Michael McSwain talks with NASCAR.COM's Danielle Frye. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

McSwain guides team using TrackPass

Mobile command center set up to help ailing crew chief

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- The week began with a lot of questions. It ended with a lot of answers.

Michael "Fatback" McSwain probably won't volunteer to crew chief from his great room any time soon, but he learned this week that if he needed to, he could.

McSwain, recovering from back surgery, spent Saturday and Sunday lying on an inflatable mattress in his home. But he was able to assist Ricky Rudd and the Wood Brothers with the help of NASCAR.COM's TrackPass, Nextel and Racing Radios.

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Four laptop computers filled McSwain's great room in the second story of his home Sunday in preparation for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway, 2,400 miles away.

The laptops were all equipped with PitCommand, a feature of TrackPass that is an innovative, live streaming GPS telemetry application that tracks the position of all 43 Nextel Cup Series cars in real-time, in addition to showing RPM, throttle and brake usage, time behind leader, fastest lap speed and time, and a driver's current lap speed and time.

PitCommand also features leading drivers' audio communication, so McSwain was able to listen to Rudd communicate with his crew and fill-in crew chief Eddie Wood.

In addition, McSwain was able to his a cell phone to talk with team engineer Hoyt Overbagh, who in turn would feed McSwain's input to the rest of the team.

McSwain goes over some notes while keeping an eye on PitCommand. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

"It's really worked out good," McSwain said. "It's been a big plus. Unfortunately, we had a bad day, but that's racing."

Yes, everything was working fine, right up until Lap 6, when Rudd made contact with Bill Elliott and slapped the backstretch wall. A green-flag pit stop later, Rudd was two laps down.

Rudd was forced to make another pit stop a few moments later, and suddenly all the energy in the room is zapped.

Fatback and crew tried to stay positive, and McSwain kept his eyes on the PitCommand leaderboard to make sure he knows where Rudd is. With more than 400 miles to go, Rudd could still get back in the race.

Under the race's second caution, McSwain directed the crew to lower the trackbar and take some air out of the right-rear tire. The team didn't give up, even though they were frustrated with the circumstances.

But the car was damaged in the right-front, and at an aero-sensitive track like California, McSwain knew Rudd could be in for a long day.

McSwain's Jack Russell dog, "Babyback," jumped on the mattress, but Fatback didn't have good news.

"Daddy's car is tore up," McSwain said. "Won't be any treats today."

Later, McSwain all but whispered in the headset, "Hey, Hoyt, are you having as much fun as I am?"

One wondered what the response was.

Under another caution, Rudd asked about Fatback and his condition. Wood responded that McSwain must be "on some good pain pills. I wish I had some right about now."

Well, McSwain wasn't. But a few laps later, it was probably time to take some, for Rudd slowed and eventually pulled into the garage with a blown engine.

"Give everybody a big hug for me," McSwain said.

McSwain guides his team from his home in North Carolina. Credit: Turner Sports Interactive

With that, McSwain's day was done. He said he hoped to be back at the track in a few weeks, perhaps Atlanta Motor Speedway. Las Vegas was probably out of the question, since he can only stand or lie down.

But that's OK, for he's ready to fire up the computer and log on to NASCAR.COM.

"It was tough," McSwain said of working from home. "We had some good lines of communication, and we had some good technology here with NASCAR.COM and TrackPass. That helps a lot, but not being able to put your hands on it, not being able to look at those tires (is tough)."

The next best thing is TrackPass, for it has everything the crew chief could want -- and then some.

"Pretty much everything about it, we liked," McSwain said. "We'll probably use it at the racetrack if they get the things we like to see."

Well, OK, there was one complaint. Rudd's laps were displayed in miles per hour and not in seconds, as crews are used to. A tweak or two could fix that, meaning there would be more questions answered.

Maybe this working from home thing has some merit.