Diagnosing Communication Issues Between
Dale and Tony Jr.
By: Gregg A. Shultz, RaceFanVote.com
If you had access to the radio communications during the 2nd
Pocono race on Sunday and you happened to tune in for the
first time to listen to the no. 88 team’s audio, you may be
surprised at what you heard. If you have heard it before you
may be used to the harsh talk and the back and forth that goes
on between the driver and crew chief, but what might be more
important is what wasn’t said during the last 50 laps of the race.
Going back to a lap 139-145 caution for an accident involving the no. 15 & 78 cars, the no. 88 car pitted for four
tires and fuel. 5-6 laps into the run Dale said on the radio that the last set of tires were not good and that he was
loose in and tight off, having to wait for a long period of time before the car would turn [set] coming off the turn and
he could get back in the gas. As the laps progressed the complaining became more frequent and a voice came on
the radio asking if he had the “blowers on and all that good stuff?” The radio keyed with the engine in the
background, but with a long pause. The response was that he [Dale] did not have any of that on. He started another
sentence, but then stopped.
When the drivers enter the pits, they turn off the tire blowers to keep from blowing the brake dust in the faces of the
crewmen and that whether or not they turn them on after a pit stop depends on the strategy in air pressures and
which tires you want to build up pressure sooner and which ones you want to let come up slower. Blowing air on the
tire keeps the air pressure from coming up as quickly which is part of the call from the crew chief, not the driver.
On about lap 150 Dale keyed the radio and said that the tires were starting to come in and they were probably
going to be okay with that [set up/tire pressures] after turning the blowers on. There was no response. Up until lap
165 the communication was simply the spotter calling traffic clear as Dale ran in the top ten.
The next communications from the crew chief came on lap 165 when the radio was keyed and said “pit next time.” A
voice that wasn’t Dale’s replied “10-4.” Then the radio keyed with the engine noise in the background “wait a
minute… I don’t know what my car is doing, what are you making adjustments for?” Dale seemed caught off guard
by the pit stop and honestly there was no talk of it prior to the 3/4 of a lap warning. Eury Jr. keyed the radio and said
that he was putting the air back in the right front and going back like it was the run before. Dale replied, “okay, but
did you hear me that these [tires] came in?” Instead of a reply a countdown to the pit box began “at the line 4300,
4300 [rpm’s] 5,4,3, okay right there, right there.”
The pit stop was completed and two laps into the run the complaints of the car started again. There were some
accusations made by the driver that what was done wasn’t what was said and the instructions were to turn off the
rear bead blower. The communications during the closing laps were of how many car lengths behind the next place
car was and that he was okay. “Ten cars [lengths] back to 5th and 30 cars [lengths] behind him for 6th, you’re good,
they’re all over the track behind you too.”
In spite of the obvious lack of communication, Dale was in 4th position until passed by Kyle Busch, but then the no.
18 car had to pit for fuel. There was nothing said about saving some fuel and while running in the 4th spot he ran out
of gas coming out of the final turn and coasted across the line finishing 12th.
The team might have been caught off guard in regards to the fuel situation, but nothing was said about it being
borderline and possibly conserving a little. Within itself, the fuel deal wasn’t the biggest indicator of the lack of
communication going on, but it was the icing on the cake.
The biggest miscues were that after the lap 139-145 caution-pit stop that the blowers were not instructed to be
turned on and prior to the lap 166 pit stop it being evident that the driver hadn’t been asked what the car was doing
and the adjustments were already ordered. On the fuel deal they were obviously going for it, but why was nothing
mentioned to conserve?
Listening to some of the other team’s communications I heard the crew chief announce that they were “pitting on lap
167 which is 6 laps when you cross the line, what do you want?” The driver keyed the radio and calmly explained
what the car was doing in each turn and at what progression during the run. The crew chief came back and
explained that he was going to “go down [air pressure] a little in the right rear and put air back in the right front, 4
tires & fuel, clean windshield, blowers off in the pits and right rear bead blower back on after exiting the pits”. The
driver’s response, “10-4.”
I believe that Tony Eury, Jr. has received a lot of unjustified criticism this season and a lot of fans wanted him gone,
but his efforts have the team in the 2nd position in the points. Tony, Jr. seems a little hesitant to announce his calls
especially on fuel gambles and Dale, Jr. seems to be hesitant to say when his car is good, like it would be paying
his crew chief a compliment. When he said that his car was coming in after turning on the blowers, it was so meager
that it was missed.
Going forward, it should be easy for the team to see where the communications are breaking down and perhaps the
‘personalities’ need to adjust their style a little and put their focus on what’s important and stop trying to outthink
each other, after all they are on the same team.
Dale and Tony Jr.
By: Gregg A. Shultz, RaceFanVote.com
If you had access to the radio communications during the 2nd
Pocono race on Sunday and you happened to tune in for the
first time to listen to the no. 88 team’s audio, you may be
surprised at what you heard. If you have heard it before you
may be used to the harsh talk and the back and forth that goes
on between the driver and crew chief, but what might be more
important is what wasn’t said during the last 50 laps of the race.
Going back to a lap 139-145 caution for an accident involving the no. 15 & 78 cars, the no. 88 car pitted for four
tires and fuel. 5-6 laps into the run Dale said on the radio that the last set of tires were not good and that he was
loose in and tight off, having to wait for a long period of time before the car would turn [set] coming off the turn and
he could get back in the gas. As the laps progressed the complaining became more frequent and a voice came on
the radio asking if he had the “blowers on and all that good stuff?” The radio keyed with the engine in the
background, but with a long pause. The response was that he [Dale] did not have any of that on. He started another
sentence, but then stopped.
When the drivers enter the pits, they turn off the tire blowers to keep from blowing the brake dust in the faces of the
crewmen and that whether or not they turn them on after a pit stop depends on the strategy in air pressures and
which tires you want to build up pressure sooner and which ones you want to let come up slower. Blowing air on the
tire keeps the air pressure from coming up as quickly which is part of the call from the crew chief, not the driver.
On about lap 150 Dale keyed the radio and said that the tires were starting to come in and they were probably
going to be okay with that [set up/tire pressures] after turning the blowers on. There was no response. Up until lap
165 the communication was simply the spotter calling traffic clear as Dale ran in the top ten.
The next communications from the crew chief came on lap 165 when the radio was keyed and said “pit next time.” A
voice that wasn’t Dale’s replied “10-4.” Then the radio keyed with the engine noise in the background “wait a
minute… I don’t know what my car is doing, what are you making adjustments for?” Dale seemed caught off guard
by the pit stop and honestly there was no talk of it prior to the 3/4 of a lap warning. Eury Jr. keyed the radio and said
that he was putting the air back in the right front and going back like it was the run before. Dale replied, “okay, but
did you hear me that these [tires] came in?” Instead of a reply a countdown to the pit box began “at the line 4300,
4300 [rpm’s] 5,4,3, okay right there, right there.”
The pit stop was completed and two laps into the run the complaints of the car started again. There were some
accusations made by the driver that what was done wasn’t what was said and the instructions were to turn off the
rear bead blower. The communications during the closing laps were of how many car lengths behind the next place
car was and that he was okay. “Ten cars [lengths] back to 5th and 30 cars [lengths] behind him for 6th, you’re good,
they’re all over the track behind you too.”
In spite of the obvious lack of communication, Dale was in 4th position until passed by Kyle Busch, but then the no.
18 car had to pit for fuel. There was nothing said about saving some fuel and while running in the 4th spot he ran out
of gas coming out of the final turn and coasted across the line finishing 12th.
The team might have been caught off guard in regards to the fuel situation, but nothing was said about it being
borderline and possibly conserving a little. Within itself, the fuel deal wasn’t the biggest indicator of the lack of
communication going on, but it was the icing on the cake.
The biggest miscues were that after the lap 139-145 caution-pit stop that the blowers were not instructed to be
turned on and prior to the lap 166 pit stop it being evident that the driver hadn’t been asked what the car was doing
and the adjustments were already ordered. On the fuel deal they were obviously going for it, but why was nothing
mentioned to conserve?
Listening to some of the other team’s communications I heard the crew chief announce that they were “pitting on lap
167 which is 6 laps when you cross the line, what do you want?” The driver keyed the radio and calmly explained
what the car was doing in each turn and at what progression during the run. The crew chief came back and
explained that he was going to “go down [air pressure] a little in the right rear and put air back in the right front, 4
tires & fuel, clean windshield, blowers off in the pits and right rear bead blower back on after exiting the pits”. The
driver’s response, “10-4.”
I believe that Tony Eury, Jr. has received a lot of unjustified criticism this season and a lot of fans wanted him gone,
but his efforts have the team in the 2nd position in the points. Tony, Jr. seems a little hesitant to announce his calls
especially on fuel gambles and Dale, Jr. seems to be hesitant to say when his car is good, like it would be paying
his crew chief a compliment. When he said that his car was coming in after turning on the blowers, it was so meager
that it was missed.
Going forward, it should be easy for the team to see where the communications are breaking down and perhaps the
‘personalities’ need to adjust their style a little and put their focus on what’s important and stop trying to outthink
each other, after all they are on the same team.
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