Re: Green White Checker
Okay, Chris, let's start again ...
The object of the race is to win. However, not necessarily because there is also the bigger picture of winning the points race at the end of the season. You see, in finishing the race you get so many points for each place, then there is a 5 point bonus for leading a lap, and a 5 point bonus for leading the most laps. Points don't count for the individual races, only positions. It is the points that count towards the end of the season championship trophy.
So in each race you have strategies for the season and strategies for the race. You don't want to get taken out of a race and not be able to finish, leaving you with a very low point total for the race. This is TilliamWe's point. However, I would liken it to marathon runners. Some have different strategies, as mentioned in my earlier post. Everything does lead up to the last 20 - 50 laps of the race where give and take goes out the window and it becomes a dash to the finish.
To win a race takes a great team and a little luck. It is the team and owner that build a car to be able to handle the track they are running on ... each track has different characteristics and needs a different set up on the car. Some tracks are longer than others, some are road courses, some have more turns, higher banking, etc, so tracks are so fast that the cars would literally fly off the track, so that means they have to be restricted in their horsepower, putting the cars on a more level playing field and meaning the drivers and handling set up have to be better than others. The surfaces are different also, which also effects the way the car handles. The cars need more than raw speed, but a skilled driver with quick reflexes and a set up that will keep them on the track with the wheels firmly planted to the pavement at all times. When the car becomes loose it has the tendency to lift and slide around, making it dangerous for the driver and the other cars around.
The pit crew and crew chief have to understand the car and the driver so they can make changes to the car as the race progresses. The temperature of the track, the outside ambient temperature, if the sun is shining or if it is cloudy, the humidity in the air, the altitude of the track, all these effect the handling and performance of the car. Is is the crew and crew chief that must take what they see and what the driver tells them and make the necessary adjustments to the car for optimal success, and they must try to do that in less than 15 seconds, while changing 4 tires and filling the tank with fuel. These are some very talented guys!
The driver must have eyes everywhere (and he has a spotter to help him see what is around the next corner and what is coming up behind him). He must be able to react, but to also refuse to follow his instincts when his spotter is telling him something different. He must also be able to articulate what the car is doing to the crew chief so the can prepare for the necessary changes during the next pit stop, while watching the radar screen to see what is going to happen with the temperature and weather conditions as the race progresses.
Then there are the rules for how the car can be built, where the car can go on what track, how aggressive the drivers can be, the "lucky dog" which allows the first person who has been lapped to get back on the lead lap when a cation comes out, etc.
There is a lot going on during the race, as you can tell. I hope this helps to explain it a little bit to you. Others can chime in.
The original question was about the Green-White-Checker. These are some of the flags that are used during the race. Green for go, White is last lap, Checker for the winner. This year they have established that you cannot win on a caution (yellow) flag. So if a caution comes out on the last lap, the race just got extended. There are 2 laps of racing after a restart now. This means that pit strategy and set up are extremely important, as well as reflexes and timing of the start to get a good jump on the competition when the green flag drops on a G-W-C finish. The leader could have been leading by 10 seconds or more, but when the caution comes out the cars slow down and bunch up, making for an exciting finish, but not always that the best car of the race wins. Is if fair? Not really sure, but it is the same for everyone, so that does make it fair. Is it fun to watch? You betcha!
