Hendrick Engine Failures

[Rick Parker]

I happened to catch some quick interviews on ESPN toady with the drivers and the head engine builder of the Hendrick team. They were explaining the resolution at the same time without disclosing what specific failures they encountered at Fontana last weekend. It seemed to plague several drivers on the team. Anyone have any idea what specific problems they encountered?

Rick

[65cobra427]

Their POS engines blewed up!!! Including Jeffie boy... But they did develope some serious brand x hoss power... I think 7 outta the top 12 qualifiers had Hendricks motors... Yates/Roush had 3 of top 7 and kicked a$$ throughout the race!!!

"Just a Ford guy living in a brand x world"

[need4speed]

Every season the top teams have got to push the limits and try new things with their engines to remain competitive. Those that dont't fade into medocrity. Over the years I have seen all teams and brands have their share of engine failures that were usually followed by huge successes after they work around the reliability issues. Remember that just a short time ago at Daytona Kenseth blew his Yates/Roush engine. Last week JJ did finish second and Gordon was very competative until the failure so I expect that they are not that far off from having a powerful and reliable package. I just hope NASCAR stays out of the way of all these teams and lets them continue to push the envelope.

[RICK LAKE]

Rick Parker Hendrick lost their master motor builder to the plane crash last year and like the few great engine builder he took his tricks with him. These top builders don't let out the last couple of HP they make. This is what seperates an assemblier from engineers. The team has taken a step back and will have to regroup and use last years motors until the new master can catchup with the program and get them running again. They run a high rpm at Fontona up to 10400rpm and this is hard on any motor for 400 miles. Guys are getting smart by hanging out back in the race till the last 30 laps and then go for broke. They need to change the gearing on the cars to drop the rpm and save the motors. My thoughts Rick Lake

[Ron61]

Also don't forget to add into the equation that most of the Hendrick powered cars ran over 100 miles, some up to around 150 in practice, then shut down and ran the 5 miles for qulaifyihg, then shut down and ran the 500 mile race. There was some talk about all that extra running during the practice sessions as most of the others just ran as few miles as they could and then parked the cars. And there is the possibility that they could have gotten some bad parts as all I have heard was that something broke in most of them. But no specificsas to if it was the same thing or what.

Ron

[RACER X #99]

Could somebody please post a list of all the great engine builders in the world who have never had an engine failure?

Thanks,
RD

[Ron61]

RD,

Here is your list.

1. -------
2. xxxxx
3. zzzzz

Ron

[vettestr]

The teams are no longer allowed to use qualifing engines and then change to their race engine in an effort to reduce cost. The old method was to build an engine that was milked for ever 1/10 of a HP they could find. The truly amasing fact was how close they knew to the very lap that it would explode at a given HP. So build it for every tiny bit of HP available for say 5 laps or a little less HP if they needed it to live for 10 laps.
These builders were cutting the inner beams out of con. rods, cutting center out of the rod throws on the crank, reducing pin walls to the min. and cutting piston domes until paper thin and so on. Then running oil vescosity so thin it would sieze engine if not heated before starting engine. THEY ARE GODS of the HP world now forced to build engines that they have to make live for practise, qualify and then the race all with the same grenade.

[Rick Parker]

I realize that they must use the same engine in qualifying & the race. I just wondered what component had failed, such as rod, piston, or? It sure would be fun to be a "Fly on the Wall" in one of those places. These guys are the GURUS of the pushrod engine.
A 358" Cup motor is one "BAD" piece.

Rick


BTW: I intended for this to be in the "Lounge"

[Excaliber]

There have been a few instances of teams swapping to a race motor and taking the penalty of going to the rear of the pack on race day.

No question every engine builder has failures, the large number of failures in this case does indicate a specific problem.

[Don]

Somewhere in this web site regarding NASCAR might be the technical explanation on the engine failures. Should someone find it, please copy and post

http://www.jayski.com/

[trularin]

All great engine builders have failures, it's how they become great.

[Hotfingrs]

I guess after today's race, they have their problem fixed.

[Excaliber]

Roush had an engine failure today. Sounded like an intake valve "head" broke off, leaving the stem still in the hole and locked with it's keepers. They pulled the spark plug and sent him back out on 7.

Let's see, 700 horse divided by 8 = 87.5 per cylinder.

Based on the current logic, Roush is onto something BIG next race!

[65cobra427]

After trash talking Hendricks brand x motors, they come out and finish 1,2,& 4... Go figure!!! Shows how stupid that dumb-a$$ spotterjoe is!!! Great race today... We were there, temps in mid 70's, lite wind & the AF Thunderbirds do 2 fly overs... The only thing that could have been better was for a Ford to win...

"Just a Ford guy living in a chevy world"

[CSX 4027]

Engine building is a very frustrating and unrewarding business at least emotionally.
When youy motors are out there and winning everything, it's because of the genius driver, crew chief and pit crew. When an engine blows up, it's the engine builders fault. They always seem to fall short of being in position for an AT-A-BOY.

They can have 20 winning engines out there but you only hear about the one that went kablooie.

[RICK LAKE]

CSX 4027 Steve you forget the first thing to crosses the finish line first is the engine You can take a great engine, a great handling car and an average driver and win a race. You can take the best driver with good handling car an a so-so engine and he comes in 20's place. The fab shop, the suspension builder, the shock builder and the engine builder are the great people of nascar and get little notice of there abilities. Your right about the driver, crew chief, and spotter getting most of the glory. If you are in the engine building for the glory, you need to find another sport of racing. This one is all about personal PRIDE. A rare thing in todays team concept. Rick Lake

[ezplans]

How about Robby Gordon's Menard's engines? 3 races, 4 grenades. They can build Indy engines, NASCAR engines, so far, really NOT good.

Bill

I offered 2 Earnhart terrace tickets last minute on Friday here due to a family illness. Free, no takers. Go figure.

[RACER X #99]

Bill,
No surprise to me that you could not get anybody to take those free tickets. For some strange reason that I can not understand is that it is almost impossible to get the majority of Cobra owners to go near a racetrack. Are these guys not really car guys? It seems most would rather play a round of golf then venture out to the track. And forget about Nascar, these guys beleive that if you ain't turning left and right you ain't really racing. Some of my good racing buddies who have never been to a Nascar race still think road racing is the best racing.(fools)
Let me offer my explination of the difference between a good road racer and a good Nascar racer.
A good road racer will never miss an opportunity of an opening to make a pass.
A good Nascar racer makes his own openings.

[Timmy]

With all that power, why "bend" the rules.

NASCAR on Tuesday suspended the crew chiefs for Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch

Chad Knaus was suspended for two weeks and fined $35,000 when Johnson's race-winning car failed to meet the minimum height requirement in Sunday's post-race inspection.

Alan Gustafson was suspended two weeks and fined $25,000 because Busch's runner-up car was too high in the post-race inspection.

The penalty cost Johnson the series points lead, which he earned following his victory Sunday in Las Vegas. NASCAR allowed his victory to stand, but instead of a 15-point advantage over Kurt Busch, Johnson is now in second place in the standings, 10 points back.

"Guys have just got to stop playing games with the rules," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter told The Associated Press. "We've got to do whatever we have to do to protect the integrity of this sport."