Reiser, Francis return to pit box after suspensions

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Robbie Reiser hardly even bothered to watch on television, deciding instead to spend his suddenly free weekends bouncing around on a four-wheeler in the North Carolina woods. The crew chief missed four races while on NASCAR-issued suspension, and saw in total only about 150 laps.

"There are a lot of kids who like to play baseball, but won't watch it. I'm probably in that category," said Matt Kenseth's crew chief at Roush Fenway Racing. "I like to do it a lot more than I like to watch it. Being that you've got a stake in it, it's kind of like gambling, like being at Vegas and watching the numbers roll. It's no fun until the end."

Reiser and Kenny Francis, team director for Kasey Kahne's No. 9 squad, returned this week from four-race suspensions levied by NASCAR after both were busted prior to the Daytona 500 for air ducts in their respective cars that weren't properly sealed off. They return to very different situations -- Reiser to a team that won a race in his absence and stands fifth in points, Francis to a struggling operation that could be in jeopardy of missing events beginning next week.

Behind team engineer and interim crew chief Chip Bolin, Kenseth posted three consecutive top-four finishes and a victory at California Speedway. With engineer Keith Rodden substituting for Francis, Kahne blew an engine at California, crashed at both Las Vegas and Atlanta, and enters Sunday's event at Bristol Motor Speedway 37th in owner points. Only the top 35 are guaranteed starting spots when 2007 points go into effect beginning next week at Martinsville, Va.

"It'll be nice to have Kenny back and get things going the way they need to be going," Kahne said. "I think communication [will benefit]. We understand each other really well. When I explain something he understands, and when he explains something I understand. It just seems like the process is quicker. We don't have to try as much. We don't have to try as many little things to find out what we need. It makes the process a little quicker."

Each crew chief handled exile differently. Reiser held a meeting with the No. 17 team before they left for each race, but stayed behind in North Carolina, worked in the shop, and effectively turned responsibility over to Bolin. Francis traveled to each race city, staying in the team hotel and using computer instant messaging to consult with Rodden over setup issues.

"It's been stressful," Francis said. "Very stressful."

His absence clearly didn't help.

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"It's been a part of it," Kahne said of the team's slow start, "but it's not the reason why we're where we're at. Things happened, and we've had some things wrong, but we've had some good cars and we should be much better in the points than where we're at. We've just had some bad breaks."

Friday was a good start. Kahne qualified second for Sunday's Food City 500 behind pole-winner Jeff Gordon, with Evernham Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler in third.

"You want your 'A' guys all the time, and Kenny's an 'A' guy," team owner Ray Evernham said. "If nothing else, mentally, it gives them some more confidence. If you're playing with a backup quarterback, the guy could be doing a good job for you and you still could be winning games, but when the lead quarterback comes back, he gives you a little bit of confidence. Keith Rodden did a great job for us, but I think people are just a little bit more confident. Kasey is probably a little more settled down with Kenny being here."

Reiser returns to a road crew that hardly missed a beat in his absence.

"Who's the new guy?" Kenseth ribbed when he met with his crew Friday morning. The suspension taught Reiser just how deep his No. 17 team is. And it showed Kenseth how much his crew chief, who not too long ago considered taking a management position within the Roush organization, really loves his job.

"I think Robbie has always given 100 percent and always worked as hard as he could, but I think the last few years in the back of his mind he's thought, 'Oh man. I need to get off the road. This is a grind. The schedule is too long. I'd like to have a couple more off weekends,'" Kenseth said.

"You start thinking like that, and then I think once you're stuck at home for four weeks and you can't get to the track, you're like, 'Man, that's really what I love to do. That's what I've always done. That's what I know how to do. I don't really know how to act right now being home for an extra four weeks.'

"So I think being away made him appreciate being here more. I think it made him want to be back here more. I think it kind of gave him more of an appreciation for what we get to do, and being able to do what he loves for a living and for a career. Certainly I have no indication that he liked being at home more than he likes being at the racetrack, and he wants to stay there. I certainly can tell that he couldn't wait to get back to the track."