|
 |
|
|
|
|
The Pyschological Effects Of A Rain Delay On NASCAR Drivers
This weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway marks the first crescendo in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. But when that buildup is silenced by the persistent pitter-patter of rain, does it throw drivers off their game, especially the three teetering on the edge of making or missing the Chase?
"I think (a rain delay) really tests the drivers’ focusing skills and how it affects each driver depends on whether they understand the skill of focusing and refocusing," said Dr. Mark Tobin, Charlotte, N.C.-based sport psychologist who has worked with various NASCAR teams and drivers. "Drivers and other athletes who have very well-developed psychological skills have a pre-game or pre-race routine and part of that is the refocusing plan. ‘What happens when a potential distraction comes up - how am I going to not leave my focus?’ For the ones who have a refocusing plan for dealing with distractions, (rain delay) could work in their advantage because it could cause their competitors to wonder what to do outside their scheduled routine. When your psychological skills are well developed, you look forward to potential distractions because competitors without well-developed skills could succumb."
|
|
|
| |
 |
Rain or no rain, the top 12 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup will eventually be decided and the playoffs between these 12 rivals will begin.
Fierce rivalries and the proverbial "chaser" and "chasee" games comprise the fabric of everything from cartoons to professional sports. The 2008 Chase to the Sprint Cup stars Kyle Busch in the lead dog role and 11 other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers hot on his trail. While Busch and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team, dominant all season, undisputedly will hold the mathematical and statistical advantage over the 12th-seeded driver, do they also own the psychological advantage in the 10-race "playoff" format?
For the most part, all of the teams prepare their race cars in similar fashion. However, the mentality and thought processes between the "chasee" (Busch) and "chasers," especially the 12th-place competitor, aren’t so analogous.
"In general, it takes more mental toughness to be the leader than the follower, to be at the top of the heap, stay there consistently and withstand the challengers," Dr. Tobin said. "When you are the underdog, you have a lot of people rooting for you. Different personalities are more or less comfortable being the person everyone is trying to knock off. Some teams are energized by that but some people are a bit uncomfortable in that position."
Veteran championship crew chief Jeff Hammond concurs.
"I think Kyle Busch has the tougher job because he has been picked to win and has clearly had the car to beat on a weekly basis," said Hammond, who serves as a SPEED NASCAR analyst. "He has been the man and the odds-makers in Las Vegas say it’s his year. The pressure is on Busch not to lose this championship."
The constant pressure to run well and not falter in the spotlight can put any team and driver through the emotional wringer. Larry McReynolds, former crew chief and current NASCAR analyst for SPEED, led Davey Allison in a heated 1992 championship battle that went down to the wire between six teams with a mathematical shot at the title heading into the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"I was part of one of the most intense championship battles ever and it was one of the most grueling deals I’ve been through in racing," McReynolds recalled. "Even though we lost the championship because we got caught up in a wreck, I’d never been so glad to see a checkered flag in my life. It wasn’t the result I wanted but we were in position to win the championship and didn’t make any moves that hurt us. That was almost good enough for me that year."
While drivers garner the lion’s share of the attention, crew chiefs sweat it out on the pit box and bear the burden that any miscalculation, miscue or oversight could cost their team the crown.
"As a crew chief, you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders," McReynolds said. "You’re responsible for making sure the team and car are as prepared as possible and it’s on the crew chiefs’ shoulders to not make the wrong call that loses the championship."
When NASCAR wipes the slate clean and Busch’s substantial points lead vanishes, teams without valued bonus points or premier seeding can approach the Chase as a new season and a second chance at the championship, each possessing a legitimate and realistic chance of laying claim to the head table at the Waldorf-Astoria.
"NASCAR and other sports are replete with teams who didn’t have the best regular seasons but ended up winning the championship," Dr. Tobin stated. "Last year’s New England Patriots went in with a perfect record but the New York Giants got on a roll and wound up winning the championship. The Chase gives teams who haven’t been the most consistent a new psychological adrenaline to see everyone has a shot."
The new race car implemented fulltime in the Cup Series this season can also serve as an equalizer that affords everyone an equitable opportunity in the title run.
"With the Car of Tomorrow going to so many racetracks we've never been to with it, I think a team can get hot and really be good," said driver Jeff Burton. "The way you ran in May isn't necessarily going to be indicative of how you run in November. So, I think it's anybody's ballgame. Whoever gets in the Chase will have an honest shot."
Enduring these 10 races can be nerve-wracking and mental toughness is paramount during this time. The mental hardiness or vulnerabilities of teams and drivers can be revealed during the Chase, a time when they desire to portray themselves as nothing but steel-faced and resilient.
"The intensity during the playoffs in any sport is unlike most any regular season contest and NASCAR is no exception," Tobin said. "Once the pressure heats up, you find out who has the mental toughness and psychological skills. The teams and individuals who have it actually thrive on the pressure and need it to perform their best. It reinvigorates the best teams and gets their performance to an even greater level."
And if you can’t beat a guy on the race track, you can always try thrashing him from the inside out. The ultimate psychological tactic to ruin another driver or player’s rhythm is the fine art of "head games." Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson purportedly employed this tactic with Kyle Busch when he endured a two-race "slump" of consecutive 15th-place finishes. However, Busch came back the following weekend at Watkins Glen and won the race.
"There are competitors who try to gain a psychological edge in various ways," Dr. Tobin said. "As you become more of a veteran and know it’s going to happen, you handle it better.
"The quintessential example of this was a crucial free throw at the end of an NBA playoff game that Karl Malone, ‘the Mailman,’ of the Utah Jazz had to take," Dr. Tobin continued. "Reportedly, Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls walked by and under his breath said, ‘the mailman doesn’t deliver on Sundays.’ That’s the ultimate head game in the heat of competition."
PaddockTalk Perspective
|
|
|
| |
|
