The feeling is similar to that of a school-age child who has misbehaved and been called to the principal’s office. Except in this case, the kids are adults who are professional drivers, the principal is NASCAR’s top brass, and their office is a long trailer parked in the garage with an office in the back.
The feeling of eerie dread, however, remains the same.
“It’s not a comfortable situation,” Kyle Busch said. “…I haven’t been there in a while. I’m going to knock on wood on this.
The infractions that can cause drivers to travel to meet with NASCAR officials at the carrier vary from large to small, and the severity can dictate the length of the meeting. Obvious infractions such as overly aggressive driving, failure to follow procedures, disobeying a race control directive, and fighting are among the most common reasons. But drivers have also been stopped for speeding in the garage, which was said on the team’s radio channel, or even for public criticism that officials want clarification on.
Regardless of the length or tone with which NASCAR’s message is delivered, these conversations with carriers are intended to remind everyone that NASCAR is in the driver’s seat. This is how officials have governed the first Cup Series since Bill France Sr. founded NASCAR in 1948.
“It’s kind of like being a kid again and going to mom and dad with a problem,” Brad Keselowski said, “and you’re all upset and angry, and mom and dad are telling you to calm down and vice versa. versa”. versa when you’ve done something wrong… It certainly brings back those memories.
“As Mom and Dad will tell you, ‘We put you on this earth, we can take you out.’ And I think there are similarities there. “We allowed you to run and we can eliminate you. »
There was a long period before a call to the NASCAR carrier almost guaranteed a stern talk from France, his son Bill France Jr. or Mike Helton, who in 1994 assumed the role of vice president of NASCAR competition and in 1999 was appointed to oversee the day-to-day operations of NASCAR. And consistent with their way of operating, France Jr.’s edict to Helton was direct: “Don’t ruin my show,” as Helton reminded Athleticism.
The fact that the three men, tall and imposing, had imposing figures made the visit to the transporter even more intimidating.
“I felt responsible for maintaining the culture and quasi-law and order,” Helton said. “In the 80s and 90s the sport was growing and we were seeing cycles of new and different drivers replacing the old and traditional culture in the garage where drivers helped each other learn the ropes. And it felt like maybe there wasn’t as much going on as in the past, and a lot of drivers were watching NASCAR and saying, “You have to tell this guy to do this,” or, “You have to help this guy understand.”
“At that point, NASCAR took on a little more responsibility in explaining things…to the drivers. Some of them were new and some of them had been around for a long time, and maybe they were pushing the boundaries too far. But personally, I felt like it was my responsibility to maintain that NASCAR culture in the garage.
Helton, now vice president of NASCAR, preferred not to share details of his memories of the closed-door meetings, but the drivers’ accounts of what they encountered inside the vehicle during their meeting with Frances or Helton have gained momentum. For example, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke with Athleticism Jeff Gluck in 2021 about the first time he incurred Helton’s ire, due to Earnhardt’s comments on the radio during a 2004 race at Bristol. As soon as Earnhardt entered the back office after the race, Helton asserted his authority despite Earnhardt’s superstar stature.
“’You don’t speak at all. You’re the one who’s going to listen,’ Earnhardt recalled Helton telling him and then-crew chief Tony Eury Sr.We let’s run the show and we do what we need to do to clean up the racetrack. You you have to shut your mouth, wait for the green to come out and stop talking like an idiot on the radio.
“You can all go now.” »
Earnhardt never seriously clashed with NASCAR afterward.
NASCAR’s methods for addressing these issues have evolved, but the message about who’s in charge remains firmly in place. Today, Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, puts it in a softer tone. And even though Sawyer, a former NASCAR driver, has the personality of a friendly college professor, the underlying tone remains unchanged.
“At that time, I was the type to go to those meetings on the receiving end from time to time and I think that was the right way to handle things,” Sawyer said. “I really do. And NASCAR, (Helton) in particular, had the right way of handling those situations.
“I think the environment we’re in today, the way the company operates today, the way we manage our Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series drivers operates today. Especially when we have the opportunity to meet with them as a group four or five, six times a year and have these conversations about things that we need to clean and we get our message out to everyone. The platform we work on today didn’t exist years ago.
What hasn’t changed is how drivers behave when NASCAR requests their presence in the carrier: Say little, let NASCAR officials do the talking, and don’t dig yourself a deeper hole.
Of course, letting those in charge speak out is easier said than done. Some drivers, past and present, still believe they can make their case effectively and walk away feeling like they’ve taken over NASCAR.
This is generally unwise.
“It’s better to just keep your mouth shut, roll with the punches, keep walking and see the light come on the next day,” Busch said. “I had a few meetings there where I knew I was right. I knew I was right, and my argument was strong and valid. Boy, did that bite me in the….
Noah Gragson said: “Absolutely don’t argue at all because you’ll just make yourself worse. »
Carrier visits are not limited at the discretion of NASCAR. Drivers sometimes feel obligated to present their grievances to officials, as do owners, crew chiefs and other team personnel.
Feeling emboldened to have been wronged, it is not uncommon for an injured party to choose to take their case to NASCAR in hopes of a favorable ruling. Then and now, NASCAR encourages this type of open dialogue. But just because it’s encouraged doesn’t mean all drivers feel comfortable expressing what they think.
“You feel really angry and brave walking out to the truck,” Jimmie Johnson said. “And then, when you cross the threshold of the rear doors, for me at least, things always calm down a little.”
Sometimes NASCAR will agree that they could have done things differently. Sometimes, NASCAR’s point of view doesn’t waver. But today’s officials are much more lenient than their counterparts of a few decades ago.
“When they come in, we have to recognize the situation that they just found themselves in and in their eyes they were treated poorly,” Sawyer said. ” Something happened. So I think giving them the space and giving them a platform to be able to come in and, for the most part, they’re enlivened by what happened, and you let them do that.
“But we wouldn’t accomplish anything if we sat there screaming at the top of our lungs.”
Over the years, drivers have developed universal truths about how to behave in the NASCAR truck. The main principle: it is better to suppress anger. Of course, some people choose otherwise. And in those moments when an individual comes in and begins to reveal their feelings, Helton and Sawyer said they won’t hold grudges.
And sometimes it works the other way, especially when Helton has handled such confrontations. He explains that it was not unusual for him to send one of his lieutenants, usually longtime NASCAR executive Jim Hunter, to check on the unfortunate recipient of his outrage. Indeed, Helton played the role of the bad cop with Hunter the good cop.
“You can call it that if you want, but it was just the ‘Jim and Mike Show’ more than anything,” Helton said with a laugh.
Mandatory carrier visits are less common than before, but they remain a tool used by NASCAR to enforce its policies and maintain order. Two examples from last year illustrate why such visits will likely always have their place.
After Gragson and Ross Chastain fought following the May race in Kansas, each was called to the hauler the following week at Darlington. The goal was to ease any lingering tension between them, a common tactic when there is an altercation between drivers. Both parties said they were good, and Gragson and Chastain have not had any altercations since.
The other example involves Xfinity Series driver Josh Williams. In defiance of NASCAR, Williams cautiously parked his car at the start/finish line during the spring race in Atlanta and was immediately ordered to report to the Xfinity carrier to meet with officials. However, with the race underway, he would have to wait. .
And he did it while he waited. It took nearly three hours before officials sat down with Williams, waiting inside the truck being another tactic often used by NASCAR.
“It’s a bit of a tool in the toolbox, that’s for sure,” Sawyer said.
Three days later, Williams was handed a one-race suspension.
Times may have changed, but the tools of yesteryear still work to keep the garage tidy. Carrier visits remain a time-honored NASCAR tradition.
“It’s something that’s been part of our DNA for many, many years,” Sawyer said.
GO FURTHER
Mike Helton remains a key voice in shaping the future of NASCAR
(Top illustration: Dan Goldfarb / Athleticism; photos: John Harrelson for NASCAR/Getty, Patrick Smith/NASCAR/Getty; Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via AP Images)