Tech Q&A: Rick Viers

By Troy Fletcher, for Turner Sports Interactive
October 26, 2001
4:22 PM EDT (2022 GMT)

Initially, Rick Viers tried his hand at being a race car driver. And, his performance was solid, highlighted by his track championship title at Old Dominion Speedway in Virginia in 1986.

Elton Sawyer

Viers' knowledge of cars was clearly apparent and by 1989, he landed a job as a mechanic for driver Harry Gant.

Viers worked with Gant and his crew chief Andy Petree for the next seven years.

During that time span (1995-96) Viers also had the opportunity to work with the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. since Petree was his crew chief.

In 1997, Viers' next move saw him as part of Ray Evernham's Rainbow Warrior crew for driver Jeff Gordon.

After the first half of 1997 Winston Cup season, Viers was in a new position with Bill Davis Racing and driver Ward Burton.

Viers stayed with Bill Davis Racing through '98 and then became the crew chief for veteran driver Elton Sawyer in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series.

His rookie year as the wrench boss, Viers directed Sawyer to Victory Lane in May at the New Hampshire 200.

Back in 1999, Viers also helped Sawyer to come in fifth in the final points standings and the duo followed that up with a sixth-place effort in 2000.

As for 2001, Viers and Sawyer continue to put forth consistent outings as they have been in the top five in the points almost all season.

Viers now is directing his attention to the 1.017-mile track at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, the site of the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Rockingham 200 on Nov. 3.

The track has 22 degree banking in turns 1 and 2 and 25 degree banking in turns 3 and 4. There is eight-degree banking in the straightways.

The frontstretch, meanwhile, is 1,300 feet and the length of the backstretch is 1,367

Q: What are your thoughts about Rockingham?

A: Rockingham is a good track to go to for us because it is a home track for a lot of the Busch Series teams. In terms of what the track is like, it is very similar to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. At Rockingham, like at Darlington, ( a 1.366-mile track with almost the same degree of banking) you lose a lot of grip on long runs.

So, the biggest thing you have to do as a crew chief at Rockingham is find a way to keep the grip and at the same time keep the horsepower.

Q: Can success at Darlington translate into success at Rockingham?

A: Yes. If you have run good at Darlington, you should run good at Rockingham. I know we use our notes from Darlington as a baseline for the Busch race at Rockingham and build from there.

Rockingham is a very sensitive track and I think a key factor there is getting the right aerodynamics in place so the car can go fast. It is all about the throttle, we want the car to be able to go as fast as it can, but at the same time we want the rear tires to stay down on the ground and grip the track. And, to do that, we have to have the right tires, air pressure in place, as well as have the right spring combination.

Q: How does tire and pit strategy come in to play at Rockingham?

A: Goodyear obviously has come up with a great tire that has been able to save teams a lot of money. But, since the tire is so much harder than it was last year the crew has to work that much harder to find the right shock and spring package, so the car can still go as fast as it can.

Elton (Sawyer) and I always map out what plan we have for pit stops. Pits stops are especially important in the Busch Series because a lot of our races are much shorter than Cup races. That means a lot of times, we will only get to make two or three pit stops during a race.

So, when we make a pit stop we need to make a change that is going to be able to be enough to help the car. But, we don't want to make too drastic of a change though because if we do that and we lose track position, we will never be able to catch up. A lot of times this year in the Busch Series, drivers have been able to play pit strategy, maybe take one less stop and get a top five finish.

I personally don't think deciding when to take pits stops is a gamble, but rather an educated guess. We will look at how the caution flags fell in past races at Rockingham and there is pretty much a pattern. We will just use all the experience we have at Rockingham and come up with the best plan.

Q: Is there any secrets or things that a crew chief must do for a Busch race at Rockingham in terms of setup?

A: No, nothing really stands out. With a driver like Elton, he has so much experience at Rockingham and he knows what he likes and what he needs, so we just communicate and make sure all the right pieces are in place.

Q: Sometimes people downplay where a driver qualifies, what is your stance on qualifying at a track like Rockingham or anywhere for that matter?

A: Qualifying is more vital now in the Busch Series than in Winston Cup and we take it very seriously. Our races are much shorter, so track position is very important and that is why the better you qualify the better your chances are of finishing up front in the race. For example, last year at Phoenix we qualified 37th and finished 11th. We thought we had a great run and we did. But, if we would have qualified closer to the front, we might have won the race.