NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY Q&A
APRIL 24, 2016
SIX QUESTIONS WITH JTG DAUGHERTY’S COMPETITION DIRECTOR ERNIE COPE:
Veteran crew chief helps team make great strides in new role as Competition Director
TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW ROLE AT JTG DAUGHERTY RACING AND HOW THE TRANSITION HAS BEEN FROM CLIMBING OFF THE PIT BOX AS CREW CHIEF NOW TO COMPETITION DIRECTOR:
“I’m actually enjoying it. It’s definitely a different role, but I enjoy the car build side and dealing with the people. Not calling the race seems a little strange, but Randall (Burnett, crew chief) is doing a great job. It’s just fun to watch and watch him come along. He is doing a great job. If he was doing a really bad job it would be hard. It would be something that you would want to question everything he does, but I just support him. I support the whole group and just try to make sure everybody has what they need. We are moving forward, everybody is working well together and that is what I feel my role is. To make sure everybody has what they need and everybody is working together and going for the same goal. Everyone being a team and being with each other and nobody being against each other.”
THE TEAM HAS BEEN RUNNING REALLY WELL THUS FAR IN 2016. YOU MADE SOME CHANGES IN THE OFF SEASON. DO YOU THINK MAKING THOSE CHANGES HAS BEEN KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS? WHAT OTHER FACTORS CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE THE SUCCESS TO?
“I don’t know. We just kind of went in and rebuilt everything that we are doing. I wasn’t here last year so I can’t say what the big changes were. I just know we started over, cut bodies off cars and changed the suspension up. Kind of stuff that myself and Randall are both familiar working with, just racing cars. Kind of getting back to basics building cars the way… I love racing cars. I didn’t know going from Xfinity to here it’s still just a car. Tony Palmer (engineer), Brian Burns (engineer) and Randall they handle all the chassis part of it as far as what shocks and springs and the set-up of the car. I’m more taking care of the people side and having the cars built.”
ON THE TECHNICAL ALLIANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING:
“We are invited to all wind tunnel sessions. We get all the data that they get. We get chassis’ from them. We have team meetings, just like we are part of the team when we are at the racetrack, like we will have an alliance meeting after practice today. It will be the six teams, their three teams, the No. 95, the No. 13 and us. We all try working as one big team, try sharing resources. Everybody seems to be up front and open about what they are doing and trying to help each other.”
YOU ARE A VERY GOAL DRIVEN PERSON. WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR THIS TEAM THIS SEASON?
“This season is to win a race and to be in the Chase.”
YOU’VE BEEN IN RACING A LONG TIME IN MULTITUDE OF DIFFERENT CAPACITIES. TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CHANGES YOU HAVE SEEN OVER THE YEARS IN THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR OF THE SPORT:
“Oh it’s a huge difference. The whole simulation and the way you run a car now there is no guess work anymore. Everything is so scientific compared to how it was. Before you talked about let’s try to slide some nose weight in or dropping the trackbar. It’s way past that. It’s definitely way more science out to what your next move is going to be the guess work is way gone.”
IS THERE ONE TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN MORE CHALLENGING THAN OTHERS? LIKE THE NEW DIGITAL DASH OR ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION WHEN IT CAME INTO THE SPORT?
“No, none of them have been difficult, it’s all been expensive. That is all I see. Every time they add it, I mean it’s neat, but we have spent a lot of money on this digital dash stuff. As far as tuning the cars to me it’s easier now with the simulation and all the information you get. The ECU you plug in all that stuff and you really see you get the driver throttle trace. To me it’s easier as far as tuning a car. I think that is why the cars run so much closer now. I mean you look now at qualifying or even practice times how tight everybody is. Everybody is pulling from the same information and everyone has go their own simulations. Like I said, the guess work is out and everyone is maximizing their chassis set-up’s.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW LOW DOWNFORCE PACKAGE?
“I love it. This is great racing. The follow the leader when you get behind somebody and you can’t push, that wasn’t fun to watch. What I’ve seen now this is good racing. It brings mechanical back into it.”