Tech Q&A: R. Reiser

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser make a pair of Wisconsin natives that have been together in the NASCAR ranks ever since Reiser abandoned his driving career to establish himself as a team owner and crew chief.

	Matt Kenseth

After coming out of the short tracks of the Midwest, the pair has established an affinity that has enabled them to become a formidable combination in Winston Cup racing. They won five times in 2002, leading the series, and finished eighth in the championship.

Reiser sat down in the midst of preparing for the 45th Daytona 500 with NASCAR.com's Dave Rodman to discuss the upcoming Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, where Roush Racing's No. 17 DeWalt Ford is the defending champion.

What have you found out about your "downforce car" and how will the setup you had in 2002 relate to what you're able to do in 2003?

Basically, I'm hoping that nothing's really changed. All the testing that we've done proves to me that the cars are pretty similar. The aero package on the (2002 vs. 2003) Fords is pretty close and we're not looking at a big change from 2002 to 2003.

Going to Rockingham, where you have an abrasive surface that eats tires, what is your most critical set-up element, other than the tires themselves?

You've got to put a setup under the car that will keep tires under it all day. Not only do you have to be able to run fast on lap one of a run, you have to be able to run fast on lap 60. Basically we'll work on shocks and springs and try to get a good balance in the car, to the point that he can drive it like he needs to as the tires wear down.

If this is the era of "common cars," are you happiest to have a Ford Taurus?

ALSO  •  Kenseth's Driver Page  •  Reiser's Crew Chief Page

Right now I think the cars are so similar that unless something radically changes here it doesn't really matter what kind of car you have. The aero package seems to be the same for all the makes, so it's basically up to the teams to make them run.

You have the two-time world championship pit crew. Are you pleased with the way the new guys have fit into what is obviously a critical element?

I'll tell you, in the Gatorade 125s I was really excited with the pit stop they had, when it was basically the first time those guys had all gone over the wall together. I think we beat everybody off pit road. We went in eighth and came out fourth, so I was pretty excited about that.

We try to practice at least an hour a day, when the guys are all there. We try to keep that on a pretty good schedule. Everybody on our team is a mechanic working on the cars, and we use them to go over the wall also. That's just the way Roush Racing has it set up and it works out well for us.

Is it tires over track position at "The Rock," every time?

If you mean when it comes to pitting, the only thing I can tell you is if you don't pit -- you've got trouble. Tires are the most important things at Rockingham. I don't care if you've got two laps on 'em -- if the caution comes out you pit and put tires on your car.

What is your opinion on NASCAR's plan to reduce the cars' dependence on aerodynamics, and the accompanying move towards softer tires -- and what set-up issues will it create for you?

I'm sure we're going to have to change the setups on the cars, but we'll have to see what the tires do before we determine that. It don't really matter to me as long as everybody in the garage has to deal with the same circumstances and follow the same rules.

	Robbie Reiser's award-winning crew in action. Credit: Autostock

How difficult is it to repeat as a race winner?

It (Winston Cup) is probably the most competitive racing in the country and it makes it tough to go back -- even the next day -- to go back and win that same race again. It is every competitive and very tough and as competitive as the garage is and the rules that make up these cars, I don't even know if it's possible any more to say you've got dominance at one race track. You can run good at certain places but to win consistently is a different story.

With your background as a driver, does that make it easier to communicate and relate to what Matt is telling you?

I think that it's helped since I've worked with Matt since he started coming down here. It's helped him in some respects and has probably hindered him in some other respects because sometimes a person gets set in his ways and he thinks that is just what we need, but any experience you have in anything that you do will help you further that advancement as you work on it.