Robert "Bootie" Barker says you can get some things past NASCAR inspectors. Credit: Autostock

Urban Legends: 600

The real story of popular NASCAR beliefs from crew chief Barker

Think you really know NASCAR and its teams? Robert "Bootie" Barker, crew chief of the No. 66 Chevy, breaks down some of the truths and misconceptions about the sport:

Myth: It is nearly impossible to get "gray-area" modifications past the watchful eye of Nextel Cup inspectors.

Fact: No way. If they see the change immediately, then yeah, it can be tough to get past them, but if it's hard to notice, sometimes they don't see it for weeks.

	Credit: Autostock
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You may get something taken away eventually, but you might have been using it for the past four or five races.

If I look at another team's car and see that they're doing something that's in the "gray area," I'm not a rat. I don't rat people out. If it's something that I think might help our cars, we'll start doing it as well.

Fact: The process of going through inspection is a tedious one, especially for crewmembers, who must wait for hours while pushing their car to the inspection bay.

Myth: The jack used during pit stops is certainly upscale but still one you can purchase at a standard auto parts store.

Fact: Not even close. Our jackman, Phillip Gee, uses a lightweight aluminum jack. It weighs about 25 pounds, and gets the car up much more quickly than a regular floor jack.

To get more lift on each pump, it has a larger diameter pumping piston to move hydraulic oil through the system faster. Usually, Phillip can get the car up in the air with one or two pumps of the handle.

The other big difference is the cost. A regular floor jack goes for $25 and up. Our jacks cost about $1,200. When you consider that one extra second in the pits can cost you several positions, the higher cost is a small price to pay, since several positions can mean $10,000 with today's large purses.

Myth: Tire carriers and tire changers are tall, slender and athletic

Fact: Good tire carriers and changers in all shapes and sizes. Tall, small, thick, thin, muscular, skinny. It doesn't matter what you look like. The main thing a tire changer needs is hand speed, and they have to be able to get up off their knees quickly.

For tire carriers, they need good core strength in their stomachs and lower backs. That tire is swinging away from them like a pendulum, so core strength is key.

One of our tire carriers, Mike "Shrek" Morneau, is about 6-5 and 285 pounds. He's a big boy, but he's quick. Jackmen are usually pretty thick, too.

Even with that $1,200 jack, you have to have some leverage to get the car up, and it usually takes some mass to do that.

Myth: In today's NASCAR, pit crew members fly in on race day and fly right back out that night. Many hold regular jobs.

Fact: For the most part -- especially on large teams -- this is true. However, in the case of the Best Buy team, five of the seven guys that go over the wall are part of the regular traveling team and are at the track all weekend.

Our other two guys work back at the shop during the week and then just fly in on race day. You see that scenario quite a bit in this sport.

I know there are a few pit crew guys that actually have regular jobs outside motorsports, and just do this as a side job. Again, it depends.

Fact: Talented over-the-wall crewmen can make $1,000 a day just for pitting the car and extra if they also contract themselves out for Busch or Truck races.

Fact: According to General Aviation News, over 60 percent of the revenue of the Concord (N.C.) Regional Airport comes from NASCAR teams.

Fact: If a race is delayed by rain in a nearby locale such as Talladega, Atlanta or Richmond, team members often fly back to Charlotte instead of booking a hotel room for the night.

Myth: When a team changes manufacturers, it is not a big deal. It is basically a change in sheet metal.

Fact: Not at all true. When you change manufacturers, you can use the same chassis, but one of the obvious things you're going to change is your engine. The block, the heads and everything else.

The other big thing that changes is your manufacturer support. You know, with General Motors, they help us out with wind tunnel time and engineering support.

When you change manufacturers, that support system changes. In some ways, it might be better, and in others, worse, but it will definitely be different.