Bootie Barker is among a growing trend of crew chiefs with an engineering background. Credit: Autostock

Urban Legends: All-Star

The real story of popular NASCAR beliefs from crew chief Barker

This is the first in a series of weekly articles that Robert "Bootie" Barker will pen for NASCAR.COM. Think you really know NASCAR and its teams? Barker, crew chief of the No. 66 Chevy, breaks down some of the truths and misconceptions about the sport.

Myth: Crew chiefs physically work on the cars at the track

Chances are none of these men is a crew chief. Credit: Autostock

Fact: This is somewhat true. It's very rare that it happens, but it does happen. I'm lucky to have great mechanics that do an awesome job for me, but sometimes you have to crawl under the car and check the situation out for yourself.

I did it last weekend at Darlington, but 99 percent of the time, my crew handles everything. As a crew chief, you spend most of your time thinking and analyzing data, so it's nice to get your hands dirty every now and then.

I think the crew guys appreciate it when they know you're willing to work shoulder to shoulder with them.

Fact: Mike Ford, Denny Hamlin's crew chief, told NASCAR.COM in March: "Never ever do I work on a racecar. I haven't worked on a racecar in six years."

Myth: Team members often ride in the back of the hauler

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Fact: This came from Days of Thunder and that funny scene where that cop gets real ornery with Cole [Tom Cruise], the crew is riding in the back of the team transporter.

Days of Thunder has been on HBO a lot recently, and everyone in the garage can just about quote it verbatim. There are quite a few myths in that film.

I've never seen that happen, and I believe it is illegal to do that. Crew guys normally ride in vans or SUVs when a race is within driving distance, and some even drive their personal vehicles.

When we fly to a race, the crew usually gets a couple of rental vans for transportation to the track and the hotel.

Fact: At Darlington, the infield was littered with the personal cars of crew members, some of which traveled to the racetrack by motorcycle.

Myth: Crews have been known to eat ice cream during a race

Fact: Pretty much true. That is one thing that is true in Days of Thunder. If the situation is right, I might have some ice cream.

It doesn't happen every week, but I've eaten during a race. Usually, it's something like a pack of crackers or cookies, but our truck driver has brought out some ice cream once or twice.

I remember, back when I first became a crew chief in the Busch Series, I told my team I wouldn't eat ice cream until we won a race. It took about a year, but we won at Dover with Scott Wimmer, and Lance McGrew [Brian Vickers' crew chief] brought me an ice cream in Victory Lane.

Myth: Crew chiefs own motor homes and stay at the track

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Fact: Mostly true. A lot of crew chiefs have motor homes, but not me. I personally think it's a waste of money. Those things aren't cheap to own or operate.

Besides, I don't mind staying where the team's staying. I like spending time with my crew, and riding with them to and from the track helps our camaraderie.

I'm not sure what percentage of crew chiefs have motor homes, but I'd say somewhere between 70 or 75 percent. I'm not over in the motor home area a lot, so I don't really know exactly who does and who doesn't have one.

Myth: The crew chief's pit box is the best seat in the house

The bird's eye view isn't always the best view. Credit: Autostock

Fact: Not even close. I usually can't see much more than Turn 4, the front stretch, and maybe Turn 1, depending on the track and which pit stall we selected.

The crew and I end up watching most of the race on TV, just like you do at home. We all use our satellite dishes to pick up the race. In Darlington, we watched a station out of New York.

From a fan's perspective, I'd much rather sit up in the stands, where you can see the whole track.

To me, Atlanta is the best track for a crew chief to see the race, because the garage area and the infield are lower than pit road, and I can see the backstretch. I can't see much at Dover, Bristol or Indy.