Friday, March 2, 2007
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Robbie Reiser was so anxious to get back to the track, he struggled to fall asleep. Kenny Francis battled a bit of nervousness.
The crew chiefs received a temporary respite from their four-race suspensions this week when NASCAR allowed them to participate in the two-day Car of Tomorrow test at Bristol Motor Speedway. Both have been sidelined since Feb. 13, when NASCAR kicked them out of the Daytona 500 in a cheating scandal that snared five teams.
Reiser, crew chief for 2003 series champion Matt Kenseth, and Francis, crew chief for Kasey Kahne, also were fined 50,000 each. Both drivers also were docked 50 points as NASCAR took the unprecedented step of taking points before the season started.
The crew chiefs will go before an appeals committee next week as they attempt to have portions of the penalties -- including the points -- reduced. But they aren't fighting the suspensions, so the COT test was the first time they have been permitted in the garage.
"I am a pretty old guy and I have been doing this a long time, and this is going to sound stupid, but I almost couldn't sleep last night," Reiser said Wednesday.
An emotional wreck
Forced to miss the season-opening Daytona 500 and Kenseth's win last week in California, Reiser has been filling his weekends by clearing land at his North Carolina property. He said he occasionally flipped on the races, but struggled emotionally to sit through them from start to finish. Daytona was the first race Reiser has missed since the No. 17 team was formed in 1999 -- a streak of 255 races.
"I don't know how to explain what it was like," Reiser said. "It's like if you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and you are watching the game, are you emotional? Of course. That's how I feel when I watch something I can't be a part of."
It was mixed feelings Sunday when team engineer Chip Bolin led Kenseth to victory.
On one hand, Reiser was thrilled to see his hand-picked crew rally in his absence. But he missed being part of Kenseth's win -- the first celebration he's missed in 15 trips to Victory Lane.
"Our team has been built from family and years of loyal employees, so if you look at our team now, it's probably one of the only teams that's been that way," Reiser said. "Chip's been here since we started the program. When you look at the core group, that kind of team together, and you look at it on TV you just think 'That's the way it's supposed to be.'
"But it's tough not being there. There's no way around that."
So Reiser couldn't wait to get back into the action this week -- albeit briefly. He has two more races to sit out before he's cleared to return for the March 25 race here.
"Did you ever have a Lab, a hunting dog? The kind you keep in a cage all year long and you only let it out when it's time to go hunting? That was Robbie this morning," Kenseth said. "His tail was wagging and he was ready to go. Came running into the garage."
Computer link
Things were a little more subdued with Francis and Kahne, who were eager to get some work in and get their program back on track. Although Kahne was seventh at Daytona, an engine failure led to his 38th-place finish last week in California. The poor finish and the loss of points has Kahne sitting 32nd in the standings right now.
"We have good people and a good system in place for when Kenny's not here, but I still feel like there's something missing," Kahne said. "The communication we have is just so good, he asks me so many questions and works so hard with me to get the car right where it has to be. We just clicked as soon as we got together, and it's hard to replace that."
Unlike Reiser, who said he stayed out of the loop on race day, Francis said he tried to remain involved through instant messaging on the computer. NASCAR only prohibits the crew chiefs from being in radio or phone contact with the team on race day.
Still, Francis said his contribution level was minimal.
"You listen on TrackPass and follow it as closely as you can, but it's not the same as being right there on the box," Francis said. "All I can do is make some suggestions. They've got to make all the calls. I can't do anything to help them with that."
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