As long as pit crews are knocking out stops and gaining spots, things are good. When the stops go south ... so does the love.
This was true last weekend at Dover when Kevin Harvick came unglued at his pit crew after losing the lead twice on pit road.
Pit crew members are adults and can handle the criticism. But when was the last time a driver spun out and a crewmen came on the radio and said "just park the (expletive), you no good (expletive). If you can't keep the car straight, then we don't have time to stand here and pit it"?
That never happens, nor should it, but the fact that a good pit crew has to stand there and get chewed out on the radio for a bad stop and then be expected to go out and produce a great stop the next time, well, that's just not understanding people.
The pit crew that lost spots this past week in Dover is the same one that came in and helped win Harvick his first championship in 2014. He's won plenty of races with this crew and some because of this pit crew.
If there is a problem with the pit crew, then handle it back at the shop. No need to vent your frustrations over a public radio and try to shame them.
No one feels worse after a bad pit stop than the pit crew member who messes up. One pit coach told us, "If you don't think a pit crew guy knows when he's lost a race or put his driver in a bad spot, then you're crazy."
No one is saying a driver doesn't have the right to be mad at his pit crew for a bad stop, but understanding how to handle that will go a long way with how his crew performs moving forward.
For more pit crew news, go to PitTalks.com.