Race Spotter Tech: Tips From A Professional Spotter
The spotter articles always get a lot of attention. The first one I did some years ago was well received by the lead official in ARCA racing and he told me he was going to circulate it to all of the spotters in that series to read. I don’t know if he ever really did that, but it was a compliment.
I try to give information that I think makes sense and from what I have gained as a spotter. In this edition, I am going to be talking to a consummate professional who has driven in NASCAR in K&N Pro Series, Camping World Truck Series, Busch (Infinity) Series as well as the ARCA, the ALL Pro Super Series, Southern All Stars, and the USAR Hooter Late Model Series.
Race car driver Jimmy Kitchens, originally from Hueytown, AL, is a member of the storied Alabama Gang and also a member of the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers Hall of Fame. He is now a professional spotter for Cup teams as well as other touring series of NASCAR, and in IMSA road racing.
As he contributes to this presentation, he draws on his abundant knowledge base from having driven the cars he is spotting for, his years of experience as a professional spotter and from working hard to become a better spotter. Much of what you will read here will be coming from a conversation I had with Jimmy just after this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona IMSA race.
Education – In order for a person to become a spotter and do a good job, they need to be educated about racing first. They need to watch a great deal of racing with the objective of seeing how drivers work the traffic and how they react to traffic working them. If possible, early on, listen in on spotter/driver communications and get a feel for what sounds right and what makes sense.
Once you have taken on the role of spotter, do a lot of practice before an actual race. Work with the driver in testing and practice sessions. Get to know how much information he wants and needs from HIS perspective. It matters not what you think, although you can offer suggestions. In the end, it is what the driver feels comfortable with that works best.
Learning The Track – Here is what Jimmy has to say about learning a new track. JK – “Get a feel for the new track and how it might change as the race progresses. The first step is determining the track characteristics.”
“Get with the driver and crew chief only and determine what are the expectations for this particular race. Are we here to win? Are we here to check out the car, the driver, or maybe prepare for a race coming up in about a month? What are our goals here?”
Editor – this is called being realistic. If you are a new team, or new to the track you are running today, there will be a learning curve. The more honest you are about your situation, the better progress you will make.
JK –“Three quarters through the race, see where you’re at with those goals. Be realistic throughout the race as to what you can do and how much you can help or push your driver. Be able to admit that you’re having a bad night or a mediocre night. Always be truthful with yourself about where your car is at and try to work towards that original goal.”
“Find out from the driver what he needs different from you as a spotter. Things like less input, more input, staying calmer. Determine what the driver needs to make you a better spotter for that particular driver.”
Being In The Seat – Spot like you are riding in the seat beside the driver. You might have to let him know that ahead is a very slow car. This is important because the closing rate may be too quick for the faster car to avoid a collision. If you are side-by-side with someone racing for position, you need to let him know about a slow car on the inside so he can, a) crowd the other car to make him lift if he is on the outside, or b) move the other car over enough to get by the slower car if your car is on the inside.
Know that you as the spotter must “feel” when the driver needs to be cleared, just like if you where driving. Never clear too early, but don’t hesitate either. Know when a driver needs the information and what information he needs. When your driver is passing a slower car on the outside down the straightaway, he needs to know exactly when he is clear so he can either take the normal line into the corner or stay up. It’s either one or the other and if the information is delayed, he may lose valuable time if he could have taken the low line.
In this case, by all means, key the mike early and as soon as clear happens, say “clear”. If it happens to be a sudden announcement, say two words like, “you’re clear” so that if you cut off the first word, “clear” comes through.
Tire Management – JK – “A real big thing in short track racing is that a lot of those tracks haven’t been paved in a long time. Know the tire data about when the falloff is and keep that in perspective throughout the race and enforce tire management as needed.
“Set your own pace for tire management. If you know the tires are going to go away in 65 laps in a 100 lap race, there’s nothing wrong with telling your driver, ‘let’s run 80% for the next 20 laps.’
“If somebody wants to race you hard, let them go. They’ll come back to you later on. A good racer does that. If tire management is not an issue, then you run the best laps you can all night long. Know the symptoms of the race car. Do you know when the tires are falling off? Help the driver manage the symptoms, whether it’s loose, tight, etc.”
“It’s good to have somebody giving your driver lap times as you go. Pick a spot on the track where the crew chief, or other person, can give the driver lap times like, ‘the leader is running 21.20’s and you are running 21.50’s.’ Do this about every five or ten laps. The spotter cannot do this and do his job too.”
“This is huge in practice too. You need to be able to tell your driver your running 0.40’s and you need to be running 0.20’s right here. That tells the driver he needs to try different things to improve the lap times using that as a reference.”
“As a spotter, you need to keep up with the race track throughout the night. Note where the grooves are at, are the leaders arcing into the corners with a late apex? Help your driver keep up with the track and let him know where the leaders are running. If the driver cannot run a better line, find out why and communicate that to the crew chief so he can find a solution.”
Afterwards – JK – “After the race, that night or the next day or so, debrief with the driver and crew chief to give them what you think is valuable information. Find out from the driver what he needs different from you as a spotter. Things like less input, more input, stay calmer, etc. Determine what the driver needs to make you a better spotter for that particular driver because every driver is different.”
“Find out what he likes and doesn’t like about how you spot. Also, get the crew chiefs opinion. Have that conversation away from the driver so that you can plan out strategy for assisting the driver in any way you think you need to.”
What the Driver Needs – The driver needs the following basic information from the spotter:
– Help in lining up before a race.
– Knowledge of when to expect the green flag and to call when the race goes green.
– Notice for caution lights. Announce caution lights, or impending cautions and hazardous track conditions.
– The proximity of crashes and where to go.
– Communication with the officials..
– Clearance all around the car. Let the driver know when it is clear all around so he can run his line.
– Who is closing and how fast.
– If there are slow cars ahead, give notice about slow cars on the track so your driver can avoid trouble.
– Information about the car. You might be able to spot trouble with the car before the driver or crew notices anything.
– Laps run and laps remaining. Let the driver know when the half way point has come, when there are ten to go or if it will be a green, white, checker at the end after a late caution.
– Lap times vs. leader. Some drivers need lap time information to judge how they are doing against the leader.
– Moral support and encouragement. Offer support to the driver, especially during long runs and cautions.
Be A Professional – JK – “Anything you say needs to have merit. If the driver wants to joke on the radio, that’s his call. But as a spotter, I always keep it serious and I never ever comment on a joke, because the way I look at it, I’m there to be focused. I don’t want to let my guard down.”
“As for other spotters, don’t be afraid to go to another spotter to coordinate your race, if that is what it takes to avoid trouble on the track. Things like letting other spotters know when you are pitting so their driver can plan how to avoid your slowing car. One day that courtesy could come back to help you.
“Be respectful of the other spotters and try to work with everybody up there. Remember the spotter is not driving the car. In Cup racing, it’s a big brotherhood up there on Sunday. Find out who is spotting for which car.”
Advanced Techniques – There are a few advanced techniques you can develop and use when spotting. When you get comfortable, you can begin to look well ahead and watch other cars at times when your car is all clear. And let the drive know every time he is all clear. That gives him a chance to relax his guard a little until he reaches new traffic in order to reduce fatigue.
Watch for future conflicts developing and if need be, alert the driver to them. If two cars get to racing side by side up ahead, they may be slowing down and this may be an opportunity to be alert to an opportunity to pass both cars if they were to get together and move up the track.
Be on the alert for caution situations, not necessarily waiting for the caution to come out. If an obvious caution situation develops, tell the driver immediately so he does not get into it. The flagman may be looking in another direction, as often happens, and the actual caution may come out too late for your car to avoid a problem.
If a car blows a motor, tell the driver to “stay high in 3 and 4, oil on the track” so he doesn’t go flying in there and then slide to the wall. This kind of knowledge is a bit advanced and only veteran spotters are good at it, but it will help your racing program a bunch if you can develop a holistic approach to your spotting duties.
Safety – JK – “If your driver crashes, make sure he doesn’t unbuckle, unless the car is burning, until the safety crew has gotten there, regardless of how pissed off he is, or how bad he got dumped. Never tell him immediately that ‘the 10 car wrecked you’, etc. Keep the driver calm and later on, when you both have had a chance to review what happened you can give your opinion.” Editor – People do unwise things when they are full of rage.
“Under caution, let your driver know where the pace car picks up the leader, and first and foremost, where the safety crew workers are on the track. If your driver has pitted and is out catching up to the pack, let him know where the back of the field is located so he doesn’t run up on them. Do not stop spotting when the cars are rolling around the track under caution.”
“When there is an incident on the track ahead of your driver, call out where it is, if there is any debris, how big it is, etc. And don’t forget to tell the driver what’s behind him and where he is clear to go, or not.”
“On a self-cleaning track that is high banked, be aware that as soon as a car is in the wall, it’s going to come back down. On a flat track, they’re pretty much going to stay where they are.”
Conclusion – Good driver/spotter relationships often are a significant part of winning races and championships. The longer you work together, the better it gets. Talk to other veteran spotters and let them help you to get better. These guys are going to be beside you at every race and a sort of camaraderie can develop in many cases. Good luck and speak clearly
Sources:
Rugged Radios
888-541-7223
www.ruggedradios.com
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