the next car to fix that and it goes on from there. The individual team has to wait another few hours or a day until they get another chance and by then the track is different and maybe the atmospheric conditions as well. To me it's like golf. Give me a 10 foot putt and maybe I make it 50% of the time. Give me 4 tries at it from the same spot and I am probably going to make one of them.

 

[Jim]

OK,
Just a thought. Discuss amongst yourselves, I'm all verklempt (yes, bad SNL reference for a drag racing forum).

Like butta' - Apropos of nothing, my eye doctor made cameo appearances in all of the Austin Powers movies - He went to school or had some relationship to Mrs. Richmonds (Mike Myers Mother-in-law?) the inspiration for the "Discuss amongst yourself" character.

 

[Dennis]

OK, aside from the money to buy parts, parts, parts and do R&D/testing, I was thinking they race the entire season, many seasons over, with many cars, so the multiple data they collect for each track, or lessons learned from one track applying to another track is crucial to their success. The lower budget teams don't do a full pull so they don't have the advantage of some much data to analyze.

Just a thought. Discuss amongst yourselves, I'm all verklempt (yes, bad SNL reference for a drag racing forum).

Personally, I think you're over-analyzing. I think it boils down to leaving the track with enough parts to make it to the next event. The bigger budget teams can lean on it as hard as possible because they have replacement parts. And the replacement parts have replacement parts. And if all else fails tap into the teammate's replacement parts.

What it boils down to is if blowers, tires, pistons, and so on are good for x runs for the big budget teams, they have to be stretched for 2x or 3x runs for the lesser funded teams.

 

[Nunz]

Any and all responses still come down to ONE thing: money. The parts, the laps, the crew chiefs, etc. etc. It all takes money. Real simple.

 

[Butch]

Some what of an easy question to respond to. The big teams have deep pockets which permit the following - hiring the best possible people including crew chiefs and/or drivers, the ability to hire a good fabricators/machinists who are capable of turning ideas the crew chief has into hard core parts, the ability to work with the aftermarket industry to get the latest or "think tank parts" that manufacturers are working on so you have the latest parts ahead of the competition, the ability to test when you want to instead of wasting laps at a national event to test and finally deep parts inventory so when you do hurt parts you can throw more parts at it until you get it right.

 

[JF]

Its not JUST money, some have done it with knowledge. John Force started winning with knowledge (Coil) long before he could pay him 6 figures. Some of the other teams have worked up to being high dollar teams with Knowledge.

As a footnote, some have used that knowledge to know when to quit after they became the high dollar team