Tech Q&A: Mike Ford

Being a fulltime NASCAR Winston Cup crew chief is the opportunity of a lifetime. And, Mike Ford made the most of his chance in 2001.

Credit: ASP

The native of Morristown, Tenn., helped guide legendary driver Bill Elliott to a 15th-place finish in the points standings.

That was Elliott's best performance since he came in eighth back in 1997.

What's more, with Ford's guidance Elliott won the Pennzoil 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It was Elliott's first trip to Victory Lane since 1994. Elliott also sat on the pole at Homestead and at the Daytona 500.

Those results, which also included five top-five and nine top-10 finishes, were especially noteworthy since Ford and Elliott made the move to Dodge last season.

Back in 2000, Ford experienced the phenomenon known as "crew chief by committee" with owner/driver Elliott, helping him garner a 21st place finish in the points standings. That same year Ford also was the mechanic boss for Casey Atwood for three Cup races.

Ford and Elliott are having another decent campaign in 2002 and Ford's main focus this weekend is to get Elliott back to Victory Lane Saturday night in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile oval in Harrisburg, N.C.

Q: What is the first thing you address as a crew chief when you get to Lowe's Motor Speedway (Charlotte) for the Coca-Cola 600?

A: Obviously, it is the longest race we go to, so we have to make sure the car is capable of running 600 miles. We need the engine package set up for those 600 miles, and we are a little on the conservative side to get it there. We need to make sure the engine can endure a 600-mile race. Plus, I also focus on the durability of the car for a race this long at a rough track like Charlotte. Charlotte demands a lot of a car because of the bumps on the track, so chassis setup and the spring/shock combination are very important in making your car run well.

Q: What did you learn from last week by getting to compete in The Winston at Lowe's?

A: We used The Winston to get a baseline for our race set up for the Coca-Cola 600. The Winston was run at night, like Saturday's race will be, so the conditions should be similar to what they were during The Winston.

Q: In a 600-mile race, how important is your qualifying position?

A: What we saw at The Winston is that qualifying is very important. We don't want to spend half the race coming from the back and passing cars. Then, have to spend the second half of the race trying to maintain a position. We want to qualify well, so we are up in the lead pack from the start of the race and can build on that.

Q: What role do aerodynamics play at Lowe's?

A: Aero is important almost everywhere we go. I know a lot of guys have been complaining that the make of their car may be at an aero disadvantage compared to others, but I think things are pretty equal on the cars from an aero standpoint. I know at Charlotte aero is more important than most places we go to because we are going so fast.

Q: What kind of pit strategy plan do you employ for the Coca-Cola 600?

A: With it being such a long race, you know you are going to have some green flag pit stops, so you want to have the car to have a good setup for long runs. Plus, when it gets down to 100 laps to go you want to be in a good fuel window so you can contend at the end.

Q: In a nutshell, what is the key to reaching Victory Lane Saturday night?

A: We have to have an adjustable race car. Because once the race starts everything will change from the balance of the car and so. So, you have to be able to adjust your car to suit the track at Charlotte if you want to have any chance of winning.