Last month at Darlington, Steve Park had a seemingly unbeatable car. But Dale Jarrett made up a 1.3-second deficit during a late pit stop and came out with the lead. He won the race. Two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was leading the Harrah's 500 when most of the leaders made a late pit stop. Earnhardt came out in ninth and finished eighth.
Pit stops matter.
And that's why Ray Evernham has reached into his past and brought in a guy who can make a difference. Speedway Motorsports Inc. could have the new person in place by the May 19 Winston all-star race, according to Humpy Wheeler, president of Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., and an SMI executive. CART and the IRL each have traveling medical teams. Wheeler said the medical director would have multiple responsibilities, including researching ways to improve trauma treatment and assisting the sanctioning bodies with medical records. He said there is a growing need to have reliable medical records on pit crewmen because of the increased injuries associated with faster pit stops.