 | | Crew chief Blake Bainbridge atop the pit box at Fontana. Credit: Autostock |
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
March 1, 2005
10:39 AM EST (15:39 GMT)
When Rusty Wallace Inc. crew chief Blake Bainbridge got started in racing with members of the Allison family in his native Alabama, he couldn't have imagined that someday he'd be calling the shots for Rusty Wallace in Mexico. But Bainbridge is sure about one thing: he enjoys working with Wallace, who will drive in this weekend's Telcel Motorola 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Bainbridge sat down with NASCAR.COM senior writer Dave Rodman prior to the Stater Bros. 300 to talk about racing outside the U.S., the logistics of coast-to-coast travel and his road course ace in the hole. Q: For a young crew chief, how much anticipation was there to work with Rusty Wallace, the driver, when you first did it last year? Blake Bainbridge: It was a dream come true. I just really take pride in working for somebody who's been around the sport for so long and where I've learned something from him every day. We're in a sport that if you don't learn something every day, you're just not going to make it. He's really open-minded and I've learned a lot from him -- both about the business and professionally -- about the racecars and just common knowledge. Rusty just picks you up when you're down. He's a great personality. Q: Being the NASCAR icon that he is, what did you learn about Rusty that you didn't know before you went to work for him -- and before he worked with him at the races last year? When I first went to work for Rusty Wallace, I didn't know he was as open-minded as he is. I know he's been around the sport for a long time and I know a lot of other people who have been, too. But he is up to date on all the new technology that's come along. He knows so much. I wasn't sure that he knew what was all going on -- I thought he was an old school guy, but he's the exact opposite. He's in with the new stuff and wants to do it. Q: What has he taught you as Rusty Wallace, the team owner? Really just to be conservative when you need to be, and when you don't need to be conservative, then don't. He's shown me how to make a solid run and to make solid decisions and how not to go out on a limb unless you have to. But, at the same time he's shown me to just be open-minded. Q: The Busch Series is going back to road racing this season in a rush, to Mexico City this week and then Watkins Glen later in the season -- after several years without going to a road course. Do you have any concerns from a technical standpoint in going road racing? Well, obviously my concerns are in my guys -- my team -- going down there and having a safe trip. But as far as the mechanical and racing part of it, I have no doubt at all that we're going to be fine, especially with Rusty Wallace behind the wheel. It's just more of the logistics and how unsure we are of (things), having never raced outside of the country before. There are just a lot of unanswered questions. Q: With his previous success, Rusty Wallace might be your ace in the hole on the road course -- but how much have you tested your road course equipment and how knowledgeable has Rusty proven to be? Just from his performance in his (Nextel) Cup car last year, we're basically banking off everything that he has -- his driving experience. We haven't even shook the car down. It's a brand new car and we've got Bell Helicopters on board as a sponsor, giving us the money we need to go down there and run in the top five. We're just putting all our technology together to put the best racecar together that we can for him to drive (with the) best brakes, the best body -- all the stuff that's a sure thing. Q: If you haven't tested -- and never having been to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez before -- is NASCAR going to give you any extra track time? Basically what they're telling us is it's going to be just like any other race, is what (NASCAR's) attitude is. I see it differently. I want a day of testing and we're not going to get it. We're going to get almost five hours of practice, but I'd feel better if we had data from when we tested and just had a full day to come back and say 'this is what we need to do.' You've got to make a lot of quick decisions down there and they need to be right. Q: Like it or not, as a crew chief, you're kind of a father figure to your guys. So are there any concerns about "taking the family" to Mexico City? There's a lot of concerns, but I feel like, and I hope, that NASCAR is doing what they need to do to protect us while we're there -- and it sounds like they are. It sounds like they have a really nice plan. We've had several meetings over the past couple months and it seems like (NASCAR) is taking ideas from us, to help us, plus adding anything that we forget. It's just a new deal for everybody (because) we've never raced out of the country -- at least the Busch Series hasn't. So hopefully (NASCAR) learned a lot from Suzuka (Japan, Cup exhibition and Winston West races held for four years in the 1990s on the Suzuka City road course and the Twin Ring Motegi oval) to help us go down to Mexico. Q: Logistically, how are you going to work getting from California, to Mexico and then back for the next Busch race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? To be honest with you, it's a nightmare and something that we really weren't ready for. We've suffered a little bit and this is the hardest winter, I believe, that I've ever had. Somewhat being a new team and never running the full schedule, and having to have six cars ready before the season started put a lot of pressure on our engine program and put a lot of pressure on my guys. Dodge had a body change this year so we had to go through the body change on all our cars, so it was just a tough winter. Q: Finally, in terms of your race calling on a road course, where you haven't had to do that, is that again a case where you're going to lean on Rusty's expertise for what you're going to need to do and when you're going to need to do it? Yeah. I'm going to have to get down there and see how tire wear is and figure our fuel mileage out. But Rusty is an ace in the hole, like you said. He's just got so much experience it's hard not to listen to him. You've got to give him the tools that he needs to be able to make those calls, but he knows what he's doing and he knows what he's looking for. | 
